After a good hour of walking, Snake and Duke arrived at Snake's ranch, which was on the border of the city. It was pretty quiet apart from the horse noises and the sound of trees rustling. There were three apple trees that were producing a nice amount of fruit.  

"Go ahead and pick some apples from the tree and I'll go see if they're awake yet." Snake stated before hopping the gate of the pen. 

Duke just nodded before picking four apples, one for each horse. Once he turned around the horse were up and awake. Though, one horse was staring him down, mostly for the apples in his arms.  

"King, patience you'll get an apple soon." Snake spoke to the horse before opening the gate to let Duke in. "Sorry about him he really likes apples."

The lieutenant slowly approached the large animals, slightly intimidated by their size. He took light steps around them, wary in case any try to kick him. Once he became more comfortable, he held out an apple for King, squeaking as the horse quickly nabbed it. "You weren't kidding." Duke softly chuckled. 

Snake smiled as he watched him pet and feed them, he went out into the fields to gather up wheat strands. "While I have a guest over, I'll treat him to some of the freshest pastries he would ever get." He thought. "And of course, Corn will get her share of sugar cubes, as long as she doesn't try sneaking another apple from the lawman." 

The pinto neighed as she was fed, giving Duke a nuzzle. "Aw, you really like me, huh? I bet Snake takes real good care of you all, he dresses all rough and stuff but he's a real sweet guy." He cooed to the horses. The lieutenant laid on a patch of hay, taking a good look at his palm. 

Now that the Adriano Act was in place, he no longer had to hide his birthmark. Hearing how the city used to be, he didn't want to imagine how rough Snake would have had it.

As he looked at his palm, Duke noticed that Corn had laid down next to him. "Oh, uh, hi. Um... I don't have any apple left, but I could pick another one for you if you'd like." He talked to the horse. However, she was not there for apples, she was there to lay down and be petted. 

"Oh, I see." He said, carefully stroking the pinto's snout. "Snake really seems like a great guy but... I don't know something inside of me wants to be closer to him, but we're already friends. I don't know what else there could be there." He vented to the horse. 

Meanwhile, Snake was in the kitchen, he had just finished milling the wheat into flour and is making Strawberry jam turnovers from the jam he made with the strawberry harvest earlier that year. "These are lookin' great; I hope he likes them" He smiled to himself as he baked. He was pretty self-sufficient on his farm, but it's not like he could live there forever. 

Once the turnovers were done, he let them cool down. As they cooled, he went to check on Duke, since he kind of abandoned him to go make pastries.  

"Heh, looks like you found yourself a friend." He chuckled, sitting on the other side of Corn. "I had Corn here since she was just a foal, Ma let me ride her once she was able to gallop." 

"She really does like you a lot." Duke remarked. "Is she always this friendly around people?" 

"Not just anyone, she's the shy type mostly. Corn prefers to stay by me whenever anyone came over, she must have been drawn to you somehow." The pinto suddenly got up, nudging Snake towards Duke. "'Ey, easy girl. What's gotten into ya?" He squeaked. 

The lieutenant quickly caught him before he could fall, only for both of them to blush profusely. "Uh, sorry. Are you okay?" Duke stammered; he turned so Snake couldn't see how much he was blushing. 

"Y-yeah, just a bit shocked." Corn neighed in response, trotting closer to the pair. "I think someone wants to go on a run, you want to take a ride on Corn here?" 

"Me? I.. I don't know, what if I accidentally hurt her?" 

Duke blushed even harder as a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be alright. I'll be with ya the entire way through." Snake pulled out two pairs of saddles and reins, one for Corn and the other for King. "Lemme help you get on. The important thing is to never let go of the reins." 

The policeman carefully mounted the pinto, gently petting her to show he was okay. "Okay, do we get them to go or do the horses just start on their own?"

"Just gently squeeze her sides with your legs, like this." Snake explained as he squeezed the sides of King before he started moving. Duke followed along, smiling as he rode. "There ya go, you're doing great Duke." Snake stated as he rode beside him. "Wait how far are we going to go?" 

"Hmm... How about to the trees and back? Afterall, this is your first-time horse-riding." the westerner stated. The two rode to the trees before turning around and riding back. It wasn't a long journey, but great for a beginner like Duke. Once they returned, Snake dismounted and gave Corn and King sugar cubes as a treat for doing a great job being rode. 

"Now then, lawman, I got something in the kitchen for you if you don't mind coming in." The horse ranger smiled, watching the lieutenant get off the pinto. "Oh? Um, sure, I'm coming."  

Once inside the cop was hit with the scent of sweet. He wasn't sure what was causing the smell, but he enjoyed it. Soon the source of the smell was located. "I uh... I made you some turn overs. I made everything from scratch..." Snake stated, pushing the plated turnovers toward the officer.   

"You... You baked me something?" Duke asked blushing a bit. "Yeah... Because you're my guest here, so of course I gotta make ya something." Snake stated, also blushing a little.

"Thanks, that's really sweet of you." The lieutenant replied, taking a bite out of the closest turnover. It wasn't like anything he ever tasted before, the strawberries were fresh and sweet right out of the fields, coupled with the flakey pastry they were wrapped in. They were delicious, even tastier than the usual store-bought pies Duke was used to back in the city. "Wow, these are good! Like, the best ever." 

Snake couldn't help but blush harder at the compliment. "I'm mighty glad you like them, it ain't often that I bake for others. I sell jam and produce for the smaller towns further from here, I guess I could set up a little shop in your city." He remarked, watching as Duke ate at another pastry. 

