Chapter 2

He wished that Bakugo stayed, just so he had some human company. Deku was a great companion, but he was still a dog. He wouldn't give up on Bakugo, though. There has to be a good side to the man somewhere, and he would find it. But he shouldn't be too pushy with Bakugo, in case he pisses the blonde off and ruins any chance of friendship they have. Eijiro felt himself blushing, too. The blonde was just so damn handsome! He kept thinking about Bakugo, unable to concentrate on the TV show.

Bakugo was dressed for bed and as he was brushing his teeth, he looked out the window to Eijiro's farm. He could see a light on in one of the rooms upstairs. Was Eijiro getting ready for bed, too? Then the light clicked off. Bakugo rinsed his mouth and gargle with mouthwash. He was so tired from all the stuff he did today, between unpacking and working, he was exhausted. He should have taken a few days off to get himself settled first.

As he lay in bed with Shoto at his feet, Bakugo thought about the redhead in the flannel shirt. Overly friendly, a hard worker, and, dare he say it, handsome. His last boyfriend of two years had also been handsome, but not handsome in the same way as Eijiro. Eijiro had a kind personality along with good features. But the guy barely knew how to cook. Spaghetti for dinner? Really? It was safe to assume Eijiro was NOT a good cook, and probably ate like a bachelor.

He would have to get used to the farm next door to him. He could hear the cow mooing and goats making those strange goat sounds during the day. However, the night was very quiet. It was a big difference from the city, where there was always noise, but you don't hear it after awhile. But being alone like this was a little…creepy. There was hardly the hum of electricity. He came to the country to get away from the city, but the silence was weird. He would have to ask Eijiro how he dealt with it, or maybe Eijiro liked the quiet. He put some light music on using his phone and was soon sound asleep.

Eijiro spent most of his morning in the field gathering and picking through the crops. He had carrots, radishes, cabbage, broccoli, and spinach. He was just cleaning off a carrot when he heard someone calling his name.

"Huh? That's Bakugo,"

Deku, who was sitting with Eijiro, started to bark.

Eijiro dusted his pants and went to the front of the house. He was excited to see Bakugo standing there in that waistcoat, only now it was buttoned up with a red scarf. He looked gorgeous in that coat and scarf with a few brown leaves fluttering around him. He also had Shoto with him.

"What are you staring at?"

"N-Nothing! Sorry, it's good to see you again! Something you need?"

"I got a question for you. How do you sleep at night around here? It's really quiet,"

Eijiro grinned. "Oh, yeah, that's the joy of being in the country! It took me a while to get used to the silence and smells of the country, too. At least a couple of weeks. You'll get used to it. Hey, while you're here, want a tour of the farm?"

Bakugo didn't have to work today, and he was enjoying the fresh morning autumn air. Besides, Eijiro was grinning at him like an excited child. How could he say 'no?'

"Yeah, I guess." He had never really 'seen' a farm before." He had only ever seen them on TV or in movies, never up close.

Deku trotted up to Shoto, touching the bigger dog's nose with his own in greeting. 'Hi Shoto! Want to look around the farm?'

'I refuse to walk in a place where there is filth everywhere from livestock and mud.'

Deku rolled his doggie eyes as Shoto stuck his doggie nose in the air.

'Okay, then I'll just sit here with you!' Deku said, taking a seat next to Shoto.

Eijiro first showed him the pasture, pointing out the dairy cow, goats, sheep, and Iida the horse as they were grazing. He asked Bakugo if he wanted to pet any of them, and Bakugo immediately answered 'no' with a disgusted look on his face. Somehow, Eijiro wasn't bothered by it. City folk. Next, he pointed out the pair of white geese waddling by. Bakugo had seen videos of people getting attacked by geese, and if one of those geese tried to chase him, he'd kick it into next week. Then, he showed Bakugo the hen house, pointing out the eggs. Bakugo asked if he could have a couple because eggs were healthy, and free range was supposed to be better to eat long term. Eijiro promised to send him home with some.

Finally, Eijiro showed Bakugo the barn, where Ochaco came up to greet them with a happy little meow.

"This little lady is my barn cat. She takes care of any pests or rodents," Eijiro leaned down to stroke under her chin.

Bakugo looked at the round-faced cat and frowned. Cats always seemed to have a problem with him, yet this one didn't. Instead, she came up to him and started to do a figure eight around his legs, purring softly.

"She likes you!" Eijiro said.

"It's not normal for cats to like me," Bakugo told him.

"Oh, she's a doll," Eijiro said. "I love having her around. She gets along with Deku, too."

"Hm. Where are the dogs?"

"I think they are still outside by the pasture."

