[JAMESON TYLER HUGHS]

July 2023 • outfit + Fiver • Roman Aleksandr Hughs

It had been a long day, but Jameson "Jamie" Hughs had been pleased with it. Between placing fourth in his dressage class and doing two Gymkhana classes for shits and giggles, both he and Fiver were well warn out and there was still time to kill until it was time to trailer up and go. As far as he knew, his family hadn't come out to cheer him on from the crowds, but that that had been fine with him. They had their own lives and while the young man and his horse always appreciated the support, this had simply been a friendly show and didn't qualify towards rankings. Plus, with a few fumbles during all three of his classes, Jamie secretly had been thankful they hadn't been around to witness it, even if some of his fellow friends and riders had been.

"What do you say, Fiver? Time to head back to the trailer to relax and some well deserved hay?" he asked his gypsy vanner horse, who was always perfectly content to do just about anything, although this endless supply of grass had been hard to give him. Still, a gentle tug, and Fiver was ready to roll. They slowly made their way back to Blue Arce's hub of trailers, and Jamie could not help himself but to keep an eye out for the Kita-Ledor sisters. While only one competed, the other usually came to support, and he found that if you could find one, you could find the other. But he had no such luck, and buried whatever feelings he had on the matter.

He glanced at the time, certain that after he settled Fiver down with his hay, he might be able to convince somebody to keep his horse company while he caught the last classes for the day to support his fellow dressage riders as well his coach. One of Blue Arces, Molly Mac'Intosh, was passing by him on the way to the arena, and while they didn't ride in the same disciplines, "Good luck to you and Luna, Molly!" He called out, almost catching her off guard but she smiled at him nonetheless, "Thanks! OH! Someone's at the hub waiting for you!" She called out, before the teenager and her mare went on their way. Well, that startled Jamie, "Who could be waiting for us, Fiver?" Could it be whom he had been hoping to see earlier? Well, there was only one way to find out.

The Blue Arces Hub was approaching fast, and Jamie did his best to speed his plodding horse. When they got to their specific trailer, the young man almost did a double take. It was not a girl waiting for him, but a man. Nothing could have prepared him though for seeing this man though at one of his horse shows, "Dad?!" He stopped dead in his tracks, Fiver not taking the hint and kept on walking, snorting in annoyance as the direction suddenly changed as he was forced to pull inside. The look that the Gypsy Vanner somehow managed to pull off snapped Jamie back to reality as he approached the trailer to tie Fiver up, blue eyes curiously looking at his father, "What are you doing here?"

I'm setting out into the great unknown, I don't know where I'm going but I'm ready

thanks aofie!

[Roman Aleksandr Hughs]

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It had taken him a fair amount of time to track Jamie down, having avoided reaching out to their mother or his parents. He remembered his son mentioning riding and from there he began tracking him down in a town that was filled with horse folk. A few strange glances, a few necessary checks and now he was waiting for Jamie to turn up at his trailer.

"Dad?!"

Roman looked up at the voice and smiled warmly as he clapped eyes on his son. Gods he'd grown up a lot since he'd seen him last, it actually hurt him knowing he'd been so absent in seeing him grow up but he stowed it away.

"Hello Jamie."

"What are you doing here?"

Roman watched the thick-set horse with mild curiosity before turning his full attention back to Jamie, that smile still fixed on his face.

"Well," he said slowly, "I'm hear to see you, first off. I thought I'd surprise you, and let you know that I'm going to be home a lot more now. No more post cards, no more face-time calls, nothing."

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[JAMESON TYLER HUGHS]

July 2023 • outfit + Fiver • Roman Aleksandr Hughs

It was very weird to see his father standing in front of him in general, perhaps the fact that they were standing at the show grounds surrounded by trailers, horses, and equestrians made it all the more weirder though. Roman Hughs stood out like a sore thumb, but that didn't bother Jamie so much as the fact that he had been blind sided by his arrival. Had his mum said something and he just...ignored it? It wouldn't have been the first time that Jamie had missed important information, his brain always distracted by schoolwork, Fiver, or girls - well, namely one girl, that perhaps it had gone in one ear and out the other without even registering in his brain.

Unlike the two men though, Fiver knew what he wanted and that was to be tied up so he could be untacked and munching on that hay bag that had been set up for him by someone. So he tossed his head, and swung it into his human - partly for an itch and partly to be annoying. Although he was met with a gentle but firm push back, and the gyspy vanner flung his head back and soon found himself begrudgingly standing still once more.

Jamie could have killed his horse for that, well, not really, he loved the gyspy vanner far too much to do that, but it had been aggravating when he had bigger fish to fry. The young man felt like he was waiting on baited breath as his father rolled over what to say in his mind before answering him: "Well," Roman said slowly, "I'm hear to see you, first off. I thought I'd surprise you, and let you know that I'm going to be home a lot more now. No more post cards, no more face-time calls, nothing." If Jamie had been ill-mannered and raised, his jaw might have dropped at such an answer, but he managed to hold it together. Well, perhaps to a degree since he could still feel his blue eyes widen and eyebrows involuntary arch, "You are?"

No sooner did the words stupidly leave his mouth, could Jamie not help but to cringe. How was he failing so spectacularly? He laughed a little now, at the situation, his stupidity, as his hand ran through his sweaty hair before finally smiling, "Well...I'm glad to have you back." It was a half truth, half lie. The teenager was always interested in getting to know his father, he always felt like an engima, a man of mystery who was barely around. He somehow knew Aiden Wellington, his mom's manfriend, far better than he did than Roman Hughs, but perhaps that would change. He finally Fiver what he wanted though, and took the short trip of a few more feet to the trailer to unbridle the horse and tie him up, were Fiver greedily began to try to murder the both the hay and the hay net.

"Sorry for earlier, I must have missed Mum telling me you were home," he said now, blue eyes looking back towards his father now and getting a really good look now - knowing mars and imperfections on Roman that the teenager did not remember from his youth, "Everything okay at work?" Okay, probably not the best question to start off with, "Er, well, I hope my dressage number didn't bore you too much if you had caught it. Thanks for watching it today if you did. Can't say the same about the rest of the Hughs."

I'm setting out into the great unknown, I don't know where I'm going but I'm ready

thanks aofie!