Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
He didn't settle again until Rhett nodded, "Alright." He nodded back, glad he had agreed with him. "Okay," He managed a fleeting smile. "Hopefully- Hopefully someone comes around... soon." Dei glanced to the doorway and frowned slightly. "I could go and find someone? Drag them in here?" He offered. It would be hard to leave him, but if it was something Rhett needed then he'd do it. Anything he needed. He agreed though, that the sooner they knew what was going on then the better. Dei could start figuring out how to help him.
"I know it sounds- sounds stupid, But I'd like it.. if you could lay up.. with me.. please?" Dei blinked in surprise but quickly masked it. "It's not stupid." He hesitated and looked at Rhett and how he was lying. "I don't want to hurt you." He admitted, trying not to show the guilt as always when he said the words - he'd already done that well and truly anyway. He was careful, as gentle as he could be as he removed his shoes first, and then moved a couple of the wires - being ridiculously slow to make sure that he didn't tug anything on him. It took a little while, but he settled on his side right on the edge, a hand under his head, the other on Rhett's arm, rubbing soothingly up and down.
"Good afternoon sir, I'm Dr. Thorne. I'm here to discuss with you what happened, but first I'd like to ask your friend to leave first." He sat up - once again being mindful of Rhett and he glared. "I'm not leaving." Not even if Rhett told him to. "He goes nowhere." He spared Rhett a quick look, relieved he had been right to say no. He would have to be drugged and carried out, even if they tried to pull him out awake they'd never make it.
Perhaps it had been the wrong move, he felt Rhett's confusion, and he knew he must hurt, but he hadn't known what else to do to make him calm down, to take his mind off things for a moment. He kept his forehead to Rhett's, taking some calm in it himself. He tried not to think about the last time they were in a similar position - outside Rhett's house, before he had caved. There was irony in it, but now was different, now it was Dei promising Rhett, giving him the answers he couldn't give before - the answer's he should have given. He was here, he wasn't going anywhere, he was giving himself and his life to Rhett.
"You think so?" Dei nodded and finally drew back slightly, placing a soft kiss to Rhett's forehead before pulling back to give him his space again. "I do." He nodded again firmly. "I promise, we'll get you through this. No matter what it takes." He'd sell his soul if he would help Rhett get back on his feet. "But you haven't heard from the Doctor yet, this could be something to do with your surgery or your meds, don't jump to conclusions."
"Fuck that, I don't want to sleep." Dei gave a sympathetic look, "I know, but sometimes we have to do things we don't want to." Which hit a little too close to home and he swallowed, feeling a heavy wave of guilt when he thought back once again to what he had done. He needed to apologise for that, to talk through with him about that, but now wasn't the time. "I'll be here when you wake," and he would, if it would help Rhett to know that nothing was going to tear him away right now.
Dei held on to his face, trying to give him comfort and strength through the touch, as he couldn't make everything better just by wishing for it. He would if he could, he would give up everything to give Rhett everything. No matter what. "I can't move... my legs Dei," Dei's already shattered and taped together heart broke again in that moment. He didn't know the extent of his injuries, nobody had come in yet and nobody would tell him, but to hear that break in his voice.
He did the only thing he could think to do that would break him out of his panic. He kissed him. Out of his chair completely, hands still on Rhett's face, he leaned forward to press his lips to Rhett's, trying to pour into the kiss his sorry, his strength, his comfort and promise that they would fix this. When he pulled back, he went to rest his forehead to Dei's. "I promise we'll get through this, you'll be up and about in no time." He would make that true no matter what.
He watched him relax back a little, but Dei could sense he was still tense. He could understand how it would feel - to feel helpless. It was a feeling he refused to endure anymore, partly why he hated giving control over to other people. He knew Rhett more than most hated being helpless. "Dream.. nightmare... it's been a blur." He nodded slightly, for him it had all been a nightmare. A nightmare with what he had done to Rhett, then a nightmare with being apart from him, unable to fix things between them. And then this, another nightmare. One after the other for Dei. He felt at fault for it. It was his fault that they were here.
