This is inspired by Tumblr user rubberupandmakedanhowell's fan fiction idea where Dan is Little Red Riding Hood and Phil is the hunter who saves the day. It's inspired by the iconic selfie above.
Daniel was a stubborn but big-hearted boy. He had lived his entire life just outside the solitary woods, and yet it was still tough for him to navigate his surroundings. His father was a strict and demanding man, and couldn't wait to see the day his son would be the head of a household of his own. Unfortunately, the boy was still terrible at chopping wood, hunting game and repairing their home's rustic appliances, no matter how hard his father tried to teach him. Daniel avoided chores with his father as much as possible, often feigning illness or fatigue. As a result he was a far cry from the competent partner his father had hoped he would be.
Worse, Daniel's disdain of the outdoors and physical exertion made him noticeably weaker than his brother and cousins. He much preferred to spend time alone, studying musical composition and singing. His father had sympathy for his son's artistic passions, as he himself had dreamed of becoming a famous playwright. But Daniel's father believed he was noble for abandoning his far-fetched dreams to provide for his woman and children, and did not understand why his son was not interested in gaining the practical skills necessary to do the same. His wife, kind and well-read, always felt empathy for Daniel and tried to listen to her son when he seemed particularly lost in thought. But she too began to share her husband's anxieties after her son became 18 years old and had no future planned at all.
Daniel's parents became increasingly preoccupied with discussing their son's future. They had friends in town whose children were Daniel's age and getting engaged, yet Daniel had never had a relationship with a girl, let alone shown interest in courting one. Together, they hatched a plan to get Daniel out of his childish shell. They set up their son to be the apprentice of one of their friend's neighbors, a successful merchant of mass-produced art. As part of the agreement, Daniel would be compensated by room and board in the small building where the merchant lived, in addition to a respectable allowance. His parents thought the conditions of the agreement were very agreeable and were happy with their work. However, they knew their son was sensitive, so to have him receive the news in the best state of mind possible, they sent him to deliver a bundle of pastries to his beloved grandmother who lived in the woods. Daniel was excited that his parents would trust him enough to make the journey alone. He put on his red cloak and went off, blissfully unaware of what was to come.
As Dan walked the winding dirt path into the forest, Daniel was happy to be alone with his thoughts. Near his grandmother lived a tall hunter a few years older than him who worked as a lumberjack. Daniel had always had a strange sensation in his groin whenever he saw him, but ever since he hit puberty he hadn't been able to get him out of his mind. He had had dreams about the hunter that he didn't understand, which he was too scared to talk about with anyone. Under the afternoon sun, he decided he would be in the best place to process better what his subconscious was telling him.
The dreams would always take place in his house, with little variation. It would be night time, and dream Daniel would be wanting to go to bed but couldn't because he was waiting for someone. There would be candles around the living room, making the house look very cozy and romantic. Then, out of nowhere, a wolf would bust into the room, being ridden by the handsome lumberjack with bulging muscles and kind eyes. The handsome lumberjack would scoop Daniel into his arms and kiss him, setting his insides aflame with love and lust. Then, the two would sing songs together as Daniel played the piano. The dreams would be so nice that Daniel couldn't believe they were true, making him wake up. Daniel was very conflicted by his dreams; though he recognized he had fantasies of the handsome men around him, he refused to identify as a homosexual. He fantasized of one day marrying a good and beautiful woman who would understand him with just as much fervor. He didn't understand what all of his desires put together meant.
The image of the handsome lumberjack got stuck in Daniel's head. Those big eyes and broad shoulders, those beefy biceps, and that sweet, familiar look when the lumberjack glanced his way… Daniel was practically floating as he daydreamed about his dream man as he got closer to his grandmother's house.
As he rounded the corner to go deeper into the shaded forest, he unknowingly passed by a wolf named Charles who was hidden in a bush. Charles was a manipulative wolf who had been spared by the noble hunter through sheer conniving. Ever since he had gained the trust of the handsome lumberjack, Charles decided that he would be the only one who would get close to the hunter. Unfortunately, the hunter was very taken by cute boys, who would lodge at the tall man's house for a period of months. This drove Charles mad with jealousy to no end. But fortunately, the relationships did not last forever, allowing Charles to have the delusion he would one day keep the hunter's attention all to himself.
The wolf shared the hunter's appetite for cute boys, and when he saw Daniel pass by in his red cloak, he knew he had to act quickly. Daniel had bloomed into a beautiful young man in recent years, tall with fine features and a handsome countenance. Daniel looked so fine that day, in fact, that he doubted the hunter would be able to stay away if he saw the cloaked boy. Charles figured that Daniel was in the forest to visit the old woman who looked like him that lived near the hunter. He quickly hatched a plan: he would trap Daniel in his grandmother's house until the lumberjack's next hunting trip. That way no one could compete for the tall hunter's attention.
Charles raced ahead of Daniel on all floors and snuck into the boy's grandmother's house from the back. The wolf was surprised that he couldn't see any sign of Daniel getting close; the tall man, though gifted in looks, serious lacked athletic abilities. He found a rope near the kitchen and snuck around until he heard a room with snoring coming from the inside. In no time at all, he tied up Daniel's grandmother in her bedroom where she had been sleeping. Then, he gagged her with a handkerchief and stuffed her in her closet. And last, he donned one of her outfits. Charles was delighted by how good he looked. It was still obvious he was a wolf (albeit a strikingly handsome one at that), but with a little makeup he would be able to fool Daniel for the little time it would take to lock him into the house. He took the grandmother's position in her bed and began to read, strategically covering his face with a book to buy himself as much time as possible to lure Daniel in.
