Based on the artwork above, from my Drawing MCSM Ships for 15 Days Challenge.
Thank you to:
X_EmLee_X
Ultra_Serendipity
eternal-eloquence and
mcsmfangirl1
who all chanted for me to "Do it!" 

I hope you're all happy XD
___

"That's good, that's good. Loosen your grip on the reins a bit... that's it, good." Lukas instructed as he stood in the middle of the ring, slowly turning around as his gaze stayed on Jesse while she rode around him.

Jesse's face was laced with concentration as she focused to keep her position in the bay mare's saddle perfect. Yet, there was a smile on her face, her brown eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Do another two laps, counter-clockwise, at canter." Lukas said, to which Jesse immediately pulled on the mare's left rein.

Obeying, the horse turned around, changing directions. As Jesse applied the slightest bit of pressure with her boots, the mare broke into a steady canter.

"Sit back a bit." Lukas advised, a smile forming on his lips as Jesse swiftly corrected her position.

"You're getting good at this!" Petra called out from where she was sitting on the fence, clapping her hands as Jesse slowed the horse down again, stopping in the middle of the ring beside Lukas.

"Indeed." Lukas agreed as he reached up to stroke the mare's nose. "No doubt in a few months from now, I'll be able to start teaching you how to jump."

"I can't wait." Jesse said excitedly, patting the horse's neck.

"Well, that will be it for today." Lukas said. "Could you unsaddle and cool her down for me? Stable her as well, it's too late to turn her out to pasture."

"Sure!" Jesse said, swinging her leg over the saddle.

"I'll come give you a hand in a second in case she decides to be difficult." Lukas said. "I just want to discuss something with Petra quickly."

"Okay." Jesse responded excitedly, beginning to lead the horse away. Lukas could hear her talking to the mare, telling her 'what a good girl she was' and 'how much she loved her'.

"You're one hell of a coach." Petra said, hopping down from the fence and walking over to Lukas. "She's learning really quickly."

"Nah, Jesse's just an expert at this." Lukas said with a chuckle as he opened the ring's gate for them. "If she wasn't this dedicated, she wouldn't have gotten this far already. You should see her get back up on that horse after a fall, brushing it off as if it never happened."

"She does love riding." Petra said. Her expression hardened a tiny bit. "It's been helping her a lot. She hasn't been the same since Axel and Olivia left, not to even mention you as well."

"Hey now." Lukas held up his hands. "It's not like I moved to a different town! I'm just a short walk out of Beacontown."

"Still." Petra said with a sigh. "Even I have to admit that things aren't the same in the Order Hall any more. And it's impacting Jesse hard." She shook her head, sighing again. "Whatever, at least she's been loving these lessons you're giving her."

"Horse therapy." Lukas said, winking. "I told you it'd work."

Petra rolled her eyes, chuckling slightly. "Yes, yes, whatever. So, is everything ready for tomorrow?"

"Oh you have little faith in me Petra." Lukas said, waving a hand at her. "Of course I have everything ready."

"Well you better have." Petra said, giving Lukas a nudge with her elbow as a grin played on her lips. "Jesse's going to love it."

"Shh, here she comes." Lukas said quickly, Petra quickly shutting up.

"Unsaddled, cooled down, stabled, and had a carrot." Jesse announced proudly as she came to stop beside them, grinning.

"And you didn't even need my help, that's good." Lukas said, giving Jesse a pat on her shoulder.

"We should probably get home." Petra said, wriggling her wrist to check her watch. "It's getting late."

Jesse's shoulders sunk slightly at Petra's words, but she still nodded in agreement. She turned her head to Lukas, her expression hopeful.

"We'll see you tomorrow again, right?"

"Jesse, it's your birthday, of course you'll see me." Lukas said, nudging her shoulder with his. "You know I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Jesse's face lit up, beaming excitedly. She gave Lukas a quick hug goodbye, Petra giving him a pat on the shoulder as well. He waved to them as they began to walk away, turning around and walking back to his cabin as well.