An almost smile from Dei as Rhett leaned into it, at least he was happy to accept his touch. Dei couldn't let go of him right now, he was afraid if he did, Rhett might slip away from him - despite not being physically able to. Irrational fears. "I've slept more than I have all week, I think I can forgo it, If I fall asleep again, it's on my terms... not because of fancy drugs..." Dei gave a slight shake of his head. "Your body needs to heal, you need the sleep, even if you don't like it." His brain snagged on his comment about sleep, and he felt that knot of anxiety that he had been the cause of it.
"Good, I think. I should go and see her..." Dei hesitated a little, unsure if that would be a good idea until he knew what state she was in. He didn't want Rhett to feel worse for what had happened, but if she was awake and talking at least that might help. "I'll see what I can do, but not right now." He'd just woken up, now wasn't the time to think about other people. He knew something was going on in Rhett's head when the monitor began to pick up, and he sat up a little straighter, looking him over to try and figure out what had upset him. "I can't... I have to... Dei I can't..." Dei shook his head quickly, and in a moment released Rhett's hand so that he could place both on his cheeks, his touch still careful as he cupped his face. "Rhett stay with me, it's okay. I promise, whatever is wrong, I'll fix it. Just stay with me and breath. I've got you."
That attempt at a smile filled Dei with a little bit of hope, a little bit of sunlight to his bleak and miserable existence. How he could ever had believed he could squash his feelings for this man he didn't know - it would have broken him eventually. He couldn't smile back, not yet. He wasn't over it. Rhett might be awake and talking, but it didn't mean this wasn't still scary. In response, he felt his body begin to shake slightly, and he tried to hide the tremours, tightening his hand a little on Rhett's - gently enough to avoid hurting him. He was in enough pain. sure if that was true or purely because he was in pain, but right now he settled with the words.
"Need my tablets..." Dei shook his head again, and made a mental note to check with the next nurse who came in that whatever Rhett was worried about was in control. "Don't think about it now, please rest...for me." He was banking on a lot with those words. Rhett might not want to do anything for him other than kill him or kick him out, but he would use anything he had in his arsenal to get him to rest. "Cora - where is she? I need to know... but- This is a dream, isn't it? If it is, I don't want it. Cause in all my dreams, I could never reach you. And if... if this is really real, I don't want to sleep..."
He shouldn't have been surprised that Rhett would think it wasn't real, it didn't feel real to Dei and at the same time it felt horrifically real. A terrible nightmare and he was stuck in it. "I'm surprised you would call this a dream, but it's not. This is real." He reached out a hand to touch Rhett's cheek, hoping the careful caress might help him come to terms with this being the reality. "You can sleep, you need to rest, I'll still be here when you wake. I swear, I'm not leaving." He meant it too. Work. School. It could all go to damn hell as far as he was concerned. He could get another job if they didn't understand, he could quit school and give up on his education if they kicked him out. He wasn't leaving. Nothing could make him. "Cora's here, she's down the hall." He had seen her when they'd brought her out of surgery, but he didn't want to upset Rhett any more than he already was. "She's alive."
A flutter in his hand, and Dei's heart skipped a beat - he was there, Rhett was in there and he was coming back to him. He felt the hit of relief like a head rush. He didn't care that the squeeze was weak, it was something, and it was also something to show that he wasn't about to get Dei kicked out - not right now anyway. He tried to shift closer, his eyes searching Rhett's for a sign that he was okay, for a show that he didn't hate him. It was selfish, he knew, to care about whether Rhett hated him right now when he was lying there so hurt, but he couldn't help himself. He didn't want to be sent away, he never wanted to leave Rhett's side again.
"Where... am I?" Dei kissed Rhett's knuckles again, a constant reminder that he was alive and he was awake. He didn't think he'd be ready to let go for quite a while. "You're in the hospital," It was no surprise he was confused. "You were in a serious car accident." He voice caught slightly and he worked to clear it. He hadn't cried yet, he didn't know if he was able to but he felt so wound tight, so busy watching Rhett that he couldn't let go and let the rest of the feelings back in. Terror sat there at the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't release it yet.
