oops not me coming back from the dead to post annlett BUT this au seized me and wouldnât let go so please enjoy:
vet/preschool teacher au
edmund is a preschool teacher who does a special after school program for kids to learn and enjoy horseback riding
anna is the local vet where edmund takes his beloved bucephalus for checkups who also bartends at night to help pay off her loans
they start to bond over their mutual love of animals
anna notices mr. hewlett (âo-oh please, i donât even make my preschoolers call me that, edmund will suffice quite nicely, er, that is, you may also call me MR. edmund if you prefer, which is what i do make my preschoolers call meâ) brings bucephalus in for the most random complaints, such as his tail needs brushing, or he has a random pink streak? on his neck? (which turns out to be chalk from an overzealous child that is easily rectified with a damp washcloth)
however, small as these complaints may be, anna finds herself looking forward to the company of both the horse and the man
edmund lets her ride bucephalus one day and she understands why this particular horse is one to hold dear to your heart
the thundering of the hooves brings a clarity to her mind she hasnât felt in a while
she asks edmund if he would stop by the bar she works at (the brewster brewery) and he agrees
(he hesitantly and somewhat awkwardly orders an âaleâ which causes her to laugh so hard she snorts, and she instead brings him an old fashioned which he gratefully accepts)
itâs a slow night and she gets to speak with him more intimately than she had before, and she learns that he has been trying to teach his students about the stars in a way they can understand, and she tells him all about her dreams to open her own practice and her desire to help those that need her, even if they donât have voices themselves to make their needs known, and how she will spend her life trying to understand them and care for them as best she can.
he walks her home and points out the different constellations they can see on the way. she grabs his hand and his words stumble a bit but he continues on and gives her hand a small squeeze. she looks at him and she can see endless possibilities enclosed in an open heart, and when he looks at her he sees a quiet resolve and a conscious decision to fight for those around her. the old fashioned she carefully mixed for him earlier is making him bolder than he mightâve been without it, and he leans in to kiss her and she meets him halfway, their first kiss full of beginnings, and it feels like two people coming together that have always known the true heart of the other their entire lives
