Work Text:
Izuku had a visitor.
Izuku felt it as he worked on pruning the leaves of the eucalyptus he got this morning. His sharp ear picked up the sound of the crunching leaves and twigs under someone's boots outside, and his lips curled upwards as he continued with his task.
He was here.
Izuku saw him but was careful not to be caught watching. Unlike his visitor, he knew how to be discreet when required — and oh had he grown to like this new presence, always trying to have a peek inside his little cabin ever since that night in the forest almost three weeks ago.
Izuku lived right on the town's outskirts; he went into the forest fairly often to do his daily ingredient recollections, so it was mostly practical. The forest marked the end of the village, and most people tended to avoid getting too close to the edge, scared of the stories that warned it was full of dangerous creatures and maze-like trails that made you lose your way back home forever.
But Izuku knew his way around the forest like the back of his hand. Other villagers thought he was either a witch or some sort of peaceful forest creature that liked to take a human form. Izuku only laughed and shrugged. People could believe whatever they wanted about him, he didn't mind. As long as he could spend his days on his work-shop and deliver his potions to the village pharmacy, he was happy.
That's why on one of his usual forest-foraging days, when he heard pained grunts and smelled ash and smoke when he was coming from the west side of the forest, he knew something wasn't right.
It wasn't hard to find him. His bulky form was curled up at the foot of a large old oak, poorly hidden among the roots protruding from the soil. Izuku noticed a trail of blood that came from the west and ended where the man had collapsed, as crimson as the fur cape he was half-wrapped in. His spiky ash-blond hair also was matted in some areas with blood, as if he raked his blood-stained fingers through it one too many times.
A barbarian.
It wasn't hard to tell, the clothing and jewelry gave him away, just like the black ink on his skin. Only barbarians marked their bodies like that.
His breathing was heavy, laborious. Izuku observed his wide back expand with each short breath and couldn't help but gasp when he spotted the arrow embedded on his shoulder.
The barbarian clearly heard him, since he jolted and growled after Izuku gave himself away, trying to turn his body to face Izuku but failing to do so.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Izuku quickly said, putting his hands up.
The man growled again, and used what most likely was the last of his strength to limply lift his head and glare back at Izuku above his injured shoulder.
The brightest red eyes Izuku had ever seen pierced right through his soul. Angry, tired, and menacing — this man's stare alone was enough for Izuku to lose his breath and feel his knees tremble as a chill ran down his spine.
Izuku didn't budge. "I can help you," he assured. "I'm a healer."
That was a way to put it.
The man snarled in response, and his powerful eyes became half-lidded with exhaustion. Yet, he didn't take them off Izuku for one second.
"I'm going to get closer," he softly announced, gingerly taking a step forward. The man tensed, muscles visibly stiffening under his skin, but Izuku figured he couldn't do much beside that because he remained immobile as Izuku decidedly approached him.
Up close, the wound looked ugly. As if the barbarian had tried pulling the arrow out but failed. The skin around it was irritated and blooming with dark lines spreading like ivy under his skin, running down his shoulder, arm, and chest.
No wonder a small arrow was able to take a man this size down: it was undoubtedly poisoned.
"I'm going to touch you," Izuku said so he wouldn't startle him. The man didn't seem too happy about it, sending him another glare that said don't do it or I’ll bite your hand off. Izuku sighed. "I'm sorry but I need to know what kind of poison it is to know what to use. It doesn't seem like we have much time left, either, so, excuse me…"
When his hand came in contact with the skin, Izuku knew it was bad. It was scorching hot under his touch, and the skin felt unnaturally hard, tensed, like dried leather.
Izuku looked up, and the man's eyes were still dead set on him. His pupils were dilated, and his face was extremely pale, shiny with sweat. "Your hand," Izuku muttered, mind running a mile per minute across all the information he'd ever learned about the different types of poisons and their effects. He softly grabbed the man's wrist, feeling his weakening pulse slowly pumping under his finger pads. Way too slow to be good.
"Can you talk?"
The barbarian took a sharp breath through his nose before faintly shaking his head, looking defeated.
If Izuku was correct, this poison was made from a rare type of flower that only grew on the snowed mountains in their neighbor country, one of the most toxic ones in the world according to Izuku's herbal books.
