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Katsuki was pissed.
Izuku disappeared when they were little, but he swore that the freckled face nerd was still around. He swore that he was in the forest, always watching, always leaving little gifts on his pillow, even letters. Yet, somehow, he was still nowhere to fucking be found.
Katsuki left a letter in response, and it even disappeared from his pillow, but the nerd still wasn’t at the place he asked him to meet at.
It’s their place at the river’s edge by the rope swing that his dad had put up for them the summer before Izuku disappeared from the village along with his mother.
“Where the fuck is this asshole?” huffed Katsuki as he kicked at the tree that held their rope swing, frustration starting to itch at his chest as the sun started to go down.
He’d made a promise back then, when Izuku’s dad left them without so much as a goodbye.
He promised he’d never leave Izuku behind. If he ever left, whether forced or by choice, he’d take Izuku with him no matter what.
Now, he had to leave, to figure out where the fuck that stupid troll doll lookin’ fucker disappeared off to because Shouto wanted to court the dumbass but couldn’t find him. So, a mission was put together by Enji Todoroki to help Shouto find his future partner, and Katsuki was the first one chosen by Shouto himself.
“Kacchan, I’m sorry for taking so long, but please don’t kick my tree again,”
Katsuki whirled around to find Izuku stepping out from behind the tree, green wings glittering behind him, his curls adorned with a flower crown that had golden leaves slipping down them to match the gold curling over his freckles sweetly. He was wearing a green sweater and black pants, and his feet were bare as he flew over, not touching the floor until he stopped right in front of Katsuki.
“You fuckin’-- You went off to be a forest fairy?! What the fuck?!” yelped Katsuki in surprise, not understanding how he could’ve missed the sprouting wings on his childhood best friend.
“Hey, hold on! Stop yelling!” squealed Izuku in a panic as his wings fluttered while he covered Katsuki’s mouth with his hands. “If you draw any more attention to this place, I’ll have to deal with the council!”
“The hell are you talking about the council?” asked Katsuki in a hiss after yanking Izuku’s hands away and leaning forward, fingers wrapped around the other’s wrists to keep him close. “The fuck is all of this?!”
“Look, I’m a forest fairy, yes,” explained Izuku quietly, rambling as he turned to look at the tree, fluttering over to it until he could press his hand to it, but Katsuki heard this undercurrent of pure sadness sweltering through his voice, through his rambles as the fairy avoided his eyes. “Mom told me the same night that she took me from the village. We came out here, and my wings sprouted as soon as I touched our tree, turns out, it’s my fae connection. Don’t ask, it’s a whole complicated thing, but it’s also why I’ve ensured its safety. It takes about two years, after gaining your wings and being accepted by your source, for a Forest Fairy to be able to carve a source of their fae connection to protect in order for them to be allowed to live among the mortals. I was supposed to finally carve mine last year, I’d been putting it off for over seven years because of my mom. But it was supposed to finally be time.”
“Where is Auntie, Deku?” asked Katsuki softly, as this knowing feeling settled like lead in his stomach because that sadness is something he recognized.
It’s grief.
And his mom spent the last three months in tears on and off mourning someone that she said Katsuki didn’t know.
“She’s gone, Kacchan,” whispered Izuku without looking back, but the sob in his voice told Katsuki all he needed to know. “She lost her wings, threw away her fae source carving, and she went into the fae gardens. It’s– It’s the place fae go to when they don’t see their lives moving further, when they’re ready to move on from the life they’re in. She joined Council Toshinori when he left as well, and her ashes were returned to me two days later.”
“How did the hag know of her passing?” muttered Katsuki to himself even as he ducked around Izuku and tugged him into a tight hug as the fairy started to sob. “Okay, nerd, just let it out, let it all out. I’m here, Izuku. I’ve got you.”
“She left me, Kacchan,” sobbed Izuku as he pressed his face into Katsuki’s neck, tears soaking his skin as he held the Fairy in his arms. “I get why, she fell in love with Toshinori and didn’t want to live without him, but she didn’t even tell me. She just left her spot by me in the stands to leave with him without a single word. Even Toshinori was surprised by her sudden decision.”
Katsuki held him as he cried, held him until the tears dried up, then he explained why he asked to meet and was met with more tears even as Izuku made him promise not to be gone too long and to come to the tree to meet him as soon as he returned.
“I promise, I will be here as soon as I’m back, sunrise or sunset, or with the moon shining brightly, it doesn’t matter. I will come straight here no matter fuckin’ what, Izuku,” whispered Katsuki as he held Izuku close, their noses nuzzling as the fairy tilted his head back to look at him while his wings lifted him to eye level. “I shouldn’t be gone long anyway, but I need you to know that I’ll be right here as soon as I do return.”
