[Art cr: abbyslullaby on Insta]

Two weeks.

Little Red Riot spent two painful weeks in the place he used to think of as home. Now, it felt like a prison.

Despite her son's misery, Kirishima's mother was convinced she was doing it for his own good. Bakugou was simply too dangerous to be around him. However, it would be a lie to say that her conscience wasn't gnawing at her heart with every passing moment. Kirishima had lost his shine, his toothy grin, his happy attitude.

As if matters could not be any worse, the townspeople were more frantic than ever. Every night, they heard the terrifying howls of a wolf searching for his lost friend. To their ears, it was a warning to all humans. To Kirishima, he could hear the pain and confusion in his cries. There was also... frustration, because Bakugou felt he did not do anything to stop it. All he could do was watch as the one person who had ever so slowly climbed and trekked his way to the top of the wolf's heart was pulled out of his life.

The wolf was unsure why he was feeling so... sad. He would have understood if anger pumped through his veins, but instead it was this lingering feeling of sadness trapping his heart. Even the sun's attempts to cheer him up with its friendly glow against the baby blue sky only appeared dull at most without the human by his side. It became harder to see the beauty of the screeching birds Kirishima yapped on about. Even with Bakugou's naturally high body temperature, his hand felt empty and frigid without the heat from the human's hand holding it. It was hard to admit, but holding his hand made him feel safer than his threatening fangs ever could.

After the weeks passed... the howls grew silent.

That alone woke Kirishima's motivation.

"No please... don't be silent..."

3AM

Kirishima made sure his mom was fast asleep, before sprinting out the house like his life depended on it. Some may even argue that it did.

However, the forest was enveloped by the darkness that was the price of a peaceful night. He had never been out this late by himself. He did not let that stop him of course, pushing past shrubs, trampling twigs, searching desperately for a pair of beautiful crimson eyes. 'Wait, beautiful?'

The redhead slammed into a tree when he became tangled in his thoughts. He looked around, seeing the same branches, the same shadows surrounding him. "Oh great... I don't even recognise the forest anymore..." He complained to himself, pulling his knees up before looking at the brightness of the moon. "Why did you stop...?" He spoke as if Bakugou could hear him, but at that point he wasn't sure if he would ever find him again. Though, he did not let that stop him from trying with one more shout, "KAAATSUKI BAKUGOU!"

"Why the fuck are you so loud?" Kirishima blinked, then looked up.

'Beautiful crimson eyes...' "BAKUGOU!" In the blink of an eye, Kirishima had sprung up from the ground and thrown himself to hug the wolf. This time, the wolf had no complaints. "You- you heard me?"

"The whole damn forest would have... but I was already looking at you by the time you began your... dumb shout." The hug never loosened. Even though the wolf hesitated at affection before, even he clung to Little Red Riot, mirroring his desperation and... happiness.

For the first time in a while, Kirishima felt his mouth spread into a grin. "That stupid grin looks much better than you being sad."

"Oh yeah? Who was crying every night like a kicked puppy once my mom dragged me away?"

"DO YOU WANT ME TO LEAVE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST?"

"You wouldn't!" They slumped against the tree with audible sighs, as if that were the first breath of fresh air they had managed to inhale in forever. Finally, Bakugou could feel the squeeze on his heart loosening as a comfortable silent fell between them. "...Hey, Bakugou?"

"What?"

"Could I ask you something?"

"Go on."

"Why... why did you start howling?" Bakugou flinched, his ears pulling back slightly as he averted his gaze to a particularly interesting blade of grass. He picked up that particular blade of grass, then began fiddling with it using his index and thumb.

"I didn't feel angry enough to punch a tree as I usually would." Kirishima let out a small laugh, then without thinking reached a hand to the boy's blonde locks. Immediately, the wolf froze under the touch, Kirishima retracting his hand.

"I... uh... sorry."

"What was that?"

"Headpats?" Kirishima blinked, watching as the other slowly leaned over.