"Time? Day? Can't remember if... I took my tablets..." Dei shook his head slightly, "Hey, it's okay, it's alright.." His voice softened, promising Rhett. It would be okay, he would make sure nothing bad happened to him ever again. "You've been out for a day, it's the 20th of October-" He checked his phone, ignoring all the notifications, "at just gone 4 in the afternoon. You don't need to think about your tablets right now." He didn't know what they were for, the nurse wouldn't tell him much as he wasn't a family member. But whatever it was he was sure the Doctor's were aware. "Have to get up..." Dei shook his head, moving forwards so he was barely on his chair at all. He placed his other hand on Rhett's chest as gently as possible. "No, you need to rest, Rhett. I promise, it's okay. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Ever again."
Dei would never had imagined feeling worse than he already was yesterday. He'd thought he could just about handle Rhett screening his calls, because it was deserved, and Rhett could be off finding someone else who would not do the awful things that he had done. But fate had laughed at him, and handed him this instead. Dei could count on one hand the amount of times in his adult life something had hit him so hard - Rhett's accident was number one. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He sat at Rhett's beside, his hand curled around one of Rhett's lifeless own, as if his grip on the man's hand would held him keep his grip on reality.
The noise of the accident went through his head over and over again, the sight of Rhett's blood covered face, the way he had looked so deathly still when Dei had reached for him. There was a tiny part of him that whispered this was the reason he didn't care, or didn't get close. But it was too late now, miles too late. He cared, he cared so damn much that it hurt. There was a heavy, painful ache in the pit of his stomach. They had tried to get rid of him at the scene, but he had refused. Travelling in the ambulance with Rhett, staring over him like some terrifying avenging angel. They had tried to turn him away at the hospital, and though he had been forced into the waiting room to stew over Rhett's fate, he hadn't been far. As soon as Rhett was in his room and settled, he'd forced his way inside - charm thrown aside for now - wild eyed enough that they relented - and dragged a chair over to his bedisde where he had sat ever since. He had gotten up only for the odd bathroom break. Someone had pushed a cup of something in his hands - coffee potentially - he didn't even know who. His phone was blowing up, and in the end he'd put it on silent, sick of the noise. All he could do was sit there and stare at Rhett's chest, watching the rise and fall, making sure it kept doing that.
"...Dei...?" He blinked and his head raised in shock. Surely he had imagined that? How had he missed Rhett waking? It took a moment for him to process that he really was awake, and then he let out a relieved, heavy exhale. "Hey! Oh hey, yeah it's me, I'm here." He promised, leaning forward onto the edge of his chair as if to get as close as possible. He raised Rhett's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles - and then another and another in gratitude. He didn't even know if Rhett wanted him here, he probably didn't and if he was sent away he would go.. only to the hallway outside, but he would. He kept Rhett's hand clutched in both of his, "Thank God," He breathed, his eyes flicking to Rhett's face, almost scared of what she would see.
"i think the only person who can settle that, isn't in the room." Dei hummed slightly, but his expression didn't reflect any emotion. He was good at internalising, it was a skill he could put on his CV - chuck him all the difficult customers all he'd do is find it entertaining. "Shame..." He simply commented, his mind drifting momentarily to what they could be getting up to instead - it would be much more interesting that watching Tripp move chairs around in a childish imitation of a prank. Sighing, he allowed himself to sink further down in the chair, yawning wide and stretching his arms above his head - the movement flashed a strip of his toned lower stomach as his shirt rode up.
He was testing Tripp a little, nudging the waters. He had already sort of been accepted into the group considering he hung out with them - Alisha hadn't really given them a choice regardless, but Dei had no trouble scoping him out. Was he worth her, realistically only she could decide that. "never seen the point in being green eyed." Dei raised a brow but gave a slight nod, "why be jealous when you can join." He muttered. He didn't see the point in it either - just move on and find someone better, or if you couldn't share then join. But then he didn't do relationships, too busy being the one breaking hearts and making people jealous.