'Why don't we walk around and check out the animals?' Deku offered. 'The ground isn't muddy, and you can meet my friends!'

'You're friends with the other animals?' Shoto asked, raising a doggie brow.

'Yup! Come on, I'll introduce you to Iida! IIDA! Come over here!'

Iida trotted up to the fence, and Shoto followed Deku over. Shoto had never seen a horse up close before. The animal was huge!

'Iida, this is Shoto, our new neighbor,' Deku said.

'Hello, Shoto. It is a pleasure to meet you! I am Iida, ex-police horse,'

'He used to work for the police, but then they stopped using horses, and his previous owner left the force.' Deku told him.

'I am honored to have been rescued by our master,' Iida said proudly, stomping his foot. 'I prefer to ride along the valleys with my master rather than control crowds.'

'Shoto used to be a show dog,' Deku said.

'Really? I was almost a show horse,' Iida said. 'But then I got picked up for the police force,'

'I'm no longer a show dog,' Shoto told them. 'As you can see from my face, I am not pageant material,' He said with a short, bitter growl.

'Did you like being a show dog?' Iida asked.

'...sometimes,' Shoto replied.

Just then, Tokoyami flew down and perched on the fence post. 'Deku, I spotted a fox near the west pasture,'

Deku jumped up. 'A fox? I'll chase it away!' He looked at Shoto. 'Do you want to come with me?'

'To chase off a fox? A real one?'

'Yeah. Follow me!'

Curious, Shoto followed Deku around the pasture to the far west side when he saw the orange body creeping along the ground. Deku saw it too, and he started barking. Shoto watched as Deku chased the fox away. Something in Shoto wanted to chase the fox too, so he ran after Deku. They both chased the fox until it was out of sight.

'That'll teach'em!' Deku said proudly. 'I will always protect my home, my master, and my friends!'

'You…do this a lot?' Shoto asked.

'Yes. We get other animals out here that want to hurt or steal from the farm.'

'I see…' Shoto felt a bit of excitement at the thought of chasing more animals.

"DEKU!" It was Eijiro calling for him.

"SHOTO!"

Both dogs hurried back to their owners.

"We're going home now," Bakugo said to Shoto.

'Bye Shoto! Thanks for helping me chase off that fox!'

'...Right.'

"Let me know if you need any help unpacking," Eijiro reminded Bakugo. "I'm home all day. Don't forget to take the eggs with you. Oh! Let me get your cell number,"

"Right." Bakugo said, and gave Eijiro his number. "Thanks for the tour, I guess. I don't see the appeal to farming."

"Eh, well, it's different for everybody," Eijiro said, putting his phone in his pocket. "I'll see you around!"

Eijiro watched Bakugo and Shoto leave for their house and he patted Deku on his head. "They sure are a pair, huh?" He noticed his gaze was on Bakugo's behind, and he flushed a little. 'Oops.' He blushed more at the thought of blushing because he blushed!

Bakugo was too lazy to cook, so he ordered Chinese take out. He sat in front of the tv, watching the local news, with Shoto seated beside him. The redhead was frequently on his mind, and it pissed him off. He swore off boyfriends and dating after his ex dumped him, but now he had Eijiro on his mind. Eijiro was different from his ex, much different. Bakugo wondered if he was just feeling emotionally vulnerable. He didn't want to think about his ex or Eijiro. And yet, he keeps seeing the redhead's stupid friendly face and grin.

"Argh! Why can't I stop thinking about him!"

'You would be better off with someone like him,' Shoto said, though Bakugo can't hear him.

Bakugo figured it had to be the new move and new life in the country making him think like this. He should stay away from Eijiro, which will be hard, because they're neighbors. The redhead wants to be friends. Bakugo never actually had friends. He didn't need friends. Still, he couldn't get Eijiro out of his mind. He focused on unpacking, and played a podcast on his phone to keep his mind off of Eijiro.

He spent the whole day and evening unpacking until his back was sore and aching from all the bending and moving. He decided to call it quits for the night and head to bed. Again, he saw Eijiro's light on as he brushed his teeth. It was ten o'clock, which was usually his bedtime, and it looked to be Eijiro's as well. The light flicked off. It was dark outside because there was barely any light pollution. They were both far from the road, and he could barely hear any cars.

Bakugo made himself a cup of tea and went out to the back porch to stare into the darkness. It was so quiet it was loud! His eyes darted over the field and trees, wondering what type of animals were out there, and if any were watching him. Maybe he would see Sasquash. That thought brought a smirk to his face. That would be a surprise. He briefly wondered about bears, and if there were any. He should ask Eijiro about the wildlife. He didn't want any bears getting into his garbage.