"...Do it." He heard a weird mixture of a growl and a huff as Bakugou refused to meet his eyes. Once again, Kirishima put his hand on his head, gently patting his head. It seemed that neither of the boys could process what was actually happening. They both just stayed quiet and enjoyed the peace of each other's presence.

"Do you want... a head massage?"

"Sure." Kirishima smiled, then gently deepened his reach in the wolf's blonde locks before gently massaging his scalp. Bakugou closed his eyes, continuing to lean into the touch. He let out a small, relaxed breath. Then, he felt a small tug in his hair while Kirishima began to hold himself back from wheezing with laughter. "What's wrong with you?"

"Your hair... is really tangly."

"Shut up, so I'm not a beauty queen. I'm strong as hell."

"I mean... you can be both..." It came out as a mutter.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I think you're strong and beautiful Katsuki!"

"Just- shut up! You're embarrassing as fuck." A sheepish grin spread on Kirishima's face, beginning to fiddle with the edge of his shirt.

"Hey, Katsuki, would you hate me if I... maybe thought of you as more than a friend?"

"Like what? A brother?"

"Not quite. I mean, um... ugh..." This was enough to make Kirishima look like his face was drawn over by a bright pink highlighter. Ah yes, the concept of 'love' was quite challenging for the youth. "I like you."

"...Same."

"BAKUGOU!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?"

"I don't know... how do you feel about me?"

The wolf let out a sigh, propping a knee up before resting his head against the bark, "At first, you were a really fucking annoying human. Always following me around... but... you were kind. There was no denying that. Soon enough I realised that you were also tough as hell. Believe me, someone who is able to take my hits is no pushover... I don't hate you, but... when your mother said we couldn't be together again I was..."

Kirishima raised a brow, "You were what?"

"Scared maybe. There was this painful feeling inside of me which I couldn't express in anything other than a dumb fucking howl. I haven't howled like that in years."

"I'm sorry I took so long to look for you."

"It's fine. I stopped my dumb yelling when I thought more about your mom's words. She was right. I know how people look at me, but that doesn't mean they should look at you the same way just 'cause you hang out with me. It was better that we stopped being seen together—"

"NO WAY!" The wolf's ears pulled back when he heard the shriek, "Katsuki, I never want to be apart from you again. I've told you before, I don't care how others look at us as long as I can be with you."

Bakugou looked at him, then let out a small huff, "You're a passionate moron."

"This passionate moron likes you! Like, like in a mate sort of way! You've heard of mates, right?"

"Mate!?" Bakugou began to yell, his face turning red from either anger or embarrassment.

"Oh man, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to word it that way... I just... I don't know how else to get you to know how I—"

"It's fine." The wolf assured, and to Kirishima's surprise, he looked up to see his toothy grin. He released a small breath and instead laughed off the embarrassment they had managed to tangle themselves in. "If... if someone felt the same way, how would they know? Hypothetically."

"Uhh... well, I guess they would be protective of that person. Not only that but also want to spend the rest of their lives with them. Y'know, and then they would do things like hold hands, kiss, cuddle, those kinds of things. Well, if they are the affectionate type that is."

"So, does that mean you want to kiss me?"

Kirishima stopped short of his ramblings as he took approximately ten years to process an answer for that question, "I- stop, don't ask that. You're gonna cringe."

"Just answer instead of overthinking, dumbass."

"I... um... yeah man. I do."

"Okay. Grow some balls and do it then."

"No, I couldn't dude, there needs to be a certain mood, and besides, my teeth... they're a little—"

The other rolled his eyes as the human continued to state all the reasons why he apparently could not kiss him. Instead of letting him stay tangled in his indecision, Bakugou grabbed the back of the startled male's neck and pulled him close enough to smash their lips together. It was a simple, rough, and quick peck, and left Kirishima stunned before he began to melt.

When Bakugou quickly let go, both the boys were practically emitting steam from the impulsive action, their eyes glued to the ground.

"Well?"

"Your lips are dry, cracked even, I think." Kirishima commented, then began to snicker as Bakugou began glaring daggers at him, "It was really rough as well, then again, I wouldn't expect anything else from a wolf—"

"Alright then, fuck! We don't have to—"

"But it was nice. I could definitely imagine myself doing that more often. With you. Of course."