And he had exactly what he needed to treat it.
Back home.
From there, it would take him 10 minutes to get home if he ran fast enough. At least another 30 minutes to make the antidote, and then 10 more to get back to him. If he hurried, he could be back with the antidote within the hour.
But, did they have that time to spare? The man was too big for Izuku to even consider dragging him back to the cabin. And going to town to get help would take him way too long. He only had one option, and the clock was ticking.
He shoved his hand inside his satchel and and pulled out a small crystal bottle with an orange liquid inside.
"This will slow the poison," he explained as he tilted the man's head back and pressed the bottle to the barbarian's colorless lips, dumping its contents inside his mouth. The man closed his eyes and grimaced at the taste, but didn't have the strength to resist him. "I can't carry you, but I have what I need to make an antidote in my cabin. It's 10 minutes away from here, right in front of the forest line. I'll make the antidote and be back before the night falls."
Izuku pointed at the sun beginning to leak through the trees in the west. "Watch the light. One hour," he repeated, putting the crystal bottle back into his bag. "I promise."
The man, most likely starting to get paralyzed, only stared at him with the same intense gaze. His eyes were so expressive, commanding attention and respect despite the state he was in. Izuku had never met a barbarian before, but he'd heard the stories. Mighty warriors, born fighters. Used to enduring the ruthless weather of the north in the mountains, with the ancient fire of dragons running down their veins, making them near-invincible in battle. Extremely dangerous and violent.
This man was dying, and the authority he still commanded though his sharp glare alone, the only part of his body he still had some control over, made Izuku's hair stand on end.
"Stay awake."
It was all Izuku said before he turned on his heels and took off running.
Izuku was used to work under pressure, so his movements were practiced and coordinated, not a single second wasted.
He poured the oils into the heated pot, then threw in the flower petals and the pulverized snake scales to the boiling mix. He stirred and turned the fire off. When it cooled a little, he added the last ingredient: half a fairy wing.
They were extremely hard to get (in an ethical manner, at least), and Izuku only had a few. Their healing properties were unmatched, so he saved them for life-or-death situations such as this one.
As the potion cooled enough to be handled, he gathered some other things he though he could need. The wound would need to be treated when he took the arrow out, probably sutured too. The barbarian needed to eat and drink to have enough energy to recover, so he packed some high-energy value snacks as well.
Once he was done, the potion was no longer burning hot. He emptied into another glass bottle and carefully placed it into his satchel, tying it up with a leather strap on the inside.
Izuku didn't waste a second before running off again, going into the forest with an oil lamp in hand. The sun had almost set, but he was still on time.
It wasn't long before he found the man in the exact same place, but this time, the barbarian was no longer held upright. He was laying down on his good shoulder, and his eyes were closed.
"Oh, no." Izuku dropped to his knees, placing the oil lamp in one of the roots around them. He checked the man's pulse again and although it was awfully weak, it was still there. "Thank goodness," Izuku sighed, relieved, and pulled the potion out of his bag.
When he pushed the man on his back, he noticed the dark thunderbolt-like lines had spread all the way to the side of his body, down his torso and his navel, which meant the poison was travelling through his bloodstream. Izuku's emergency antidote must have worked and slowed the process down because in cases like this, an hour equaled a lifetime, and the barbarian was still miraculously alive.
He grabbed the man's jaw and pressed on the sides, forcing his mouth open. Red eyes cracked enough to peek through his barely open eyelids, and Izuku didn't know why, but seeing them made him feel warm all over.
"You're okay," Izuku assured. For the second time that day, Izuku pressed the glass bottle to the man's lips and watched him swallow. "You're going to be okay."
Once he saw his throat bob, Izuku felt like he could breathe again. He didn't realize how tense he'd been the whole time; his shoulders felt lighter, and his chest wasn't as tight anymore. Breathing the forest's earthy scent had never been so relaxing.
Izuku threw his head back and sighed. The sky was now dark, and the stars sprinkled the sky like sugar on a cake. He rolled his shoulders and neck, and when he looked back down, the barbarian was still watching him. Izuku smiled.
"I need to take that arrow out," he said. "In case there is any poison left."