“Just take the rope and tug, and I’ll be here as soon as you do. I’ll be waiting, Kacchan,” whispered Izuku as he leaned forward a little more, like he was unable to help himself, their lips brushing with his words. But then he’d tugged himself out of Katsuki’s hold, panic curling through those emerald eyes of his as his lips parted. “I am so sorry! I don’t know why I did that!”
Katsuki smirked before tugging Izuku in close, holding their bodies together with one arm around his waist while his free hand cupped a freckled cheek. He leaned in, brushing their noses together again before leaning back to properly look into those emerald eyes as he whispered, “When I return, Freckles, I expect a proper kiss. I’ll have a courting gift for you as well, if you’d rather do that and wait the allotted three dates for a kiss."
“I’ve waited too many years to stick to the constraints of the village’s courting system. How about we both bring gifts, you’ll get your kiss, and I can tell you all about how Fairies court their future partner?” offered Izuku with a shy smile as he looked at him, and Katsuki just hugged him close and settled his nose in green curls.
“I’d really fuckin’ like that, nerd,” whispered Katsuki into the curls he’s buried his face in as Izuku nuzzled into his neck, arms wrapping tightly around his back.
The trumpet sounded, interrupting their moment together, to announce that it was time for the members of the Todoroki mission to depart from the village. Katsuki brushed a kiss to Izuku’s curls, hugged him tightly one last time, and left him standing by the tree with a sad smile curving his lips as he waved.
******
That was one month, three days, seven hours, and thirteen minutes ago, and Katsuki can finally see the edge of his village again. The plan is to drop Hitoshi off at the Todoroki hut before heading into the forest as everyone celebrated the reunion of the couple after Hitoshi gave Todoroki the reason he’d disappeared, a courting gift that he’d crafted on his own.
When they’d found the troll doll idiot, he was in a blacksmith’s shop across the damn water and three villages over crafting these twin daggers and a pendant bracelet. This dumbass went all the way to Aizawa, his old mentor, to craft these things rather than crafting them in his own shop at home all because he wanted to ensure he got it done before Shouto decided he would find someone new to court.
Katsuki told him that he was a dumbass for leaving because that would’ve made a normal person decide to court someone else anyway. But Shouto had already announced that were Hitoshi not to return, he’d never court because his heart was given to the purple haired man a long time ago and would stay with him even if he never came home.
Shouto’s a weirdo romantic like that, but Katsuki understands considering the hole in his chest from leaving his heart with Izuku that day when he’d left.
“They’re back!” “Sound the Alarm!” “They’ve returned!” “Wake up the Todoroki’s!” “Shinsou is home!” “Prepare the Feast!” “Start the campfire!”
The town roars to life with excitement and immediately sets to work on preparing for the welcoming feast that they’d probably started planning the moment their little group left. Katsuki doesn’t care about that one bit though, all he cares about is returning to his nerd, so he hurries through the crowd that attempts to welcome them home, tugging Hitoshi along with him as he glares at everyone who attempts to approach them. When he stops in front of the Todoroki hut, Shouto is already outside, tears brimming in his heterochromatic eyes, and Katsuki gags as he watches Hitoshi run and meet the idiot in the middle for a hug that leaves him swinging the other off the ground.
“You know what the payment is, so I will see you bright and early tomorrow, Old Man!” calls Katsuki before turning around to leave.
“You don’t want your gold tonight?” calls Enji Todoroki in a confused tone as he holds out the bags of gold meant for everyone on the mission.
“Nope!” calls Katsuki over his shoulder as he starts walking away. “I have someone to go see!”
Katsuki doesn’t start running until he reaches the trail that leads back to that tree and that rope. He takes off down the dirt path, dust springing into the air from the way his feet land with each step, and his excitement is soaring through him like he’s got wings that speed him forward.
But then he reaches the clearing, the river, the tree that should hold a rope, and there’s nothing in sight. Well, not nothing, but the rope has been cut in half, the tree looks like it’s dying, and there’s pure silence that weighs on his shoulders like grief.
Katsuki takes a deep breath before starting to carefully climb up the tree, doing his best not to cause it any harm as he makes his way up and along the branch that holds the rope. He carefully wiggles down the branch, grasps the rope, and tugs it gently a couple of times before jumping off the branch and smirking when he lands without any pain.
“Kacchan? Is that you?”
The nickname is right, but the voice is all wrong. It’s a girl’s voice, and it sounds so sad.
“Who the hell are you?” asks Katsuki angrily as he turns in the direction only to find nothing there.
“I am the Forest Fairy connected to this tree,” That voice returns, sounding like she’s holding in a sob. “What are you doing tugging at the rope on my tree?”
“Where the fuck is Izuku?” asks Katsuki harshly, turning his attention onto the tree as he glares harshly at the bark.