Shoto clawed at the door from the inside, wanting to be with his master. Bakugo let the dog onto the porch, and Shoto sat next to him.

"Will you chase off bears and cougars and whatever else is out there?"

'I've never seen any of those animals,' Shoto said, but Bakugo couldn't hear him. 'But I will chase them away.'

Just then, they hear something moving around in the grass. Bakugo squinted to see if he could see it, but he saw nothing. Whatever it was, it wasn't very big, so it had to be something nocturnal, like a raccoon or an opossum. Whatever it was, he still couldn't see it, and he figured it was best to leave it alone and go back inside. He lets Shoto go in first, then he closes the door and locks it.

He heard his phone 'ping' with a notification. Bakugo looked at his phone, and it was a message from Eijiro.

'You still up? I can see your back porch light on.'

'Are you spying on me?' Bakugo typed back

'Lol! I was just getting up for some water and saw you out back. Everything okay?'

'There was something moving around outside in the grass, but I couldn't see it.'

'That was my cat most likely. She hunts around outside at night.' Eijiro was typing again. 'How are you doing with the quiet? Starting to like it yet?'

Bakugo typed back. 'No. It's weird and hard to get used to. Go back to sleep and stop spying on me.'

'Haha! Okay, I'll stop bothering you. Goodnight, Bakugo.'

Bakugo didn't text back. 'Good,' he thought. 'Stop bothering me.'

Bakugo finally went to bed with Shoto at his feet. He put on some music again and soon was fast asleep.

Come morning, he was awoken from the noise of a cow. It sounded very close. Bakugo got up and looked out his window but saw nothing. He heard the mooing again, and it sounded like it came from the front. Bakugo went into the front bedroom and opened the window looking at the front. Eating the flowers that came with the house was a large black and white cow. He recognized the cow from Eijiro's farm.

"HEY! GET OUT OF HERE!" Bakugo shouted down to the cow, who ignored him. "I SAID MOVE!" The cow still ignored him. Cursing all the way downstairs, he threw open the door and tried to shoo the beast away. "GO BACK HOME! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Shoto only barked at the cow, unsure of what to do.

"MoooOOOO!" She lifted her tail and defecated on the little stone path to the house.

"DAMN IT! I'M GOING TO SEND YOU TO THE MEAT PROCESSING PLANT YOU WALKING PIECE OF STEAK!"

"BAKUGO! I'M SO SORRY!"

Bakugo looked to his right to see Eijiro and his dog rushing over to them.

"Get your damned cow out of here!"

"I'm sorry! She broke out and wandered away!" Eijiro stroked the cow's nose and grabbed her leather collar.

"You need to clean this mess up!" Bakugo said, pointing to the feces.

"Yes, I promise I will! Let me get her back in the barn, then I'll come right over and clean it for you!"

Bakugo watched Eijiro walk the cow back, and then he glared down at Shoto. "You were no real help,"

'I didn't know how to react, the same as you,' Shoto said to himself.

Bakugo let out a sigh, looking at the flowerless stems. 'I didn't really like those flowers anyway, but it's the point of the thing,'

He went back inside and started breakfast.

"Well girl, you certainly made him angry," Eijiro said to the cow as he placed her in the pasture field. "You can't keep sneaking out. I should set up a camera to see how you do it."

He gave the girl a pat on the shoulder and went to clean up the mess at Bakugo's place. He hoped Bakugo would come out as he cleaned up, just so he could speak to the blonde again. The whole thing reminded him of a sappy holiday movie plot, or that old story, The Country Mouse and The City Mouse. But he wasn't full country, and neither was Bakugo. But just as he finished cleaning, Bakugo appeared in the front window.

"If I see that cow on my property again, I'm going to make it into hamburgers."

Eijiro smiled in amusement. What a typical thing for Bakugo to say. They were already growing close. "I'll do my best to keep her penned up," he said, then added, "You want to go for a ride with me?"

"Where? Into the city?" Bakugo asked.

"No, on my horse! Iida is strong enough to carry two people."

"I'll pass," Bakugo said with a frown. It's not that he was scared of horses, he's just never ridden one, and didn't want to end up getting bucked off. "Those things are unpredictable."

"Not Iida, he's a good horse," Eijiro said. "Are you sure you don't want to go for a ride?"

"I don't like animals!" He shouted, then Shoto popped his head up in the window with a huff. "Not you, damned mutt!"

"Well, if you're too scared, that's okay," He knew that would get Bakugo's attention, and he had been right.

"Scared? I'm not scared! I just don't want to do it!"

