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Thump. Thump. Thump.
All Izuku could hear as he made his way through the forest was the beat of his own heart, but even that was muffled by the sound of his heavy breathing. He knew he wasn’t being quiet or stealthy. The ones following him would know exactly where he was. They would catch up with him any moment. He knew he couldn’t outmaneuver them. He wasn’t trained. He wasn’t quick. He didn’t know the forest. Hell, he didn’t even know what forest he was inside.
All he knew was that he woke up thirty minutes ago, hands tied behind his back, a piece of cloth over his eyes, only to be set free and told that his kidnappers were graciously going to give him a 20-minute head start.
He had been captured by hunters, and now they were using him for sport.
His adrenaline spiked with every scrape the branches and thistles left on his body. He is sure that he was leaving a trail of blood from his bare feet that would lead these men directly to him. The only hope he had was getting out of these gods damned woods, but the further he ran the darker it became. He was only going deeper, and he was going to be found and slaughtered for entertainment.
He couldn’t see his hand in front of his face as he ran blindly. He’s lost count of how many times he’s tripped and tumbled over gods know what. Izuku didn’t know how long he had been running for, but it felt like an eternity, and as his adrenaline started to wane, he felt the consequences of his mad dash on his lungs and in his legs. Both burned with the exertion, but he didn’t allow himself to stop. He couldn’t allow himself to stop. He had to keep going. He had to get out of here. He wouldn’t die, alone in these woods. He’d made a promise. He had to get home, even if he didn’t know exactly where that was yet.
Eventually, his steps slowed. He felt dizzy and soon every step was accompanied by a stumble. He breathing was still labored but now he heard every crack, every twig breaking, both beneath his own feet and from the darkness surrounding him. He was terrified. Not only did he have to worry about the human hunters chasing him, but he also had to worry about the natural predators that surrounded him as well. He didn’t even know what lay within the vast foliage. He hoped he was never unlucky enough to find out.
He stumbled again, his legs finally giving out beneath him as his eyes drooped. He took a moment to be thankful he had fallen against something sturdy—a tree, perhaps? —before, despite his mental protests, his body gave up on him and he fell into unconsciousness.
***
Katsuki was pissed his name had been “drawn” for the hunt. He knew the people of his village needed to eat. He knew he was their best marksman. He knew that. However, knowing didn’t make him any less annoyed at a night deep in the woods when he’d much rather be snuggled in his warm furs, blissfully dreaming of green hair and freckled cheeks.
The old healer had told him that he’d been given the gift of divination. Katsuki had called her an old coot, but deep inside he knew she was right. He’d never seen the man in his dreams before, yet something within him screamed that he was real and that he was meant to be with Katsuki. He didn’t understand it, but he was never happier than when he was in the Other Lands, short body pressed against him and green curls tickling his nose. He felt all the rage that lingered in his chest die out, and he was left with nothing but calm and quiet.
Every night he dreamed saw him at his best the next morning. His planning was smarter. His arrows more consistent. His gaze was sharper.
And he had dreamed last night, so of course they sent him on the hunt when his senses would be sharpened. He didn’t know what gave him away, but everyone seemed to know the second he exited his home that he had been “blessed by a vision.”
So now he was here, aimlessly wandering in the darkness waiting for any sign that something worth eating was near. He enjoyed the silence for a long while before coming to terms with the fact that he might be returning home empty handed. It was just as this thought passed his mind that he heard the loudest ruckus, the likes of which he’s never heard this deep in the woods before.
Quickly and quietly, he made his way towards the noise. A little counterintuitive, maybe, but he was curious and something making that kind of noise might attract another that was worthwhile. Once he reached the source, he had to pinch himself to reaffirm that he wasn’t home dreaming once again. The man. The one from his dreams with the freckles and green hair, was right there, blindly stumbling his way through the dark.
Slowly, Katsuki approached him, scared to startle him too much, lest he run away. Then, the man paused and swayed a bit, and Katsuki was upon him in an instant, stopping him from falling to the ground. He only had a moment to take in the fact that he was really holding him before he heard footsteps, soft and muffled, but still audible to his sensitive ears, used to the eerily silence of the deep forest as he was.
Then, they were upon them. The group of men was larger than the hunter had been expecting, and even in the darkness he could see the hungry look in their eyes and the gleam of their weapons. It became all too clear to him in that moment what was happening. He knew in an instant why he’d been having his visions, why he had been sent on the hunt this night.
Katsuki gently sat the man from his dreams down on the ground behind him, careful not to jostle him too much. Then he turned, taking a deep inhale before—
***
“BAM! POW! BAM!” the little blond child laying in bed next to Katsuki jumped up, pumping her fists in the air as Izuku walked in, rolling his eyes at their antics.
“Come on now, Kacchan! You know how she gets when you tell her that story before bed,” he chastised, shaking his head.
Katsuki just smirked back at him; a knowing glance sent his husband’s way at the mirth he tried to hide by placing his hand over his mouth.
“C’mon, Deku. It’s her favorite story and it is a special day after all.”
“Yah, papa! It’s the anniversary of dad saving you from the scary forest and the mean hunters! He has to tell the story!” their little girl whined dramatically, throwing herself onto the bed in a fake faint.
Izuku just sighed in exasperation. “I told you baby, it’s just a story. Papa and dad met in school like normal people.”
Their daughter just huffed at them, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like “papa is a kill joy,” but Izuku was hard pressed to hear her under Katsuki’s boisterous laughter.
Eventually, the two got her tucked into bed and asleep for the night before heading to their own bedroom. Katsuki trailed kisses down Izuku’s neck. He knew he was buttering him up before the conversation that always came after he told their child that story.
“She’s going to realize it eventually, Deku. We knew that when we adopted her.” Izuku pushed his face away to glare at him.
“Maybe!” he whisper-yelled back. “But she’s just a child, Kacchan. She doesn’t need to know yet. Can’t we just wait a bit, live our lives normally for as long as possible?” He turned his head, trying to hide the tears welling up in his emerald eyes. Katsuki ran his hand through soft ringlets, something he knew always comforted his love.
“Of course we can, but we can’t keep this from her forever. We don’t age Izuku. People will start asking questions one day. If it’s not her asking them, it will be other people asking her. Do you really want our daughter so unprepared?”
The tears still fell, albeit softly. Izuku leaned further into his husband’s touch, sniffling. “No. You know that’s not what I want. Gods, why did your stupid prophecy magic have to land on something so far in the future?” He pouted, staring up into red eyes in accusation. Katsuki just chuckled, kissing his perfect nose before biting his favorite freckle on his right cheek.
“Oh, shut it nerd. Don’t act like you don’t love being in a world full of “so many cool and awesome powers—I mean, quirks!’” Izuku playfully slapped the blond at the awful (spot on) impression of himself, mumbling “but they are awesome, Kacchan” under his breath.
His husband just chuckled before pulling him down into their bed, ready to spend their anniversary the same way they had for the previous 900 years.