Predictably, the man didn't say anything, just watched as Izuku took some more things out of his bag and laid them on the floor on top of a clean cloth. Izuku cleaned his hands with pure alcohol and bit his lower lip.
"This might hurt, but with your body so numb you'll barely notice."
Izuku placed his hand on the man's shoulder for support, and with his other hand grabbed the arrow's end. He couldn't hesitate. "Take a deep breath."
The barbarian's chest barely rose, and with cold blood, Izuku pulled the arrow out in a clean, single move. The man pressed his eyes closed and hissed, and Izuku apologized under his breath.
More blood started pouring out from the open wound, so Izuku pressed one of the bandages down into it to stop the bleeding. Three soaked bandages later and and empty bottle of antiseptic, the wound was finally clean enough to be sutured.
For the rest of that night, Izuku skillfully and patiently tended to the man. His experienced hands sewed the skin back together and then cleaned the area again. The barbarian only grunted, growled and screwed his eyes closed, but otherwise he allowed Izuku to work.
When he was done suturing, he let the man rest for a little while, then he fed him and made him drink some water before letting him doze off again.
Izuku hadn't had much time to consciously take in the sight of him before, but maybe that was good because if he had noticed how handsome this man was, he might not have been able to concentrate in his work. Izuku blushed, and thanked the heavens the barbarian's eyes weren't on him for once.
His skin was pearly with cold sweat, and his hair felt soft to the touch every time Izuku pushed it back to touch his forehead and check his temperature. He had a few braids poking out, with colorful beads among the golden hair strands that matched his earrings and the multiple necklaces adorning his neck. He was only wearing pants and boots apart from that, and from this new angle Izuku couldn't help but notice how ridiculously muscled the man was. His arms were littered with scars and tattoos, and there was a sword attached to his belt, resting on his hip.
Izuku's eyes trailed back to the man's face. He looked peaceful for the first time since Izuku found him. His brows were relaxed, smooth. His pale eyelashes rested on top of his sharp cheekbones, and his handsome features weren't scrunched trying to grimace like he had been doing for the past hours.
Izuku chuckled under his breath and hugged his knees to his chest, resting his head on the tree trunk beside him. This man was incredibly strong. That venom and the blood loss would have killed a lesser man before Izuku ever had a chance to find him. And the way his stare was always so piercing, attentive to each and every single one of Izuku's moves, stubbornly aware of everything happening around him even when he must have been in so much pain.
His eyes were so pretty; the most stunning shade of red. Izuku felt his stare inside his bones, even when their eyes weren't locked together for a few seconds that made Izuku's stomach churn, Izuku felt the barbarian's eyes on him as vividly as he felt the sun on his skin on a summer day.
Everyone said how dangerous barbarians were. That they would slaughter you if you got in their way, bloodthirsty and savage, most resembling a beast instead of human.
But this man whom Izuku had witnessed fighting for his life with every fiber of his being, now peacefully resting on the grass, surrounded by wildflowers and bathing in the moonlight, looked so human to him, so beautifully strong in his fragility.
Perhaps that sword on his belt would have ended Izuku's life in other circumstances. But as he stole another glance at the man, something told him that wouldn't have been the case.
His eyelids started getting heavy, and the tension of the day finally begun to weigh down on him. He yawned, and told himself he would just rest his tired eyes for a little while as he got as comfortable as he could against the oak and closed his eyes, the barbarian sleeping soundly next to him being the last thing he saw before the sound of crickets and owls lulled him to sleep.
Izuku woke up the next day alone.
When he startled awake thanks to a deer that was snooping inside his satchel for the leftover blueberry bread, it took him a few seconds to remember why he had fallen asleep in the middle of the forest in the first place.
The memories of red eyes, blood and blond hair quickly came back to him, but when he looked to the side naively hoping to find him, the man was long gone.
Izuku went back home with his shoulders slumped and an unexpected pit on his stomach. What was he expecting? A talk with tea and biscuits after? He probably should be thankful he wasn't killed. The barbarian must have paid him back allowing him to live.
But now, nearly three weeks later, Izuku was starting to suspect the man indeed had more to say that day.