The dashing huntsman, named Philip, decided to take a walk around this time. To his surprise, he hadn't seen the wolf Charles all day. Though this was more than welcomed, Philip became concerned. He had become used to sparring with the wolf on a regular basis since Charles constantly pushed boundaries and the limits of his patience. Philip thought it was a small price to pay for a safer forest, assuming the worst of the wolf's intentions. He had strongly considered killing the wolf the first time he encountered Charles, but the creature had such a way with words he didn't stand a chance.
Today, however, instead of their usual quarrel, Charlie gave Philip a mystery to solve. Wolf tracks that seemed to have been made in a hurry led in the direction of the nearest residence. Fearing that the kind old lady who lived nearby was in danger, Philip rushed to catch Charles, axe in hand. He decided that if the wolf actually did intend on hurting someone, Philip would take care of it for good.
Daniel entered his grandmother's house twenty minutes after Charles arrived. "Damn, I really need to work on my fitness," he said to himself, out of breath. "Nan! I'm home!" he called out.
"I'm in the bedroom, dear!" said Charles, worried that he would be given away if he raised his voice. Charles gripped the book he found over his face firmly and braced his nerves.
Daniel entered the room and noticed immediately that the person in bed was not his grandmother, although he looked familiar. Thankfully for Charles, Daniel was a very slow thinker.
"Why Nan, what big eyes you have!" said Daniel after seeing Charles' eyes peek from over the book.
"Oh, all the better to see you with, love!" said Charles in a falsetto, sweating. Charles could not believe what he saw - Daniel was even more good-looking up close than he had first imagined. Charles thought he could never compete with Daniel if Philip saw him. Charles' blood ran cold. He realized he had to take more drastic measures if he wanted to dominate the hunter's attention.
"Oh, wow! What big ears you have, Nan!" cried Daniel as he came to Charles' bedside.
"All the better to hear you with, my boy!" said Charles as he tried to cover the offending appendages by lowering the book he was holding. In a split decision, Charles decided that Daniel's neck looked particularly inviting. His stomach rumbled.
"Oh, my, Nan!" said Daniel as he took a seat next to Charles. "What a big mouth you have!"
"All the better to eat you with, my dear!" said Charles as he pounced on the boy.
Meanwhile, Charles' tracks brought Philip to the front door of Daniel's grandmother's house. He heard an extremely loud scream and kicked the door in, worried that the poor old lady was hurt.
Charles lunged at Daniel right as he heard Philip entering the house. To the hunter's surprise, he saw a young man being attacked by a wolf, the horrible creature's jaw wide and threatening to mutilate the pretty face!
Daniel was flailing so hard on the ground to get out from beneath the wolf's grip that he didn't pay attention to who entered when suddenly Philip split Charles' skull with an axe. The hunter quickly pulled the wolf's corpse and tossed it out the door into the forest before it made much of a mess. He then washed his hands and thought how he could explain the crazy thing that just happened to him.
Daniel stared wide-eyed at his savior. His legs felt weak. The attack was so bizarre he wasn't sure of this was a nightmare or a dream. Daniel noticed that the hunter was very attractive indeed, with strong arms and strong legs and a nice beard. It like something out of his wildest fantasies.
"Um, hi. My name is… Dan," Daniel shyly introduced himself.
"Hello! Sorry. I apologize for having had to barge in here. But I'm very glad that I did! My name is Philip," he said. "But you, my lad, can call me Phil." A smile came across Daniel's lips.
"I hear snoring from the bedroom. Do you reckon that's my grandma?" asked Daniel.
"I can check with you if you're scared," said Philip kindly. Daniel blushed. He didn't want to appear like a frightened chicken, but he was so kind this man seemed like such a good person. He played with his luck and slipped his hand in Philip's.
"I am scared," whispered Daniel.
"That's okay," answered Philip. "We can sort this out together," he said. He gently bent down and gave the sweet boy a kiss on the forehead. Daniel almost fainted and was sent over the moon.
The snores led to the bedroom closet. Sure enough, Daniel's grandmother was sleeping while being bound and gagged. An angry-looking bruise on her forehead got both of the men's attention.
"Oh no! She'll need that looked at right away," said Daniel. "I should run back home and tell my family what happened right away."
Philip was struck by how cute the young man he saved was. He wanted to protect the younger. His heart grew warm just by looking at Daniel. "I don't have any other commitments for the rest of the day. I can escort you back myself to ensure your safety if you'd like," said the hunter. "It would be a pleasure."
Daniel noticed how Philip kept looking at his lips. "How can I repay you?" he asked.
Philip smirked. "With some sugar from my neighbor's grandson."
Daniel was in disbelief. He stood on his tiptoes and gave his hero a kiss on the cheek.
"What?" asks Philip, taken aback. The huntsman leaned back and turned his face. Daniel's eyes grew wide as he jolted back, as if he had been shot by lightning.
"I'm so sorry! I thought-" he fumbled.
"Why are you sorry?" asked Philip gently.
The younger man casted his eyes down from shame. "I… put my lips… by accident..."
"You shouldn't feel bad," Philip said. He scooped up Daniel's face with his hands and planted a kiss on his lips. Daniel hugged Philip had let the hunter envelope his smaller frame, tears threatening his eyes.
After the incident, Daniel visited the forest much more often. His parents were delighted to have their son get fresh air and to see him make friends with the hunter, who they believed kept him safe. Philip began to see the younger man exclusively. To Daniel's chagrin, he could not share his romance with Philip to those who loved him the most. But while the two remained together, Daniel couldn't have been any happier.
The End