Of Horses and 'No Way'

Nathan groaned, leaning against his partner and resting his head against the other's shoulder, dreading what was to come. He couldn't be bothered to glare at the man beside him, as he laughed a little at his lover's state of duress, because his mind was currently preoccupied with thoughts of their previous job, their previous client, their previous client's ranch and the horses on said ranch. And really, did Flynn have to go and ask their client if they could ride their horses if they did the job right? Because Nathan thought that the money was a good enough reward, not that he was scared or anything. No, of course not.

Nathan Drake wasn't scared of anything, well, except for his lover's death- he still had nightmares about the mission back in Shambhala, if he were completely honest, and he is.

"Come on love, they're just horses, nothing to be scared of," Flynn's voice broke through his thoughts, teasing Drake for the umpteenth time, since he had learned why exactly Drake was so apprehensive to come along to see the horses.

"Have you ever seen a horse, Flynn? Those things are huge and they're mean and their hooves hurt, damn it!" he hissed, eyes open as he glared at his lover, blue-grey meeting coffee.

"Aw, poor Drakey-boy," Flynn cooed, laughing when Nathan managed to get a good hit to his arm, however weak it was due to his current position and his nausea. "Okay, okay, I get it, love, I know." Flynn said, relaxing as he smiled reassuringly at the younger man. "But just relax, okay? You can ride with me if you'd like, but I'm not about to let you sit on the sidelines and watch when you can have fun with all of this."

"I'm not going to ride a freaking horse, Flynn and there is no way you're gonna make me," Drake huffed out, glowering as he crossed his arms and turned back to the country scenery, intent on ignoring Flynn no matter how much the Brit bugged him for attention, taunted him, pouted, or used the pet name, sweetheart, to sway his mind.

He wasn't going to ride a horse and that was final.

"Allison, darling, thank you so much for letting us do this," Flynn grinned at the old woman standing before the ranch gates, delighting in her sweet smile back at him. "I can't tell you how much my love and I are delighted to be able to do this-"

"Speak for yourself Flynn," Drake hissed under his breath, ignoring the sharp look sent his way but neither could ignore the little laugh Allison let out.

"Not a big fan of horses, huh?" she asked with a smile, nodding her head as if to say she understood when Nathan ducked his head down, muscles tense. "That's alright, but if you're worried about my horses, you don't have to be," she looked at Flynn then, "Lisa, Reed, and Jasper are the sweetest horses you'll ever meet, I'm sure you and your partner will have no trouble finding the right one for your lovely little ride out in the fields."

"Thank you, Allison," Flynn offered, nodding his head before turning to Nathan, taking his hand, with little protest, before leading him to the stables, where the horses were kept. "Reed is the horse I like to ride myself, since he's easy and quick, but for you, we can ride Jasper instead. He's an old horse, but no less sturdy or strong and he'll for this."

"I don't care who you pick, Flynn, I'm not getting on the horse." Drake muttered, defiant and adamant in his decision and Flynn sighed, shaking his head before leading the brunet to a large brown and black horse with a long black mane and a tail to match. "This is Jasper?" he questioned, looking the horse over with guarded caution, keeping his distance from the beast before turning his attention to the other two horses, a grey one and a brown and white one when Flynn nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, this is him, he's a sweet horse, I promise you, love." Drake said nothing as he watched his partner lead the horse from the stables to the fields, before climbing easily onto the horse. Drake could admit, at least to himself, that he was a little jealous of how easy everything seemed to be for Flynn around the massive beast. "Come on," Flynn held out his hand for Drake, grinning toothily at him when Drake glared back.

"Not a chance Flynn," he growled, looking from the hand to the face of it's owner, immediately realizing his mistake when Flynn pouted at him, coffee eyes doing that thing that never failed to affect Drake in the way that always made him feel slightly helpless and a little guilty for no reason at all. He hoped, desperately, that Flynn wouldn't use the ultimate defense to crumble his walls, but of course the second he thought that, he heard the one thing that Drake knew he could never resist, no matter what.

"For me, sweetheart?" Flynn asked, nodding his head at Drake, knowing the exact moment when the treasure hunter finally gave in, when his shoulders slumped and when he sighed, blue-grey eyes softening. Nathan rolled his eyes when his lover beamed at him, and he grabbed Flynn's hand tight as he could, eyes screwed shut when Flynn pulled him up onto the horse and in front of him. "Good, there you go," he murmured reassuringly in Drake's ear before chuckling and he nodded, patting the horse on the side and urging him forward.

"I swear if this thing makes me fall, I'm going to kill you and then I'll regret it because even though I really hate this, I love you and I still don't understand why or how." Nathan grumbled and Flynn only answered with a laugh, wrapping an arm tightly around his lover's waist.

"Don't worry, darling, I'll not let you fall, I promise," he cooed softly, delighting in Drake's blush, before adding, "Don't be afraid to hold onto Jasper's mane though, you can use that to anchor yourself if you want," he cooed and Drake shook his head, instead gripping tightly at Flynn's own arm, seeking comfort from the older man, much to the delight of said man.

They rode the horse gently around the paddock for a few minutes before Flynn finally felt Nathan relax against him and he smiled, pleased as one could be.

"Okay, okay, I... admit, that maybe that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Drake sighed, despite the smile on his face as he snuggled against his lover, curled in the back of the truck that had brought them to the ranch to go back home. Upon noticing Flynn's triumphant smirk, though, he quickly amended with, "That doesn't mean I like the beasts, because they're still huge and mean and their hooves still hurt, and that opinion is never going to change." he huffed and Flynn chuckled, wrapping his arms around Drake.

"Of course not love," he murmured gently, knowing the truth behind Nathan's words and he quickly made a mental plan to get Nathan on a horse on his own one way or another.