At first, Izuku thought he was in trouble. The first time he recognized the man's big form among the shadows of the trees, he severely considered running away through the back door and escape to the village with his hypothetical tail between his legs. But curiosity had always got the best of him, so he decided against it.
Soon he learned that the barbarian didn't seem to mean any harm — well, by now, he’d had plenty of chances to attack and had taken none. No one would know; Izuku's cabin was just secluded enough so it would take at least a few days for someone to notice his absence.
But the barbarian just came and watched him work; sometimes through the window that was right in front of his workplace, and others as he tended to his garden or his little orchard.
Yet, the man did nothing to get any closer than he had the first day, keeping himself hidden in the forest's belly.
Just like the day Izuku met him, those red eyes of his were hard to shake off. Izuku could swear he felt his eyes before he did his steps. And sure enough, every time his heart skipped a beat, when Izuku peeked at the forest, there he was.
Today was no different. Or well, so he thought.
As Izuku messed around on his work table, thinking he would have another lovely day of being observed by a handsome man hiding in the forest, he suddenly caught strange movement though the corner of his eye.
When he flicked his eyes up, his blood froze.
The barbarian was decidedly marching forward, with his eyes burning a hole through the window and looking straight at Izuku.
Izuku paled, his heart skipped a beat (or several), and his stomach did a backflip.
He gasped, droppinging the eucalyptus branch and frantically began pacing around the cabin, covering his mouth as his mind started spiraling.
Oh God, what was he supposed to do now?! It was obviously too late to pretend he wasn't home, the barbarian had already seen him and now he was coming!
Izuku didn't have much time to panic either because just a a few seconds later, there were some fast and angry knocking at his door, almost making his poor little house shake.
Izuku squeaked, jumping in his place and dropping the tools he was previously using on his desk.
When his legs didn't respond fast enough to walk him to the door, more knocking followed, and Izuku realized he had no other choice but to open.
Slowly, he cracked the door open, and warily peeked half of his head out.
The sight of the barbarian still managed to shock Izuku despite knowing what he would find.
The man was huge. Izuku could figure that much when he saw him first at the forest, but he'd been laying down the whole time. Now that he was standing to his full height, Izuku felt like a tiny bug in comparission.
Izuku could only blink at him in stupefaction, jaw going slightly lax as he looked up at him.
He was met with those impressive ruby eyes once again, and Izuku found that they made him a little weak in the knees when he wobbled.
The man stared at him with the intensity of a thousand suns. Izuku swore he started sweating under his gaze, mouth going dry.
The barbarian didn't say anything, and Izuku thought he was in serious danger of getting heart palpitations if he kept looking at him like that without saying a word.
He cleared his throat in a poor attempt at getting his voice back. “Um, I see you recovered well.”
The man quirked his brows, but it looked somewhat strange since he was still frowning.
“Thanks to you,” he replied, and oh.
His voice was gruff, so grave and deep Izuku swore he could feel the vibrations on his veins. It was very fitting for a man such as him, and yet it had taken him aback. Izuku felt his ears get hot and thanked his genetics for his messy hair that hid them.
”Oh, it was nothing!” Izuku assured once his brain started working again. Was that why the man was here? Did he think he needed to pay Izuku back or something? “You needed help and I happened to know how to give it to you. I was really lucky to find you that day.”
“Luck doesn't exist,” the barbarian seriously objected. “Our paths were meant to cross.”
Ah, that's right. Barbarians had very strong beliefs in things such as destiny; they were known for being superstitious and with a deeply rich folklore. Izuku honestly found it fascinating.
But what was he supposed to reply to that?
“Then… I'm glad they did?” he didn’t mean it to come out as a question, but the barbarian’s stare was making making him too nervous to function.
The man only watched him, eyes narrowed on his face as if a spelled was casted and he couldn't take them off.
Then, he bluntly blurted out, “Katsuki Bakugou.”
“Uh?” Izuku eloquently said.
“Katsuki Bakugou. Call me Katsuki.” The man repeated, pressing his big hand to his chest. “What’s your name, human?”
Oh! That was his name! For some reason Izuku found it very suitable for him. A strong sounding name for a striking man.
“I'm Izuku Midoriya,” he smiled. “A pleasure,” he stretched his hand foward in formality out of habit.