“Not here, nowhere anymore,” replies the girl in a melancholy voice, but there’s amusement in the undercurrent that has him kicking the tree harshly. “Hey! Don’t kick my tree you– you– you savage!”
“I’m no savage, but if you don’t start telling me the goddamn truth, I’ll tear this fuckin’ tree down,” snarls Katsuki as he glares at the tree harder, turning his glare onto a brown haired girl who comes out from behind it with a flirty smile and fluttering pink wings. “You’re not a goddamn forest fairy, so who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the daughter of Hisashi and a lovely garden fairy, and hopefully, your future partner,” replies the girl brightly as she flutters her way over to him, laying a hand gently against his chest before he smacks it away and takes several steps back. “Oh come on, Kacchan, don’t you want to be with a proper Fairy instead of a silly ol’ forest fairy? I could give you more than that bastard ever could.”
“You keep talking about him like that, and I’ll learn how to kill a goddamn fairy,” sneers Katsuki as he steps forward, tugging out an orange dagger that he knows can kill most mythical beings. “Where the fuck is my Izuku?”
“Kacchan! Stay away from him Ochako!” Izuku drops down between them, startling Ochako and Katsuki, but Katsuki recovers easily enough. “Why are you even here?”
“I came to see if my beloved was ready to return with me,” replies Ochako with a soft smile as she wiggles her fingers in Katsuki’s direction.
“Listen here, hag, I ain’t interested in a fuckin’ garden fairy, and I never will be. So, move those damn fingers before I cut ‘em off,” sneers Katsuki as he twirls his dagger over Izuku’s shoulder as he wraps an arm around the nerd that he wants, being careful of the fluttering wings.
“Don’t worry about her,” mutters Izuku with an eye roll as he turns away from Ochako to hug Katsuki properly. “She’s just mad that Hizashi left her mother for a mortal again. He left her for my mom as well, so she’s being a brat because she’s heard all about you from me. We met a couple of years ago, but when she found out that my mom was the other fae that Hizashi cheated on her mother with, well, things got tense.”
“I ain’t fuckin’ worried about her, but if she comes near either of us again, I’m going to kill a fae,” replies Katsuki as he glares at her while hugging Izuku closely, nose buried in those green curls again. “I’ve missed you, Nerd.”
“Missed you too, Kacchan,” murmurs Izuku as he hugs him tighter.
Katsuki arches a brow at Ochako when she moves forward, but then he smirks as she flutters high into the air and disappears in the tree tops.
“She’s gone,” mutters Katsuki, though he doesn’t let go of Izuku, just puts his dagger away before pulling him as close as he can get him. “Fuck I’ve missed you. Longest month of my goddamn life, I swear. Wish I could’ve just taken you with me, but I know I couldn’t because you had your own responsibilities. How’d that go?”
“Went great! I have two life source connections carved out, one for me and one for you to keep us both safe, connected, and together. I also have your courting gift which is related to that extra carving. Are you ready for it?” asks Izuku excitedly as he pulls away, hands playing with Katsuki’s baby hairs as they loop around his neck while his wings flutter and lift him off the ground.
“Only if you’re ready for yours, Nerd,” replies Katsuki with a half-smile of his own as he looks into emerald eyes, feeling like he’s finally home again as Izuku just looks back at him.
Izuku grins before reaching into the pouch that’s hanging around his neck. He tugs out a gorgeous brown and orange stone that’s got a chord laced through it, and he watches the length of the chord grow enough that Katsuki knows it’s a necklace.
“This is your courting gift and a carving of my life-source melted into an orange burst,” says Izuku brightly as he lifts the necklace up, letting it swing gently from the movement to properly show it to Katsuki.
A beautiful one nonetheless, but Katsuki’s never been one for necklaces. He squints between Izuku and the necklace for a moment, but then Izuku starts to giggle as the length shortens to the width of his wrist.
A bracelet he will gladly wear.
“Thank fuck,” sighs Katsuki as Izuku snorts into his hand before slipping the bracelet onto his wrist when he offers it. “Sorry, but I can’t deal with necklaces. I got a thing for shit touching my neck.”
“I figured, but to properly show off the purpose of the chord, I had to start in necklace form. It can transform into just about any length you want, including so small it could wrap snugly around your dagger. There’s a lot to explain about it, but that’s all that should be shared out in the open,” explains Izuku softly, smiling when Katsuki’s eyes gleam with how impressed he is, chest puffing out with pride at Izuku’s ability and thoughtfulness.
“You always have been a genius nerd, haven’t you?” The question is rhetorical, but Katsuki still uses it as a segue to brandish an emerald, green dagger that has a pendant of its own connected to the hilt. “Though I also know you’re quite the fighter, so I think you’ll like this dagger as much as I like the twin.”