"not had the pleasure." Dei pursed his lips slightly. He hadn't thought Tripp was into guys but this was an interesting development for sure. Fresh meat too. He could end up hating it - some guys did, they thought they wanted it and then they realised they couldn't do it. It was why Dei generally went for seasoned bisexuals or gays, people that knew what they wanted, but he could make an exception. "are you offering?" Dei stayed sat where he was, tilting his head but he didn't look up to see if Tripp was about to fall and break his neck. "It doesn't work like that, this isn't a service, and I don't hand out freebies." He snorted. "If you're interested, we can meet for drinks, see if shit gets too real for you.""look, it's dick on dick." Dei rolled his eyes and stood, stretching again and pushing his hair off his forehead. "I'll show you dick on dick," He muttered, "And it's a lot more interesting than that."
"show me a better shaped one out of chairs and then we'll compare." He snorted and rolled his eyes at that, "If you want to whip out the measuring tape talk to someone else, I don't need to compare.. I know mine's better." Because they were clearly still talking about chairs. He snorted at the kid's show of patting himself down, folding his arms as he watched. "fresh outta spray paint." A roll of his dark eyes, "How original," He mused, his eyes taking in the attempt once again and shaking his head. There were better things to be doing - and certainly better pranks to be had.
"can't disagree." Deimos had to admit he was faintly surprised by the lack of jealousy Tripp gave out. Deimos had slept with the majority of good looking people on campus - which actually wasn't as many as you would think, mostly because he had high standards and every now and then one of them would turn him down on his reputation. Some people thought it was gross that him and his friends had mostly all slept with each other - but when they were all so good looking and had ridiculously high sex drives it was bound to happen after a couple of drinks, and once it had happened once there was no harm in going back to it again.. and again and again. Deimos had found Alisha easy going, as a friend and more than. Never anything 'more than' than just sex, sometimes with Mal, sometimes without, but he'd liked that about her. She didn't expect things, and the only thing she demanded were respect - which he could agree with.
Dei paused at the end of the chairs, and then sat himself down in one, not caring if he wasn't meant to be there or if it ruined Tripp's picture. "you know, i think i like the sound of that." He looked over at Tripp and then gave him a slow surveying, taking his time to look the guy over, lingering where he felt like it. He did it on purpose; some people would blush, usually the nervous ones, and some would stand taller or puff their chests out with pride. It was easy to see what kind of person you were dealing with, plus it gave him an easy chance to look them over and what he was being offered. "So do I," He mused, tilting his head curiously. "So you're not the jealous type, to be willing to share..." It wasn't really a question but he gave him time to answer it before adding, "Have you ever been with a guy before?"
An eyebrow cocked as he waited on an answer. "do you need an anatomy lesson?" His brow drew down and he frowned, surveying the weird array of chairs and then looking back to Tripp with a fake look of concern. "What the fucked up shape is yours?" He shook his head slightly. "This is way more effort than it's worth, why didn't you just spray paint your idea of a dick on the walls?"
"well alisha would like that." His head tilted slightly, interesting that he didn't deny it, or seem particularly bothered by the name calling. "I'm sure she would, it's not too hard to please her." And he would know. He wandered along the line of chairs and glanced back over to Tripp, curious as to where he would go with his answer. Not many things made him curious, but this seemed to be one of them. Congrats to Tripp. "there's not much someone could suggest i wouldn't do." His head tilted and he surveyed Tripp, a slow smirk spreading his lips. "Interesting..." His eyebrows gave a slight rise. "perhaps the three of us should meet for drinks." Now this sounded like a night worth something.
"maybe you just haven't been stuck here long enough." Dei rolled his eyes, he'd been stuck here plenty, but he had to admit he quite enjoyed being at the university. He always had an easy place to put his head, it wasn't far for a drink, he was surrounded by a pick of good looking people most of the time, and his friends weren't too bad either. Dei frowned and watched the kid laying out the chairs and then looking at his artwork, and it twigged. "What are you drawing exactly?" He gave the chairs a disdainful look, as if they'd offended him.
"that doesn't sound like my name." No shit. Dei rolled his eyes and folded his arms, and then went to sit himself on one of the chairs. "Would you prefer 'Alisha's bitch'?" His mouth twitched into a smirk. He knew Alisha would like it. Perhaps he should suggest it to her when he next saw her. "depends what you're offering i guess." An eyebrow rose, unsure if he was being serious. He wasn't sure if the guy was bi or not, it wasn't always easy to tell unless someone was obvious. "whatever you might be brave enough to try."
