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The sunset dropping below the horizon was a thing of beauty in the late Alaskan summer. It didn’t drop until almost eleven thirty in the evening, and Izuku loved watching it every night. It was late, but tonight was a special night. There would be a meteor shower around midnight, so he was up late with his family to wait and watch for the little shooting stars.
“Rawwwwwwgh!”
Katsuki fake growled as he chased Eri across their snowy lawn, pretending to be a dinosaur hunting down his prey. Eri was screaming her giggles as she flung snowballs at him and ordered their dog, Nisa, to attack. Katsuki cried out in mock pain as the dog tackled him, tumbling them all into the snow.
Izuku snapped a covert picture and set his mug of coffee down to join them. The sun was almost set and the shower would start soon. Eri squealed when he picked her up off Katsuki.
“There’s my little chickadee! What monster have you slain today, my dear?”
“I slayed the t-rex! He was destroying the city, just like the monster back home did. But I stopped him this time. I was just like you, daddy!”
Izuku’s face twitched. “Mhm.” He kissed her forehead and set her back down so she could chase their dog’s tail around the yard while tumbling through the snow. Katsuki dusted himself off and wrapped his arms around Izuku’s shoulders with a huffing sigh. Izuku reached a hand up to trace the scar across his husband’s face without looking.
“She doesn’t understand yet, Zu.”
“I know, Kacchan. I know. But we left that life behind, and she still calls it home.”
“It’s the only home she’s known before this. Give her time to grow and adjust. It’s only been two years. She’s not even ten yet.”
“Mmmm.” Izuku agreed. “Eri sweetie, do you want to sit on your dad’s shoulders? The shooting stars will start soon.”
“Yes, daddy!” She hopped through the snow to get back to them. Nisa came to a stop by Izuku’s feet. He reached out to pet the Malamute’s snout and brush some snow off her coat.
Katsuki picked Eri up and settled her onto his shoulders just as darkness overtook the sky from the last rays of sunset. Out here, in the northern wilderness, there was little light once the sun set. The light from their cabin was the only illumination in the darkness and the stars were so bright compared to that small singular light. Izuku leaned back against Katsuki’s chest. Eri’s feet dangled over his shoulders and he could see her hands pointing at the sky when he tipped his head back.
Two years ago, a monster destroyed their world. Two years ago, they were mere children fighting a war the adults refused to take on. Two years ago, Izuku saved the world. Two years ago, Katsuki died helping him. Two years ago, after the war, Izuku and Katsuki decided they were done with the world. They’d done their hero life, and they wanted nothing more than to rest.
All For One was dead, Shigaraki was dead. Most of hero society in Japan had crumbled, leaving a broken government and a shattered people. Izuku and Eri had been close, ever since she was rescued and she refused to leave his side after the war. She claimed it was because of his quirk, but she wouldn’t explain why, not back then. A few months after the war, Izuku and Katsuki decided they were going to move somewhere remote. The rebuild and healing had taken its toll and when everything was said and done, Izuku was still blamed for the country’s destruction. So, they left, and Eri came with them.
After a year, she had started calling them dad and daddy. They’d adopted her without really meaning to. But no one stopped them. Probably because the government in Japan was still in shambles at the time they left, but in the end, she had become their daughter. They were married in a small church in Anchorage, right after they arrived. Nedzu had gotten their hero licenses pushed through, which gave them visas to live in the US on ‘sabbatical’.
They were left alone.
Now, two years later, they were happy.
Sometimes Eri would say something that would remind them of the war, but it always passed in a moment and Izuku was at peace with it. He was broken, but he wasn’t in pieces. His body had suffered worse than his mind. His arms were more scars than skin and he had a few patches where they had to skin graft him back together from Shigaraki’s decay quirk. His right leg was prosthetic, support gear. Mei actually shipped him upgrades and modifications every few months to make sure it was still functioning and he’d taken up engineering under her tutelage to keep the leg in good condition. She routinely berated him on video chats about maintenance.
Katsuki was blind in his right eye, that whole side of his face one big red scar that trailed almost down to his elbow. He walked with a limp and rarely used his quirk anymore. It hurt too much to use, or so he claimed. Izuku was pretty sure it was more that he was scared he couldn’t control it. Katsuki was the reason they decided to move to Alaska. It was one of the coldest places they could live without being too remote. They could have picked Canada, but they wanted somewhere with less populous cities while still being connected to the world. So they lived on the outskirts of Anchorage, just on the edge of the forest and a few miles from the main city.