The man — Katsuki — gawked at his hand for a moment before hesitantly taking it into his own. And then… he just didn’t let go.
His hand was so big that it completely engulfed Izuku’s own. It was warm, like that day in the forest, but this time it wasn’t out of sickness, but from the fire running down his blood.
Izukus breath hitched at the prolonged contact, and his eyes darted between their joined hands and Katsuki’s eyes several times as he found no words to say. His brain was suddenly empty, only able to focus on the other man’s touch.
“Got something for ya’,” the barbarian said as he pulled something out of his pocket with his free hand. “Took me hell of a ride to get it.”
He pried Izuku’s hand open, palm facing up while resting on Katsuki’s. He left something cold and small that Izuku couldn’t see until Katsuki pulled his hand away. And when he did…
“Oh my god,” Izuku gasped in disbelief. “Oh, heavens.”
An ice diamond.
Only found in the northen regions, inside the hollow caves of the glaciers. It was nearly impossible to find them, since the conditions they were formed in were extremely hostile for any living creature. Where the temperature was exceedingly cold but there where some air pockets of scorching hot air that came straight from cracks in the earth; the diamonds formed on the walls of the caves.
Almost no one came out alive from them. The environment was overly aggressive, keeping away anyone that wanted to get them.
And oh boy, did people want them. Izuku wanted them.
Some said it was sacred land they were on, because only a little sprinkle of diamond dust was enough to heal any disease or ill-willed spell.
Others said they could make you immortal if you consumed enough of it.
Izuku never in a million years thought he, of all people, would ever have one in his hands.
But somehow, he did.
“Do you like it?” the barbarian quietly asked, examining Izuku’s reaction with utter attention.
“This is the best gift I've ever gotten,” he honestly replied, still mesmerized by the gleaming diamond. Oh, the things he could do with it! It was every healer’s dream to possess one of these, endless possibilities contained in such little thing.
A wide grin stretched across the barbarian’s face. It reminded Izuku of a wild animal. Hard to look away from, alluring and chanting of trouble.
“Damn right it is,” Katsuki claimed with a self-sufficient smile.
“How— how did you get this?” Izuku whispered, eyes glimmering in awe as he observed the diamond, almost scared it would disappear if he took too long to blink.
“Hah?” Katsuki frowned, as if the question just personally offended him and his entire bloodline. ”I went to get it for you, fucking obviously.”
“You what?!” Izuku blurted with a high-pitched voice. “How on earth did you do that?”
“The fuck do you mean how? Don't underestimate me, human!” he snarled, huffing. “I had to get the perfect courting gift for my future mate! And since you seem to be such a nerd, I figured you'd like this.”
That pulled Izuku back to reality.
“Future mate?”
“Yeah?” Katauki retorted, squinting his deep eyes, “We‘re getting married,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Married?!” Izuku echoed, eyes nearly bugging out of his head. What was this man talking about! When did he ever accepted a marriage proposal!
“What are you, a parrot?” Katsuki clicked his tongue. “My family is already waiting for you back home. The ceremony shall be made to your tastes so its better if you're there to plan it before my mother takes over.”
If Izukus jaw has wasn't on the floor it was only because it couldn't physically detach from the rest of his face.
“When did we get engaged?” he questioned, visibly dumbfounded and obviously quite freaked out.
“Right now!”
“What!”
Katsuki let out a frustrated sound. “You just accepted my courting gift!”
Izuku’s brain sort of gathered then the distant memory of something he read a while ago about the Northen people.
Barbarians were very picky when choosing a mate. And, similar to dragons, when they did, they offered a special item as a courting gift to them. If their chosen mate accepted it, then the couple was set to unite in a traditional draconian marriage ceremony that would formalize the mating in front of everyone.
And it seemed like Izuku just got engaged. To a barbarian.
“Why me?” Izuku muttered, still processing the information. “We barely know each other.”
“My intuition is never wrong,” the barbarian grunted, “And my gut told me you were my mate since you pulled that arrow out of my shoulder. I know everything I need to know about you, Deku.”
“Deku?” Izuku frowned, even more confused than before.
