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Izuku isn’t sure what he expected when he decided to go searching for herbs in the dead of winter. Sure, they would be good to have—with weather changes and less sunlight came sickness, and herbs would stop him from getting ill, which would allow him to continue his research through the long, cold months.
At the time, it seemed like a good decision. Now? He wasn’t so sure.
He’d been lucky, finding exactly what he needed in the secret opening in the forest he’d discovered when he was young by playing just a tad too far from home. The clearing always grew exactly what and how much he needed. If he didn’t know any better, he would say it was magic. His mother would have confirmed such a thought. He could hear her voice now: “Oh my baby! You’ve been blessed by one of the forest spirits. You make sure to keep them happy and your children’s children will be blessed!”
If only she could see him now: alone, still living in the dilapidated hut she raised him in, with no prospects of children in sight. Hell, he didn’t even have friends. The villagers in the town at the base of the hill Izuku lived on avoided him at all costs. They found his mumbling odd, called his interest in science and his steadfast devotion to the gods and spirits of his mother witchcraft.
Still, every time he made his way to the mystical little clearing, he made sure to thank whoever was providing for him, and to leave something in return. He wasn’t sure if his presents were good, necessarily. Usually, they were little trinkets or books he’d picked up while traveling to sell his medicines. He thought they were cool or pretty or interesting, and every time he returned, the present he had left the visit before was nowhere to be found. Izuku took that as a sign that, at the very least, someone was enjoying his thank you gifts.
Today, he had brought a beautiful pendant he’d found in the market three villages over. Izuku didn’t dare suspect that the red stone in the middle was real—if it was it would have been far out of his price range—but he still thought it was beautiful, with what he assumed was fake gold masterfully winding around the stone to create an intricate design that almost resembled bursts of flames surrounding the gem. There was a part of him that wanted to keep it for himself, but something inside, maybe the ghost of his mother once again, told him that it belonged in his special clearing.
His visit had been lovely. Though it was cold, the sun warmed the area and the herbs he needed were basking in the light. He picked them before settling himself under his favorite tree, writing in his journal while he mumbled his thoughts aloud. He liked to think that, if anyone was actually listening, they liked to hear what he had to say.
He enjoyed himself so much that he lost track of time, and the setting sun came as a surprise. Quickly, he gathered his pack before reverently leaving the pendant where he had been sitting and thanking his benevolent provider once again.
Leaving the clearing had been a shock to his system. Outside of his pleasant little bubble, a storm had begun raging throughout the rest of the forest. Izuku tried his best to hurry back, but by the time he began his trek home, the snow was already up to his ankles. With every step he sank down, his boots filling with cold wetness despite the efforts he’d gone through to wrap his ankles before leaving his home. His teeth were chattering, and the more it snowed, the colder his feet got, and the slower he traveled.
It was so dark. Izuku could barely see his hand held out in front of his face, and his usual, well beaten path was completely covered. He was lost and freezing. He felt the exhaustion creeping up and he tried his best to fight it. He knew sleep and cold were a terrible combination, but his body did not seem to be as strong as his mind. Another step led to a stumble, and as his body sunk into the pillowy soft fluff that was slowly freezing him, he curled in on himself, deciding that a small nap could hurt…
***
Izuku was so warm as he snuggled further into the most comfortable blankets he’d ever felt. The air smelled of food cooking, a comfort he’d long forgotten, and he felt more rested than he had since he was a child snuggled up to his mother’s side. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he recognized that he had no idea where he was, yet he couldn’t find the energy within himself to care. Not when he was so comfortable.
Then, there was a warm hand carding through his green curls, massaging his scalp in a way that had him melting into the touch. He heard a deep chuckle. That was enough prompting for Izuku to blink his eyes open, vision blurry with sleep. When the fuzzy image cleared, he was met with bright red eyes surrounded by a golden halo of hair. It reminded him of his pendant, which reminded him of his clearing and his invisible forest benefactor, which made him smile sleepily. He was rewarded for the expression by another laugh that warmed him from the inside.
“Good morning, little human,” the man greeted. Izuku liked his voice. Listening to him made him feel floaty, like he was in a dream or resting on a cloud. It was nice, but the more he woke up, the more he realized that it wasn’t normal. He should be dead, frozen to death on the forest floor, yet he was here, in the home of a stranger that looked like the embodiment of summer, feeling like he’d taken some of his stronger medicinal herbs.
He tilted his head at the man, finally working out how to speak again before asking, “Who are you?”
The man’s perfect face contorted into a thoughtful expression, ruby eyes lighting up at the sound of Izuku’s voice. It didn’t take long for his response, however. “I have many names. Your people used to call me their Sun God. Others call me a fae. You call me your…what was it? ‘Forest Benefactor?’” he chuckled again at that, and Izuku couldn’t help the blush that coated his cheeks as the man continued. “Long ago, in a language that is no longer spoken here, they named me Katsuki. That has always been my favorite.”
At the mention of that name, Izuku felt his entire body stiffen as sudden flashes of memory hit him like a ton of bricks. He was small. His mother was yelling at him to not go too far. Tumbling into the clearing after running into a blond boy his age. His best friend. A name that brought comfort and safety.
“Kacchan,” he whispered out, looking at his savior in awe. The god simply smiled back, resuming his hand’s path through soft curls.
“Glad you finally remembered, Deku. Took you long enough.”
Izuku eyes began to water as he flung himself into Kacchan’s chest. “I thought you had been hurt!” he wailed. “You said that your family didn’t want you around me and that they would hurt you if they found out and then you just disappeared and—”
As he crumbled into a mess of sobs, Kacchan comforted him, shushing him gently every time his tears were accompanied by a hiccup until he calmed enough for an explanation.
“They did find out, and they trapped me here as punishment. I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t tell you what had happened. Deku, I’m so sorry.” Kacchan took his hand in his own, leaving a chaste kiss to the palm, continuing his whispered apologies. Izuku took his other hand, cradling his Kacchan’s face, tracing his thumb across a sharp cheek bone in his own effort to soothe.
After a moment of silence, where they just basked in each other’s presence after being separated for so long, Izuku spoke. “If Kacchan can’t leave…maybe then I could stay here?”
Katsuki’s head whipped up so quickly that Izuku was worried for the state of his neck. Red eyes narrowed but hope still sparked through. “You can’t possibly mean that. You don’t know where you are. You haven’t seen me since you were a child.”
He merely shrugged in return. “There is nothing for me in the village. My favorite times are days spent in our clearing. I would have lived there if I could. I prefer it here, with my Kacchan.”
At his declaration, given so confidently, something new flashed across Kacchan’s eyes that Izuku couldn’t quite identify just yet. The grip on his hand tightened and when he spoke again, the god’s voice was a low growl. “I am…a possessive god, Deku. I am not like the humans you know. If you truly mean what you say, I will never let you go, no matter how you plead or beg to return. So, I will ask you, one final time, are you sure that is what you wish?”
There was no hesitation in Izuku’s response. He’s not sure what came over him, but before he could think he was lunging forward, crashing his lips against Kacchan’s, stealing the breath from them both as time seemed to stand still and electricity crackled through the air. He broke away just as suddenly, panting slightly as he let out a simple, “I’m sure.”
Katsuki’s returning smile was so bright, Izuku could understand fully why he was called the Sun God. He was sure no one had ever been blessed with something so bright. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his days, basking in the warmth of his Kacchan.