Katsuki worked at the local sawmill, Izuku worked at a small stable that housed not only work horses, but also sledge dogs. He was learning to train dogs and the art of mushing from one of the local expert sledge runners. They were planning to see the Iditarod sled races this year, in person.
Eri went to a school so small it had five rooms and less than ten teachers. But she was happy, and she had friends. She’d learned to control her quirk and they hadn’t had a mishap in over a year. But Izuku sometimes swore he woke up feeling just a little less pain and he had to believe maybe she was using her quirk in her sleep by accident, or maybe on purpose.
“Daddy! Look!” Eri gasped.
Izuku blinked into the night sky, coming back from his thoughts. The meteors were lighting up the sky, and passing right across an aurora that had started up. The sight took his breath away. He never got tired of the way the aurora shimmered, reflected on the snow.
“It’s beautiful, sweetie.” He agreed.
“It really is.” Katsuki mumbled, kissing Izuku on the top of his head.
Eri yawned and laid her head on Katsuki’s. It was late for her. She was usually in bed by ten so being up until midnight was a rough trek but Izuku was more than happy to have her sleep in tomorrow if it meant she got to see a once in a decade, maybe once in a lifetime event out in the Alaskan wilderness.
“I’m going to put her to bed. I’ll be back in a moment.” Izuku scooped her off Katsuki’s shoulders and clicked his tongue. Nisa kicked off the ground and dashed into the house on his order. They left a thick rope hanging from the door handle so she could grab it with her teeth and let herself in. Izuku hummed softly as he put Eri into her bed upstairs, tucking her into dozens of blankets. The cabin was heated by a wood stove, and while it was toasty, he didn’t want to risk her catching a cold. Of course, he made sure she was in nice warm sleep clothes and two sets of fresh socks before she went to bed, too. Nisa chuffed softly as she hopped up the steps. Izuku rolled his eyes.
“Alright, hup-up - watch over Eri. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Nisa hopped onto the bed and curled up around Eri’s head. The nine year old was more than happy to wrap herself around the dog’s torso and cuddle in her sleep. Izuku kissed both of them on the head and went back downstairs to find their satellite phone buzzing on the table. Izuku only kept it charged in case someone needed to reach them for emergencies. They had cell phones but the service was spotty in their cabin and it was easier to handle calls or texts during the day when they were in the city for work.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Izuku, thank God. Are you safe?”
“Aizawa?” Izuku hadn’t heard his voice in months, maybe longer.
“Yes - Izuku, are you okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Izuku, listen to me.” It was hard to hear him, there was something roaring in the background…was that a plane? “We’re almost there. Stay put, stay inside. I’ll explain when we arrive. Don’t answer the door for anyon-”
“Arri- what are you talking about?”
Katsuki walked in just as the line cut out. Izuku held the phone out and glared at it.
“What’s going on? Who was that?”
“Aizawa. He said he’s on his way.”
“To where?”
“I think he meant…here.”
“Wh-”
The whole house started to shake as the rumble of helicopter blades shook the air. Izuku ducked. Katsuki was already scrambling up the stairs to grab Eri. Izuku called Nisa to his side and the dog took a growling protective stance in front of them as Katsuki came back to grab Izuku and put Eri in his arms. Hero instincts were a horrible thing, hard to shake in emergencies, and the two ex-heroes were both in fighting stances in an instant.
Izuku held his right arm out, ready to air force anyone who walked in. Lighting arched across his skin. Eri clung to him, knowing full well what his lightning meant. She was silent, and buried her face into his shoulder. Katsuki stood just to the left and a little in front so he was blocking Eri from view with both hands already red and glowing, explosions at the ready.
“Izuku! Katsuki! Are you here?!”
The sound of Aizawa’s voice calmed them, but only a little.
“Shou?” Eri asked, peeking out from her hiding place.
“It’s alright, Eri, it’s just Aizawa.” Izuku soothed.
Their teacher approached the door, knocked politely, and let himself in. He looked more tired than Izuku had ever seen him, which wasn’t a good sign. Capture scarf still perpetually in place and hair wind swept back behind his head to reveal that eyepatch Izuku still felt horrible for not preventing.
“Hello boys. Eri.”
Nisa didn’t take kindly to the intrusion. Izuku was quick to call her to heel. She obeyed, but she didn’t stop growling. Izuku wasn’t sure why. Nisa had met the man a couple times, though it had been a while since the last time they saw him, of course.
“Why are you here?” Katsuki asked.
“Mmm, no hello, then. Right to business. You’re both still jaded, I see.”