He’d already worked the orange one into existence, knowing he’d wanted to make it a pair before he left. He and Hitoshi had actually discussed this prior to Hitoshi getting with Shouto, which is why he was all cocky when he saw what Katsuki planned to give Izuku. The difference is that Hitoshi also crafted a ring. Katsuki didn’t want to craft a ring quite yet, mostly because he needed a ring size first and to ensure Izuku would wear it in general. He’s not sure how big Izuku is on jewelry or if there is a certain way for Fairies to wear them. Katsuki’s heard rumors that the only jewelry Fairies wear are blessed by the council.
He has to say thank you to Aizawa and his village for that information because his own village doesn’t talk about Fae, ever, but when he got there to get Hitoshi, it was all he heard.
“This is beautiful, Kacchan,” says Izuku wetly, eyes shining with tears as he takes the dagger and glides a finger down it to the tip. “You did an amazing job. You always did tell Hitoshi you’d do a pair of daggers for you and your courted to share. I just never thought that I’d be on the other end of it.”
“Well, you were supposed to be on the other end of it, always. Just took a bit longer for me to make it fuckin’ happen,” replies Katsuki softly as he watches Izuku tuck the dagger into a holder that’s on his belt which has a shiny orange and brown pendant in the middle as a buckle. “Did you make your other carving into a belt buckle?”
“Ah, actually, about that,” says Izuku as he shifts, cheeks turning a soft pink as he looks all sheepish. “I carved a huge chunk and worked them down into several mini pieces to ensure that I’d have a source if anything ever happened. You know I plan ahead. So, I have an ankle bracelet, a ring, a necklace, my belt buckle, and earrings. Which I know sounds ridiculous, but the council approved of them all and said just wearing two would allow it to work similarly to one piece that’s bolder than the smaller ones.”
“So, you like rings then?” asks Katsuki gently as he admires the ring that he finds sitting on a delicate but rough hand. “You’ve always been more of a planner than a spontaneous person when it comes to important things. When it came to trouble, spontaneity was your literal middle fuckin’ name.”
“Yeah, Kacchan, I like rings,” murmurs Izuku with a tinge of amusement in his voice. “I also love the dagger, very much.”
“I’m fuckin’ glad,” says Katsuki gently as he brushes his thumb over Izuku’s fingers. “So, before I cash in on my kiss, what’d you want to tell me about Fae courting?”
“Well, we court to marry, but that’s the same as yours,” starts Izuku with a hesitant look on his face as heat seems to radiate off his freckled cheeks. Katsuki lifts his hand to his lips and brushes a gentle kiss over his knuckles, hoping it’ll not only comfort him, but loosen his lips enough for him to say what he wanted to say. When in doubt, flustering Izuku will always get him to talk. “When we give gifts, they’re fae approved and council blessed, each and every one of them. But chaperoned dates also happen, usually by a family member, but if that’s not possible then by a member of the Fae council. The thing is that the chaperone has to be of fae descent. It’s not just gift giving for three months and no physical contact of any kind. Fae thrive off contact, but there can be no sexual contact of any kind, any kisses have to be pecks or cheek kisses, no tongue. It’s very focused on non-sexual intimacy to build up to the wedding night. It’s intense, but we don’t have to follow the custom. Since you’re human, we can stick with the village’s customs, if you’d prefer that.”
“And have to wait three months to touch you, hold your hand, hug you, kiss you? Not a fuckin’ chance. Let’s go with your courting custom instead, besides I was always going to court you to marry you. I’m not letting you go, Freckles,” replies Katsuki pointedly as he wraps his arms around the man and tugs him closer as he nuzzles their noses together.
“Well, I knew that, Kacchan. Of course, you’d court to marry instead of starting a courtship and ending it halfway. But I’m not letting you go either, Kacchan,” murmurs Izuku as he knocks their noses together gently while wrapping his arms around Katsuki’s neck, letting one of his hands slip up the back of his head, blonde strands slipping between his fingers.
“I’m gonna cash in on that kiss now, Freckles. If that’s okay?” murmurs Katsuki as he leans in, hesitating as their lips gently brush on his question, wanting to give Izuku the chance to back away.
But Izuku doesn’t back away, he leans forward and takes what he wants. Brushing their lips together in a gentle kiss, Katsuki can’t help the way he presses their bodies together as closely as he can, unable to let Izuku be away from him. The kiss is a brush of lips, lightly parted, catching against Izuku’s chapped ones as he tilts his head. But it’s so innocent that Katsuki knows when the time comes, that he will drown in Izuku’s love.
For now, he kisses his Forest Fairy as the moon rises, finding himself sitting back against the tree as his courted straddles his lap to kiss him innocently between questions and getting to know each other again all the while there’s a feast with festivities happening past the forest’s edge.
Katsuki’s home, with his Nerd, and flying higher than ever.