"you're here too, don't you?" Deimos frowned, waving a hand to the mess of chairs he's pulled out. "I'm not unstacking furniture?" He had better things to do than that. Well, he might be bored right now and a little on the war path to seek out entertainment but he wasn't that bored. Sometimes, him and the girls messed with stuff in the school, but they rarely pulled pranks - it was normally targeted at a certain individual to make their lives more miserable. Call it bullying, Deimos called it entertainment. He didn't see the point in messing with the school, it didn't attack anyone on a personal level which he much preferred. Sadistic perhaps as it sounded. You could blame his family for that approach.
"i'll bet you can't tell me my name, so why should i know who you are?" If possible Deimos' brows lowered further over his bright eyes, and he took another look over the guy - even though he'd clocked him already. He was surprisingly observant for someone that didn't care, but he didn't make a habit of keeping names in his brain that didn't matter. He would notice people that thought they were insignificant - if only so he could screw with them later. "You're Alisha's newest toy boy," He smirked, he might not know his name but he didn't need to - he was her most recent piece of meat, and he was pretty sure this boy was the reason Alisha had started turfing Dei from her bed. A shame, but he could pick someone else up easily enough. Then again, he tilted his head and swept a look over the guy, "Shame she's not prone to sharing," Which was a half truth - she'd shared before, but he had a feeling this one might be different.
He frowned - his usual signature expression as he drew closer to the red headed boy, hands shoved into his pockets, Dei raised his shoulders curiously. Some people were so damn weird. He didn't care about the guy spreading out chairs like he'd be told to get the hall ready for an assembly. Maybe he had - some kind of odd detention from the sports teacher who liked to pretend he was cool. He was better than some of the professors, but no teacher was genuinely cool.
"redecorating." Deimos raised an eyebrow, standing there like he was supervising the activity. "Don't you have a life?" He snorted, trying to place the face. He'd seen the kid hanging around Alexis - in fact if wasn't wrong, this odd ginger kid was the reason she'd kicked Dei out of her bed, they were dating or something along those lines. Dei had asked if they had to be monogamous but apparently that was part of 'dating'. "you're one of shiloh's friends ... aren't you?" Deimos' eyebrow rose a little more, as if it wasn't known who Shiloh and her inner circle were - part of him disliked being 'Shiloh's friend', the other part couldn't care a toss if he was known or not. But it was unusual for someone not to know who he was, being part of the Queen Bee's repertoire. "You been living under a rock?" Was his answer.
Deimos was bored. And grumpy. A usual combination for him - in fact, it was pretty much his daily self. He'd been lounging in bed, refusing to get up for most of the day until Shiloh had pounced on him, even started beating him over the head with a textbook. He'd drawn the line at that. He'd told her she was more than welcome to wake him up by a different kind of beating, but not the headache inducing kind. She'd scoffed at that and told him in his dreams - which sometimes it was. Hell he was a guy and his friend was hot, what was a lad to do. He'd heaved himself over to the girls room where he'd spent the rest of the day lounging in Theia's bed instead - much to her disgust. She'd also been trying to nap in it, but Dei took up a lot more space in a single bed, and she had less tolerance for him than Shi.
After being called a great heavy oaf for the 100th time, the final straw had been when Theia had tried to push him out of her bed and ended up kneeing him in his favourite area instead. Shi had tried to apologise on Theia's behalf - but Theia wasn't remotely sorry and Dei had had enough. He'd told them to give him a day to recover from their girly annoyingness and stormed off in his low slung joggers and t-shirt. Sometimes, girl mates, sucked - and not in the way he enjoyed. He moped his way out of the dorms, because there was nobody else worth talking to and he was moody - and let his feet take him where they thought he might best get some peace. It was late, and the sports hall was often quiet on Sundays - everyone having their day off before the clubs started up again. When he shoved open the doors and slouched in, he was met by a bright ginger beanpole haphazardly throwing about chairs. His brows furrowed, and he watched him for a second, weirded out by why the kid was doing it. "The fuck are you doing?" He asked, no anger in his voice despite the swear.