Izuku twitched. Aizawa wasn’t usually this rigid, not after the war. He was curt, and that didn’t settle right in his mind. Something was off. He thought back to the phone call he got a moment ago, the phone was still on the table. Aizawa had been on a plane - but that could have mistaken that for a helicopter, maybe. Their former teacher said not to answer the door for anyone, but he didn’t finish the sentence. Suspicion filled his blood, he hugged Eri tighter to his chest.
“What’s going on, Sensei?” He asked. Katsuki caught the tone he used, and he could sense the blonde’s blood boiling again.
“Ohhh you know how it is, we’re always trying to call you two back from the pastures. We really need heroes like you two to help rebuild the broken country you left behind.”
Izuku and Katsuki shared a look. Aizawa had only asked them once to come back, and when they explained why they wouldn’t - the man had sighed and agreed he would drop the subject. So why was he suddenly bringing it up again?
“We’re not going back.” Katsuki groused. “We’re happy here. We’re safe here .”
“You’re not safe anywhere, boys, don't you know that?”
Something in Izuku’s mind snapped. He flicked his finger, unleashing a volley of air force that nearly broke his damn hand. It had been way too long since he practiced with his quirk. The chair and part of the wall collapsed from the force of his attack but Aizawa had literally cartwheeled out of the way.
“Fuck.” Katsuki spat. “Toga!”
“Awww no fun! How’d you guess!?” She called, hanging upside down from a rafter under the upper floor. She was still in Aizawa’s form but her voice was her own. “You’re no fun. I just wanted to visit Izuku-kun, to steal him away so I could love him!”
Izuku rolled his eyes, for once not believing her words. This was exactly why they left. Even with the world’s best prisons, some quirks were just too powerful to contain. Being able to impersonate almost anyone with just a few drops of their blood was incredibly powerful, and Toga was a master manipulator on her best days. But she was clearly rusty if they figured her out this fast. She was also not using Aizawa’s quirk. Izuku wasn’t sure if that reassured him or not, because it meant she didn’t love him.
“Hike!” Izuku called. The Malamute at his heel bolted across the room and jumped to grab Toga’s arm and yank her down from the rafters with a vicious bite. “Easy!” He called; Nisa’s heel command. He was using mushing commands which would confuse anyone else since her commands weren’t for mushing, he’d trained her defensive commands this way in order to prevent others from tricking her or knowing what he was asking her to do.
Toga screamed. Aizawa’s face melted, finally showing her true form beneath. She tried to swipe a knife at Nisa but the dog quickly came back to Izuku and continued to growl.
“How dare you!” She cried, arm hanging limp at her side, bleeding. “I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you and drink your blood and become you!”
Izuku was still pretty sure she didn’t mean that, but he wasn’t about to start an argument. He was also fairly sure she’d lost what little remained of her mind after the war. Two years in Tartarus couldn’t have helped at all. Izuku honestly blamed Ochako’s death more than anything. Their battle had been grand, and they’d bonded in some strange way according to Tsu’s report. But killing Ochako had broken something essential in Toga’s mind, and left her a wreck.
Katsuki apparently had enough of the conversation while Izuku debated why Toga had shown up, and dove himself at the woman with his signature right hook. She raised her knife but he just grabbed it with his free hand and slammed his fist into her face, knocking her out completely.
“Kacchan!”
“What?”
“Your hand.”
“I’m fine. It’s just a knife. I’m tired of this annoying bi-...brat thinking she can just…destroy our lives with her insanity.” Eri was awake, so he censored himself. Izuku could tell how hard that was for him to do, especially in a fight.
“Okay, but you can’t just grab a knife by the blade and…and…” He sighed. “I’ll get the first aid kit.” Eri was moved into a piggyback carry so he could have both of his hands free. Izuku was a little worried that Eri was staying so quiet, but he knew she was likely scared so he didn’t try to force her to speak.
“I’m fine…but - that phone call. Was that actually Aizawa, or was that Toga pretending to be him?”
“I don’t know.” Izuku motioned for Katsuki to guard Toga and the blonde put a boot on her neck with enough force to keep her down but not enough to strangle her. Izuku grabbed the first aid kit from the shelf above the sink and set Eri at the kitchen table while he went back to the living room to work on Katsuki’s hand.
“Gee.” He clicked his tongue again. Nisa huffed and scurried off to Eri’s side, guarding her silently and never taking her eyes off the unconscious intruder. Izuku limped a little as he walked back to the living room, struggling with the chill that was coming in through the half destroyed wall, the mess he’d made.
“Damn. I’ll have to fix the wall tomorrow. Do we have any tarps, Kacchan?”
“Yeah, in the shed. I can grab them in a bit. Can you get this damn knife out of my palm? It smarts a bit.”