-----------------------

Jesse's eyes slowly opened, feeling the warm rays from the morning sun shining on her face. Letting out a soft sigh, she rolled over and buried her face back into her pillow. After playing video games with Petra until who-knows-when the previous evening, getting up didn't sound very pleasant.

For a few more minutes, Jesse just lay there with her face buried in her pillow. Then all of a sudden she bolted upright, all her tiredness vanishing in an instant as she remembered what day it was.

Within a few seconds, Jesse had leaped up from her bed, ripping off her pyjamas and pulling on her favourite T-shirt with a pair of overalls. Still in the process of pulling her hair into a ponytail, Jesse strode out into the hallway, heading for the stairs.

"I was wondering when you'd finally wake up." Petra said with a laugh as Jesse came jogging down the stairs.

She placed the two plates of breakfast down on the dining table, walking over to Jesse and giving her a hug. "Happy birthday, you."

"You actually got up early to make breakfast?" Jesse asked in amusement as the two of them pulled away from each other, gesturing to the pancakes on the table.

"Yeah, very against my will, might I add." Petra said with a wink as she walked back to the table. "But you literally brought me breakfast in bed on my birthday, I thought this was the least I could do."

"I think you would have been better off that day, had I not." Jesse said with an awkward chuckle as she took a seat as well. "I was afraid I gave you food poisoning."

"Consider it a valuable life lesson to never try and cook a recipe of your own again." Petra responded, both of them laughing.

"What are the plans for today?" Jesse asked excitedly as they began to eat.

"What would the point of the surprise be, if I told you?" Petra asked, rolling her eyes as she stuck a piece of pancake whole in her mouth and continued to speak mid chew. "All I'll say is, we're heading over to Lukas after breakfast."

Jesse perked up excitedly. "Are the three of us going to spend the day together?"

"Yes, I'll spoil that much." Petra said, chuckling. "You also might want to go pack a bag after we've eaten, as we're not coming home again until tomorrow."

Jesse let out another excited squeal, nearly knocking her glass of orange juice over in excitement. Petra protectively pulled her mug of coffee closer to her to keep it safe.

"I can't wait." Jesse said excitedly, starting to wolf down the rest of her breakfast so she could go get everything she needed.

"You're going to have to wait longer if you end up choking." Petra pointed out, grinning. "Take it sl-"

"Done!" Jesse announced, still halfway through chewing her last bite as she leaped up from the table. "I'm going to get my things ready!"

"Only Jesse." Petra mumbled to herself with another chuckle, as Jesse bolted back up the stairs.

By the time Jesse gave running back down stairs with a shoulder bag draped over her shoulder, Petra had her own bag packed and was waiting at the front door.

"I am so, so excited!" Jesse said excitedly, skipping along like a child as they began walking away from the house.

"I can tell." Petra replied, watching her friend with raised eyebrows.

"I want to know so badly what we're doing." Jesse went on eagerly. "Are we going to have a picnic somewhere in the flower fields? Or going on a hike? Oh oh oh, or maybe you leased two horses from the town, so the three of us can go riding-"

"Jesse, calm down." Petra said, starting to laugh. "You're not going to have any energy left by the time we get there."

"You can't contain excitement, Petra!" Jesse scolded her friend, before excitedly darting forward again.

"Oh boy, what are you going to be like once you have cake in you?" Petra said under her breath, continuing to grin as they walked through the trees, away from Beacontown.

"Jesse! Petra!" Lukas called out a greeting when they eventually broke through the trees and into view.

"Lukas!" Jesse called in excitement, sprinting up to him and tackling him in a bear hug like she haven't seen him less than 24 hours ago.

"We should have gotten her a leash for her birthday." Petra said as she came up as well, still grinning. "She's been all over the place like a wolf who saw a skeleton."

"I can tell." Lukas replied with a laugh as he hugged Jesse back. "Happy Birthday."

"Give me your bag." Petra said as Jesse finally let go of Lukas.

"Why?" Jesse asked in puzzlement as she slipped off her shoulder bag and handed it to Petra.