Katsuki froze for a moment, and then pursed his lip in a certain way that made it look like he was pouting. Izuku won't lie, it was kind of adorable.
“That's what was written on your stuff.”
Izuku arched an accusatory brow. “You went through the stuff on my satchel?”
And Katsuki blushed. “I had to know it wasn't a trap! I know what you humans say about barbarians around here. I ain't stupid.”
Izuku reared back for a moment. Katsuki was not wrong. Barbarians, uh, didn't have the best reputation. They were secluded to the mountains, and being as territorial as they were it was rare if they let anyone approach. So people didn't really interact with them much — and it was partially out of fear, too.
”I thought you wouldn't want to marry me,” he continued in a much lower voice, “but I've never met a human as brave and capable as you are. Hell, humans are usually terrified of us but you didn't hesitate. I was attacked by an enemy clan as I was going back to my land. I thought I was going to die there. Then a freckled human came out of nowhere and saved my life, and I just knew." He stopped, looked at him up and down, and sort of hesitated before adding, "And you're also kind of pretty or whatever.”
Now it was Izukus's turn to furiously blush. Katsuki seemed to do his best to not react to it, clenching his teeth and breathing through his nose a few times before continuing. “After that day in the forest I just couldn't forget about you.”
Izuku felt his stomach flutter. “That's why you've been watching me?”
Katsuki’s eyes widened, caught, and he averted his gaze, cheeks still a little pink. “I wanted to know more about you but I thought you’d be scared of me.”
Izuku felt the weight of guilt settle on his shoulders. He was a little scared of him until now, and the worst part was that the man never gave him a reason to be. Unconsciously, it turned out that Izuku did let himself get affected by everything people said —which he was not proud of.
“But then I also needed to know what the perfect courting gift would be for you. My future mate could only have the fucking best of the best,” he stated, chest puffing for a second before rapidly deflating. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his fluffy hair as he said, “I think I got it right?”
Izuku nodded, mesmerized by this strange but magnificent man, not sure what he's getting into but not as worried as he should be, either.
“I really liked it, thank you,” Izuku noded, a small smile curving his lips. “But the wedding…”
Katsuki's expression dropped, and he looked so much like a sad little puppy that Izuku wanted to kick himself.
He couldn't marry a barbarian out of the blue! He literally just met this man! Saving him from death sure didn't count as fraternizing, right? He could be a ruthless person just acting all cute and charming to lure him into a horrible destiny. He could be lying, he…
Izuku found Katsuki’s carmine eyes.
And his soul recognized something inside them his brain couldn't yet.
He'd been so attracted to them since the very beginning, unable to stop seeing them whenever the world went quiet and he went to sleep, haunted, mesmerized.
So smart, so brutally honest and beautiful.
The truth was, Izuku hadn't been able to forget about Katsuki either.
“I don't know much about your customs, so forgive me if I'm a little confused. I didn't know what accepting the gift would mean to you, ” he started. The barbarian’s shoulders instantly sagged, and it just seemed so wrong to see a man like him looking so utterly defeated. “But… How about a date, first?”
Katsuki's head snapped back to him. “A date?”
“Yes! So we can, um, talk?” Izuku sheepishly laughed, feeling a little ridiculous but also every bit of giddy. “You know, get to really know each other before getting married,” and just saying it made him feel tingly all over. “Humans do that, traditionally. Maybe we could find a middle ground?”
“Yes,” Katsuki immediately replied, the beads around his neck jiggling as he vigorously shook his head. “Middle ground sounds fucking good.”
“Oh, great then!,” Izuku beamed. “We could have tea, whenever you want and just talk?”
“Tomorrow,” Katsuki quickly said. Izuku closed his mouth, and the barbarian probably noticed how obvious his excitement was because he blushed again. “If you want.”
“I want to,” Izuku affirmed, also a little too enthusiastically.
Katsuki didn't say anything. He just observed him for long enough that Izuku started feeling like there were ants on his skin.
Then, a slow, genuine smile crossed the barbarian’s handsome face. Izuku’s breath hitched in his throat because, gods, this barbarian was so attractive when he flashed his canines like that. All confident and cocky. Izuku liked it so much.
“It‘s gonna be the best fucking date you've ever had.”
And Izuku indeed believed it.