“Oh does it?” Izuku chuckled.
“One more scar won’t hurt.” Eri mumbled, a smile on her lips. Both men shared a knowing look and tried not to laugh. Eri was right. One more scar didn’t matter in the end.
Once again, the house shook as yet another helicopter roared to life above their heads. This time, no one bothered to duck. It was either a secondary attack, or their actual teacher arriving. Izuku could only hope it was the latter. He was so tired, he just wanted to be left alone to live his damn life in peace.
“Midoriya! Bakugo! Eri!” Their teacher called from outside - again. The helicopter roared off into the distance like the first one and Aizawa came bursting through the destroyed door with eyes already red and hair floating upwards. Behind him stood Hitoshi and Shouto.
“We’re fine, Sensei.” Izuku yanked the knife out of Katsuki’s hand as the arrival distracted him.
“Mother fuc-... Zu!”
Izuku giggled. “You’re fine Kacchan, suck it up. You’ve had worse.”
“You could have warned me, you jerk.”
Aizawa’s quirk deactivated as he sighed out his fear and tension. Hitoshi and Shouto ran over. Hitoshi went right for Eri but Nisa got right in the way of the stranger trying to come after her charge.
“Nisa, easy.” The dog’s ears perked up and she trotted over to sit by Izuku’s heel. “Good girl.”
“Okay, that’s new.” Hitoshi mumbled. Eri was quick to jump into his arms. “Hey there, little one.”
“Toshi-nii!” She hugged him tightly. “Toga tried to hurt us again.”
“I see that. Are you okay?”
“Mhmm!”
“Alright, talk to me - what happened? Why did you answer the door?”
“Your call was cut out, you didn’t even give Zu any details, idiot.” Katsuki grumbled.
“She also came in dressed as you - so it wouldn't have helped anyway. We’re fine. Though Kacchan could have avoided the knife if he’d tried a little harder.” Izuku smacked him upside the head while wrapping a bandage around the blonde’s palm.
“Yeah yeah, shut up.” Katsuki grumbled.
Izuku rolled his eyes. “Alright, explain what’s going on. Why is Toga here - why are you here?”
Aizawa sighed as he plopped himself into one of the remaining chairs. Shouto came over and hugged Izuku while simultaneously ruffling Katsuki’s hair. The blonde grumbled but accepted the gesture while he was being treated. Toga started to wriggle beneath him but Katsuki pushed his foot lower so she couldn’t move or speak, yet still breathe.
“Well, she escaped Tartarus, and I’m sure you can assume how. Somehow, she managed to sneak into the Commission and get your location here, so we knew she was coming for you. As far as we can tell, she’s working alone on this little mission - but, she’s not the only one who escaped.”
Izuku felt his jaw go tight. Shouto refused to make eye contact once Aizawa brought up the other escapee. Izuku sighed, already knowing what was coming.
“Toga helped Dabi escape. He’s barely functional without medical care, so we’re not sure if he’s on a suicide mission or if there’s some reason he’s not shown his face yet.”
Katsuki clutched his hands at his sides and glared at their former teacher.
“Are we the only ones outside of Japan?”
“No.” Hitoshi came back over with Eri in his arms. The girl was snoozing quietly on his chest. “Eijirou moved to America, and Tsu lives in Bermuda now. Toga found all our files - there’s no way to know who she told unless we can get her to talk.”
“I switch between England and Japan every few months.” Shouto added.
“What about Garaki?” Izuku asked.
“He died in custody last year.” Aizawa took over the conversation again. “His research labs have all been destroyed and all the Nomu have been decommissioned as of three months ago. There’s nothing for Dabi to run back to or use to heal himself…unless.”
“Unless?” Izuku was confused. Katsuki clarified it for him. He pointed to Eri’s sleeping form in Hitoshi’s arm. Izuku’s breath caught in his throat. Of course. Of course. Eri’s Rewind. The quirk All For One had copied to make himself younger and stronger during the war. The quirk that returned Mirio’s Permeation. Eri was incredibly powerful and she didn’t even know it.
“Just…need…her for…a min..ute.” Toga gurgled.
“What did you say, bitch?” Katsuki growled, getting in her face and actually loosening his boot so she could talk.
“We just…need her to heal Dabi…that’s all. Not gonna…hurt her…Not monsters…”
“Why do you think we’d let you anywhere near her?” Izuku took Eri from Toshi’s shoulder and curled her up in his arms protectively. “You might not have done what Chisaki did to her, but All For One still abused her power to hurt a lot of people and destroy Japan. Why would we ever let you use her power? If Dabi gets healed, he’ll just hurt more people.”