"It's really okay to be scared of a horse at first. They are large animals,"

"I SAID I'M NOT AFRAID!" Bakugo shouted angrily. "Fine! I'll do it! Just to prove to you that I'm not scared of a horse!"

Eijiro grinned and said, "Meet me at the stable in twenty." He could finally use the double saddle he had!

Twenty Minutes Later

Eijiro had Iida saddled up and ready to go. He waited for Bakugo to show up, and the man did in exactly twenty minutes. Bakugo was dressed in jeans, black boots, a red turtleneck, and a jean jacket. Eijiro had to wonder if Bakugo was trying to go for a more cowboy/country theme to prove a point. Bakugo also had Shoto with him, and Deku ran to meet the other dog with his tail wagging.

"Hey! Glad you made it," Eijiro said. "Here, I have an extra helmet." He hands a black riding helmet to Bakugo.

"This is going to be a long ride, right?" Bakugo asked.

"Nah. We'll only go around on the grounds of the farm. Ready to get on? Let me show you how to mount him."

"I can do it!" Bakugo said. "You don't have to show me!"

Eijiro humored him. "Okay, get on the second seat then."

Bakugo went over to Iida and attempted to climb onto the saddle, and failed.

Shoto covered his eyes with his paw.

'This is a disgrace!' Iida said to Deku and Shoto. 'Should I lay down to help him?'

'Please don't do that,' Shoto said. 'He'll get angry,'

"Can I show you how to do it now?" Eijiro asked.

Bakugo scoffed, then said, "Fine."

Eijiro showed him the best way to mount, and then held out his hand to Bakugo. Bakugo didn't take his hand, but he was a fast learner, and he got onto the horse's back.

"Hey, you did great!" Eijiro said. "You'll want to hold onto me until you find your balance." He wanted to feel Bakugo's arms around him.

"I'll be fine," Bakugo stated. "Just go."

As the horse started walking, Bakugo easily found his balance. Riding the horse wasn't too bad. The helmet was a little tight and stupid looking, but it was a necessity. With his luck, the horse might buck, and off he'll go and likely land in mud. Eijiro said they were going to speed up a bit, and this time, Bakugo held on the back of the saddle, just in case.

Seeing the grounds from atop the horse seemed different than just looking at it. And it was also peaceful. He felt calmer, and the only sound was the horses' hooves on the ground. He wanted to go a little faster, and he asked Eijiro. Eijiro kicked the horse into a trot, which was too bouncy for him. Bakugo's hand slipped, and it touched the backside of the horse. The horse suddenly bucked, and a second later, Bakugo was thrown off…and landed in mud.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!?" Bakugo shouted, what rotten luck he had!

"Oh geez, Bakugo! I'm so sorry!"

Eijiro jumped down and tried to help Bakugo up, but he ended up slipping in the mud. He fell into Bakugo, knocking him back on the muddy ground. For a moment, there was an awkward pause between them. Eijiro was laying on top of Bakugo. Then, both of them pushed the other away, unable to meet each other's eyes.

Just a bit away, Deku and Shoto were walking side-by-side. When Shoto saw his master get bucked off, he let out a bark and started running to him. Deku quickly followed, also barking, as he watched his master fall onto the ground as well. But neither one of the dogs saw the mud, and Shoto was up ahead of Deku. The whole area here was wet, and Shoto slid into the mud. He had caught his balance to keep from falling forward, but then Deku slid into him. He felt Deku's head go under his backside, lift him up, and push him head first into the mud.

"Get off me!" Bakugo shouted at Eijiro.

"I'm so sorry! I just slipped!" Eijiro said

'Shoto, are you okay?' Deku asked, now standing in the mud.

Shoto blew irritated mud bubbles as he pondered how he ended up in this place. He went from high-end dog food and a lush house to a dirty farm.

"We're going home," Bakugo said, getting up from the mud, with Shoto following. "Come on, Shoto!"

"Bakugo, I'm really sorry this happened! It was an accident!"

"Whatever,"

Bakugo stomped away, almost with his head held high. Eijiro noticed that Shoto was doing the same…both man and dog were one brain cell. He looked down at Deku, who was covered in mud.

"I guess we should get a bath," he said, then turned back to Iida. "What happened to make you buck?" He asked the horse, not expecting an answer.

'He touched my sensitive area, which you should have told him about!' Iida scolded.

'At least everyone is okay,' Deku said. 'That's the most important,'

'And that dog, Shoto, he's just like his master,'

'Yeah, but there's a good boy in there somewhere,' Deku said. 'I'll find it!'

"Well, let's go home." Eijiro said and mounted Iida again. "We sure made a mess of things huh? No pun intended."

TBC