"So you can come see your birthday present of course." Lukas said, making Jesse let out an excited gasp, her face lighting up even more – if that was even possible.

"Come on." Lukas said, gesturing for Jesse to follow him.

The three of them began walking in the direction of Lukas's cottage. Petra promptly tossed the two shoulder bags onto a chair that stood on the porch, causing Lukas's ocelot to send her a frustrated hiss.

"Where are we going?" Jesse asked as Lukas lead her around the house, with Petra walking behind them.

Just before the could round the corner, Petra put her hands over Jesse's eyes from the back. The shorter girl laughed as her two friends clumsily guided her through the tall grass, only just about avoiding to trip.

"Okay, open 'em!" Petra finally said excitedly, taking her hands off Jesse's eyes.

Jesse's eyes opened, not even needing to look around to spot the large horse standing in the paddock. Not Lukas's usual bay mare. This was a younger horse, a creamy white gelding, with black spots covering his neck, flanks and rump.

He snorted, turning his head in their direction and pricking his fluffy white ears. Jesse's eyes were wide, her hands clasped over her mouth. She looked back over her shoulder, giving her friends an expectant look.

"Happy birthday, Jesse." Lukas repeated, grinning from ear to ear. "He's all yours."

"Oh my god." Jesse breathed, biting down on her lip to hold back a thrilled squeal. Her eyes were gleaming with happiness, expression laced with excitement. "Thank you!"

She bolted back up to her friends, throwing her arms around both their necks and hugging them tightly. They both hugged her back, grinning broadly.

"Go on now, go say hi to him." Lukas said as Jesse pulled away from him. "He doesn't have a name yet either, so be sure to put some thought into that." He added with a wink.

Jesse nodded excitedly, before starting to walk towards the paddock. The gelding shied away from the fence as she approached, his ears flickering to the sides as he observed her from a distance. Jesse carefully held one hand out, waiting for the horse to approach her at his own pace.

"Okay, so this is why I have little faith in you." Petra scolded Lukas, keeping her voice down. "That is not the horse we looked at for Jesse. It was a mare, she was dappled grey and very calm and cuddly opposed to this timid one. Much older as well."

"Okay, okay, hear me out." Lukas said, holding his hands up. "I was talking to that mare's previous owners yesterday. Apparently, she had damage in her tendons a few years back, which means that while she still makes a great riding horse, she is never going to be able to jump. And you know how much Jesse wants to learn to jump."

He gestured to the appaloosa in the paddock, who had approached Jesse and was cautiously sniffing at her hair.

"This is a finely built, young horse, bred to be jumped. All he needs is a little training and some love."

"He is beautiful, there's no denying that." Petra admitted, looking over at the paddock with crossed arms. "You better be right about this."

Lukas just chuckled, giving Petra a pat on the shoulder, before starting to walk over to the paddock. Jesse was stroking the horse's neck, whispering to him as she did.

"He's such a handsome boy." She said as Lukas and Petra approached, grinning broadly. "Has he ever been ridden?"

"That he has." Lukas responded, giving the horse a pat as well. "Bought him with the saddle and all." He looked over at Jesse, starting to grin. "Want to get a feel of him?"

Jesse's face lit up and she nodded furiously. Lukas began walking away from the paddock, into the stables where his mare was. He came out a few minutes later, carrying a brand new saddle and bridle.

"He's a bit taller than my horse, so tell me if you need any help." Lukas said as Jesse took the saddle from him.

"Now that you have a horse, the three of us should go riding together in the future." Petra said, leaning with her elbows on the fence's railing. "I can just borrow one from Beacontown's stables, maybe even look into getting a horse for myself in the future."

"That would be so much fun!" Jesse said excitedly as she heaved the saddle onto the horse's back.

The gelding snorting, turning his head to see what Jesse is doing. Snorting, he shook his head and stamped his hoof. After finishing with the saddle, Jesse picked up his bridle, moving over to his head. The horse snorted again, raising his head as Jesse tried to put the bridle on.