“If that’s what he wanted…he would have…already done so.”
Again, Katsuki pressed his boot against Toga’s neck to shut her up. Izuku rolled his eyes and addressed Aizawa with a hand covering Eri’s head against his chest.
“Are you just here to pick up Toga or is there another reason for your visit? I’m a touch surprised you brought both Hitoshi and Shouto for a simple pick up.”
Everyone shuffled around awkwardly for a few minutes. Izuku was getting impatient. He could tell they all had something on their minds. All the while, Toga was trying desperately to get free but Katsuki had a firm grip on her. Eventually, Aizawa finally answered him.
“We…weren’t sure if you could…”
“You weren’t sure if we could…what? Dispatch Toga on our own?” Katsuki scoffed. “Retirement doesn’t mean we’ve been sitting around all day. The Nerd trains sled dogs and work horses - and I throw logs around in a sawmill all day. We’re not getting fat and out of shape out here.”
“You do realize we chose to live in Alaska because it would keep us in shape to live here, right? Sensei - we might be retired now, but we’re not washed up.” Izuku clutched Eri tighter on his hip and ground his jaw. “We used to be heroes. But past tense doesn’t mean past our prime.”
That shut the room down pretty effectively. Their former teacher stared at the ground for a while. Hitoshi and Shouto were both handling Toga once Katsuki had released her neck from under his boot. They got her in quirk canceling cuffs and chained up in one of those miniature iron maiden bars that wrapped around the criminal’s middle and held their arms pinched to their sides.
“We didn’t know, or well, I wasn’t sure. It was an emergency, and I didn’t want to go without backup. I’m sorry we intruded.”
Before Aizawa could turn away, Izuku grabbed him by the wrist to stop him. “We might not be pro-heroes, we may never be, but if you ever need us…we’re not sitting here, washed up. We saved the world, and I’m tired of people forgetting that fact.”
The older hero’s expression softened. “Of course not. We’ll never forget your heroism. I won’t forget you can handle yourselves again. I’m glad you’re all doing so well. We’ll get Toga back into custody and get out of your hair.”
“Thank you for your help.” Katsuki gruffed out, waving towards the door.
Honestly, Izuku was more than ready to head to bed, too. They’d have to secure the cabin first, or they’d freeze overnight. Actually, it might be better to put a few tarps up and head into town to grab a room at the local lodge. Hunters were in and out of that place all year, day and night, so it was open 24/7.
“It was good seeing you all. Bye Eri!” Hitoshi called with one hand waving over his shoulder.
Shouto hummed. “Don’t be strangers. Answer your damn phones.”
“Bye boys. Bye Eri.”
“But Shou! Bye Toshi-nii! Bye Shouto!” Eri called, waving both hands from Izuku’s arms.
They watched as Toga was loaded and locked down into the helicopter. The rest of the team all buckled in and waved as they took off. Izuku adjusted Eri on his hip and glared at the mess they’d made of the house. Well, mostly Izuku made the mess.
“I’ll pack a bag.” Katsuki suggested. “Lodge?”
“Mmm, my thoughts exactly.”
“Do I get to stay up later?”
Izuku snorted. “Just a bit. Why don’t you get Nisa in her harness? We’ll be heading into town on the snowmobile, but she’ll need to get strapped into the sled.”
“Okay. Come Nisa!”
Katsuki slipped his arms around Izuku for a moment while their daughter struggled to get their canine into her harness. Izuku clutched the bulky blonde’s arms and kissed them in a few places.
“Do you want to go back?” Katsuki asked. Izuku shook his head.
“No. Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t want that fight anymore. But I hate how they just came running like we were unable to protect ourselves.”
“You stood up for us. I don’t think that will happen again. Hopefully because Toga is thrown in a hole and forgotten.”
Izuku sighed. “Do you think the world forgot we were heroes?”
“No. I don’t think they’ll ever forget what we did. I think they just forget that we’re still heroes.”
Eri came running over to them with Nisa on a leash. Well, Nisa was holding the leash in her muzzle, while Eri held the looped end. Izuku smiled and picked his daughter back up, while Katsuki took Nisa’s leash.
They used to be heroes. Even if the world forgot what they had done, and who they were, they’d saved the world. They deserved to live the lives they wanted, safe from villains and criminals. Eri deserved to live a life free from the abuse of her past, and free from the pressures of her quirk.
One day, they might go back, but Izuku wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a hero again. Right now, he just wanted to curl up in bed with his husband, their daughter, and their dog, and forget this wild night even happened.