"Too bad."

"Can I try too?"

"Do whatever, I don't care." Bakugou huffed, crossing his arms as he began to throw a little bit of a tantrum from Kirishima's teasing. However, he didn't retaliate when he felt a pair of warm hands cup his cheeks. Instead, he stayed relaxed as a pair of lips gently pushed against his. This time, it was less awkward.

The moment he felt Kirishima, Bakugou could feel the heat rising in his chest. Despite his sensitive hearing, it seemed as though nothing else existed around them. The wolf couldn't focus on the rustling in the trees, the sound of crickets or the songs of birds. All he could concentrate on was the warmth against his chapped lips; in contrast, Kirishima's were much softer. It was noticeable, but he never dared to mention that detail out loud.

As it progressed, Kirishima ended up finding a place for himself on Bakugou's lap. Bakugou's tail started hitting against the ground as their lips melded together, gripping the other boy's waist while Kirishima began to weave his fingers gently through Bakugou's spiky locks. Their kiss was still awkward, with cautious touches as they got used to the motion, but they let the flow of the moment control their pace.

The boys never grew tired of their experiments, taking short breaks between their kisses before Kirishima had a sudden burst of courage and tested the waters. He gently swiped a tongue against Bakugou's lower lip, and heard a growl rise from the wolf, before he opened his mouth and let their tongues meet. They were tangled in their own world, and for a moment, had no concerns other than the desire to be closer to one another.

It must have been 5:00am once they finished. They took another break, Kirishima resting his forehead against Bakugou's as both their chests rose from the panting. The human could feel something beginning to poke him, but he decided to avoid commenting on it. Their cheeks were pink as they sat in silence until Kirishima stood up and pulled Bakugou up with him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you home. My mother either accepts you or loses me." Kirishima declared, looking so determined that Bakugou forgot to make a snide remark in response. He stayed quiet as Kirishima tightly gripped his hand on their journey home. "Also, I didn't tell her that I was leaving to find you so right now... she's either worried to death or asleep." He added on with a laugh, yelling in triumph as he processed the fact that he had managed to express his feelings.

Kirishima burst through the front door, nearly giving his mother a heart attack as she grabbed a broom ready to hit him across the head in case he was an unwanted visitor.

"E... Eiji?" She was catching her breath from the fright, "Why are you awake? Hell, what were you doing outside? With..." The mother stopped and looked down, seeing their interlocked fingers while Bakugou was glaring at her with a challenging look in his eyes.

"Ma, I need to talk to you." Kirishima tightened his grip around Bakugou, "I ran away because I wanted to see him. Please, he's not a bad guy. You need to actually learn about who he is before you judge him. I. Like. Him." Even Bakugou was a little surprised at his insistence, "If you can't accept him for who he is... then... then I'll move! I'll go to the woods and live with Bakugou!"

His mother crossed her arms, and couldn't stop a small smile forming on her face at Kirishima's declaration, "Move into the woods?" She took a moment to look between them for another moment, then sighed, making eye contact with Bakugou. "Bakugou, is it? Tell me, do you like my son in the same way?"

Bakugou's tail stiffened for a moment as a deep blush stained his cheeks. His ears flattened before giving her a silent, but confident nod.

She knew Kirishima was completely serious about moving into the woods. She didn't want to see him struggling out there, so at that moment, she gave in. "Alright Eiji, you win. In fact, Bakugou can live with us, if that's okay with him."

Kirishima sent a hopeful look in the wolf's direction, "Fine..." was all he could reply.

"Now, shouldn't you boys get some sleep? I can set up a space for you to sleep in Eiji's room. Actually... maybe a shower is in order for you."

Finally, Kirishima let out a breath he was holding. He was more scared of the outcome than he had realised. Despite the reminder of the wolf not being the cleanest, Kirishima pulled him into a tight hug, and he reluctantly reciprocated. It was enough to even make his mother's heart melt.

This may not have been the most traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, but who could possibly be mad at this outcome?

The end.