"Man, he's got an attitude, doesn't he?" Petra muttered, watching as the horse kept his head in the air, refusing to lower it. Jesse, who was naturally very short, couldn't even begin pulling the harness over his ears.

"Come on now, you, behave." Lukas said, taking the bridle from Jesse and putting it on the stubborn horse for her. The gelding gnawed at his bit in frustration, his ears pulling back for a second before pricking again.

"Now he is a little more eager than my horse, so be careful." Lukas said to Jesse. "Let me give you a leg up."

Petra climbed back onto her usual spot on the fence, watching as Jesse placed her knee in Lukas's hand, allowing him to boost her up onto the horse.

"Easy boy." Jesse cooed, rubbing his neck as Lukas adjusted her stirrups.

"There we go." He said, holding the stirrup for Jesse to put her foot into. "Just take it slow, ride a few laps around the paddock at a walking pace.

Jesse clicked her tongue, gently pressing her legs to the horse's sides. He immediately began to walk at a swift pace, pulling at the reins to go faster.

"Don't give him his head." Lukas said to Jesse as she began loosening her grip n the reins. "He's clearly got a harder mouth than my mare, if you let the reins slack, he'll take it as a sign to speed up."

Jesse bit her lip in concentration, keeping a firm hold on the horse's reins as she guided him around the paddock. The horse, clearly bursting with the desire to run, tugged violently as the reins again, nearly managing to pull them from Jesse's hands.

Feeling the reins being pulled from her grasp, Jesse instinctively tightened her grip on them. The horse snorted in disagreement, tossing his head into the air. His ears pulled back against his head.

"Woah boy, woah." Lukas cooed from the side.

"He's really green." Petra said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm starting to consider if he really has the experience his owners let on." Lukas said thoughtfully.

Jesse was whispering out soothing words to her horse as he walked around the paddock, trying to calm him down as he took large steps, gnawing at the bit in his mouth.

"Try changing directions." Lukas said you Jesse. "We might have started on his timid side, if so he'll go more comfortably the other way around."

Jesse nodded, giving a gently tug on the left rein. For once her focused expression wasn't accompany by a smile, clearly anxious on the unfamiliar horse.

The gelding gnawed on his bit again, tugging at the reins as he walked around the paddock. His muscles were tense, ears pulled back.

He gave another pull at the reins, angered at the fact that Jesse wouldn't allow him to run. Throwing his head in the air, he let out a frustrated neigh, tugging at the reins again.

"Woah, boy!" Jesse tried calming him down, trying to keep her grip on the reins.

The horse shook his head with another whinny, raising his front hooves slightly off the ground and slamming them back down. Jesse, having never had the horse she was riding rear, went pale with shock.

Sensing his rider uncertainty, the horse immediately took advantage of her limited experience, forcefully breaking into jog.

"Woah, woah, stop!" Jesse tried calming her horse, pulling back on the reins.

But having had enough by then, the horse just took that as an opportunity to leap forward, arching his back and kicking up his back hooves in a violent buck.

"Jesse!" Her friends called out as Jesse was thrown from the saddle, tumbling onto the ground.

Shaking his head and letting out another neigh, the horse galloped off the to the other side of the paddock. Both Petra and Lukas ran up to Jesse as she got up from the ground, dusting off her overalls.

"Did you get hurt?" Lukas immediately asked her.

"No, I'm fine." Jesse responded grimly, looking over to her horse with gritted teeth. "I couldn't even stay on him at a walk..."

"You were doing great, the problem's with the horse here." Petra immediately said to Jesse, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm going to get my mare's bit for him." Lukas said, frowning. "I have a feeling the current one is too hard on him, that's why he keeps pulling on it and tossing his head."

"You sure you're okay?" Petra asked Jesse again as Lukas walked away in the direction of the stable. "I knew from the start this horse looked way too green for you."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Jesse brushed Petra off, still keeping her gaze on the horse in the paddock. "I've fallen before."

"Let's try this instead." Lukas said as he came walking back over, entering the paddock.