"Mm, that would be a good idea, I'm sure everyone will love them!" Duke exclaimed, his face was now covered in jam and little crumbs. "Eep! Um, I better get this cleaned off." 

"'Ere lemme get that for ya." Snake chuckled; he took his own napkin to wipe Duke's cheeks with. "Mm, did anyone ever tell you your eyes shine bright under the sun?" 

"Erm, I don't think so. You like them?" The officer blushed; this was the first time anyone ever complimented his appearance. "I never really thought much of my eyes." 

"Heh, I think they're nice to look at."

"Ah, thank you. I mean I'm not that interesting to look at but-" 

"What are you talkin' about? You're fine as hell. Are you single? I doubt that you are." Snake asked, looking Duke up and down. "I, uh... I am single." Duke responded. "Why are you asking?" he asked. 

Snake paused for a second and blushed. "Ah, no reason, just uh... I'm tryin' get you confident so you can get a girl, or a guy, I ain't judgin'." The westerner tried to backpedal, which only made him more suspicious on his intentions. Before he could be asked anymore questions, Snake left to tend to the horses, mainly to clean them.   

"Lord, why must you make me such a lovesick fool but make me too ashamed to tell him how I feel?" He muttered to himself, though he was cursing God. As he was washing the horses, Duke watched from the window. "He's such a nice guy... Well, if he said people like confident guys maybe I should be confident." He thought before going outside.    

"Hey, Snake." 

"Jesus!" The Horse rancher exclaimed, being caught off guard. He then realized it was Duke. "Oh, lawman, it's just you." 

"Sorry for interrupting but I have a question... How do you know if you love someone?" The lawman asked. "Well, that depends, romantically or platonically?" 

"Um... Romantically." 

"Well, it's complex. You just feel like you could never be away from a person, and when you're apart you can't stop thinking about them. You think they're lovely no matter what and you feel butterflies in your stomach when they're near." Snake explained. "Why do you ask?"

Duke took a deep breath; it was time to confess. "Snake? Ever since we met I... I... I just had this feeling that I wanted to stay with you, like I wanted to know you better. I mean, when I looked at you all I could think of was how handsome you looked." He blurted out. 

"You think I'm... Handsome?" 

"Yes! Uh, I mean yeah. I really do. And when you curled up around me at my apartment, I just felt like I was in paradise, like I never wanted to leave. It was wild, I had no idea what was going on then. Um, but I think Corn knew, with her nudging you onto me earlier." 

The pinto in question just neighed, as if she was giggling for getting the two men to be flustered at each other. "I think she did, she knows me too well." Snake chuckled. "She had a feeling you and I were meant to be, it's funny how horses are." 

Duke laughed a little himself, only to stop himself. "Hey, I like your laugh. It's cute, like a little doe frolicking in the woods." Snake cooed, reaching over to stroke the lieutenant's cheek. "Lawman, would you like to be my boyfriend?" 

His heart skipped a beat, was this really happening? Duke's face went hot from how much he was blushing already, it took him all his willpower not to just leap up and cheer. "I-I would love to!" 

Corn had once again nudged Snake over into Duke's arms. " Eep! I think Corn likes the idea too."

"Heh, glad she does. Now then, can I plant these lips onto yours?"  

"Oh, you want to kiss? Um... Sure." Duke smiled before being kissed by his now boyfriend. The kiss was soft and passionate, something Duke hasn't felt before. After a solid 30 minutes of making out in the middle of the stable they separated to breath. 

"W... Wow~ That was amazing!" Duke smiled. "Was this your first kiss?" Snake smirked, only to get a nod from the lawman. "Well, you were the best kiss I had." He purred before pecking his cheek softly. "Now then, how about we go to the bedroom~?" the westerner asked. 

Duke blushed, assuming that he was implying that they do the dirty, which, he wasn't opposed to the idea of sex since they were going to do it eventually. But he believed it was too soon for it, more or less he wasn't ready for it.  

The leather-clad man could sense his hesitation. "Don't worry, I won't think about screwing you if you're not ready." Snake assured him.

"Th-thanks. I'm just nervous." Duke admitted, laying his head on the rancher's chest. "Could we just cuddle?" 

"Mm, snuggle up with me all you like." Snake cooed, scooping up his new boyfriend. The hay wasn't exactly the best place for a couple to snuggle in, so he carried him into the house. It was a small bungalow with a single bedroom holding a king-sized bed. "Here we are, it's not much." 

"It's way bigger than my apartment bed, this whole place just feels so cozy, like I never want to leave." Duke admitted, lying beside Snake and kissing his cheek. "Heh, your stubble kind of tickles." 

"Mm, and your face is so soft and smooth, like it was carved out of the finest marble." Snake purred. "I say this was a good first date." 

"Yeah, me too. Um, tomorrow after work I'd like to take you out somewhere. There's this nice restaurant just downtown, it serves some of the best bubble tea you'd ever have. And their noodles are also to die for, if you want to go anyways. I just thought since you did all this for me, I want to do something in return." 

"Really now? I'll be there." Snake cooed, purring as Duke snuggled him closer. He petted the lieutenant's hair, admiring how fluffy it was. This man was beautiful in Snake's eyes, looking so peaceful right now. "I love you."

"I Love You too." Duke purred as he nuzzled into Snake's chest. 

As they cuddled, the coziness started to take effect, making them cuddle each other to sleep. It was something Snake wasn't used to, having someone in his bed with him. It was welcomed though, it felt way better than being alone.