He walked over to the gelding, who snorted and pulled his ears back as Lukas approached him. Petra gestured for Jesse to go sit on the fence with her, while Lukas worked with the horse.

"That's better, now isn't it, boy?" Lukas whispered as the horse chewed on the new bit, getting the feel of it in his mouth. "Let's see how you do with this one."

Jesse and Petra watched as Lukas adjusted the stirrups slightly, before mounting the horse himself. The gelding was still tensed up, pulling at the reins as he walked. But Lukas, being a much more experienced rider, kept calm with a firm grip on the reins.

After Lukas had walked the horse a few laps around the paddock, he seemed to relax into the pace while still keeping his head high and his ears pricked.

Lukas let his reins slip a bit, squeezing his legs to the horse's side. Jesse and Petra watched from the fence as the horse broke into a trot, once more trying to speed into a canter. But after a few strides he accepted Lukas's instructions, staying at a trot.

"He's a fine horse, that's for sure." Lukas said as he pulled the horse up at the fence again. "Has a beautiful stride once he learns to stick to it. He just hasn't had much training."

Jesse gave a small nod, although she didn't say anything. Petra frowned, tapping her fingers on the wooden fence she was seated on.

"While that is great and all, Lukas, this horse does need work. He's too eager and wild for an inexperienced rider." She said.

"We're not going to get rid of him, right?" Jesse asked immediately, her eyes wide.

"Don't worry." Lukas said, patting the horse's neck. "This is too much of valuable horse to just let go. He can stay here, and I'll give him the training he needs. Until you're ready for him." He smiled. "In the meantime, you're allowed to ride my horse as much as you want."

Jesse's face lit up once more, a new smile forming. But then her shoulders slumped a bit, looking slightly saddened. "I wish I was experienced enough to ride him." She said softly. "He really does look amazing."

"One day, Jesse, one day." Petra said to her, giving her a pat on the shoulder, to which the shorter girl just gave a nod.

Lukas seemed to think for a moment. "You know, Jesse, it is your Birthday. And I want to make it one to remember." He held out his hand, smiling. "Come get on. And don't worry – I'll do the steering for you."

Jesse's eyes widened, for a second not looking like she was going to budge from her spot on the fence. But then she accepted Lukas's hand, allowing him to help her onto the horse behind him.

As Jesse wrapped her arms around Lukas, as he coaxed the gelding into a walk, letting him trot after a few strides. Looking a little scared at first, Jesse just kept her grip tight around Lukas. But the horse was calming down underneath the hands on an experienced riding, his pace calm and even.

Jesse began to smile, loving the feeling of being able to ride her own horse – even if it wasn't quite alone.

Petra let out an excited whoop from the fence as Lukas urged to horse into a rhythmical canter, both him and Jesse grinning broadly.

"How was that?" Lukas asked as he slowed the horse to a stop again, glancing over his shoulder to face Jesse.

"Awesome!" Jesse responded, hugging him from behind. "Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad to know my little slip up with buying the right horse for you, didn't ruin your birthday entirely." Lukas said, letting out a dry chuckle.

"Of course not!" Jesse said, smiling happily.

"This is hands down one the best birthdays ever!"

___

Yay, finally got around to doing this one! 

I'm curious to see what will be blowing up in the comments on this though, since in the newest Exile chapter, having Jesse and Lukas spend some screentime together, greatly excited some of the readers-

(Sorry, this comment chain was too priceless not to share!)

Not that I mind at all, at least when people are fangirling I know they're enjoying what I'm writing XD 

But hey, I hope you all enjoyed this one shot! And while I usually keep everything strictly ship neutral, considering the art piece this is based on came from the ship challenge - I'll just say that I hope all Lukesse shippers are happy right now! xD

As of right now, requests are still open, but any requests that I receive now probably won't come out for a while. This book is going on hold for the entire February while I do another write-a-one-shot-for-every-day-of-the-month challenge. So I'm using what's left of January to catch up on all the requests that are already there.

Feel free to still request, but just know that you probably won't see it until March!

Remaining requests pending: 3