"I'm cursed." Kacchan's shaky writing says under the dim light of Izuku's nightstand lamp, "Because either this is some sort of specifically designed hell where my ghost ends up following your stupid ass without my consent, or I'm an actual ghost destined to haunt you. And as much as I hate to admit it, I think it is most likely the latter.
"Maybe ghosts exist. Maybe this is just some sort of Quirk or, who knows, maybe this is just a fragment of your shitty imagination." Midoriya gulps, "But there's clearly a reason I'm stuck here, and I think I know why. Because it's somewhat your fault I'm dead."
"Alright, this is certainly not making things better." Sero says.
"Yeah," Mina agrees, "You gotta take it lightly on him, Bakubabe."
"What do you want me to do?" Bakugou growls, "That's a different me. Do you think I would do that if I had the chance to now?"
"No, I guess you're right."
"It's progress, definitely!" Kaminari exclaims, "We're proud of you, Blasty!"
"Didn't ask. Don't care."
"Oh you know that's not right." Kirishima says. If it's the squad's personal goal to make sure Bakugou will do the right thing in any situation, then they'll absolutely make sure they go through.
"I'm aware that none of the other extras or heroes did anything either as all you assholes watched me die, but weren't you the one so determined that you even signed up to go to a hero school you knew wouldn't accept you? Weren't you, out of anyone, the person who knew me the most? Who saw all of my sides? Weren't you the person who would do anything to save anyone? What happened? The last thing I see before exiting my body is your dumb face rubbing your eyes, kneeling, like that was the most important thing to happen in that moment. I never thought that I could ever think less of you, Deku. Somehow, I'm more disappointed than I have ever been."
Midoriya, not being able to help it, feels the familiar sting of tears filling his vision. Maybe it's not his fault for not being able to do anything back then, but it is a fact that out of anyone, the greenette was the one who was supposed to do something – if not the pro heroes. He was the one who was supposed to try his hardest.
"Midoriya…" Todoroki murmurs awkwardly as he places a hand over the greenette's shoulder. Midoriya stands up from his seat as he rubs his eyes and smile nervously at the two toned haired boy.
"Deku-" Uraraka goes to say before getting cut off but Aizawa standing up in slight alarm.
"No, I'm fine," Midoriya waves nervously at the teacher who gives him a skeptic look. Realizing that everyone is watching him, the freckled teen hurriedly makes his way to the right corner of the room, cheeks aflame in embarrassment until he reaches the Bakusquad's corner, standing before Bakugou and Kirishima, the blond squinting up at him. "Kirishima… do you mind…?" he trails off, but the redhead understands the implication nonetheless before standing up with a reassuring smile and stalking towards Sero's bean bag,
"Sure, bro!"
"Ehem," Bakugou clears his throat, "What do you think you're doing?" he asks gruffly as Midoriya sits next to him.
"You have a problem?" Midoriya asks with a shrug as he settles next to him.
"Yes."
"Deal with it, then." He proceeds to fish a popcorn out of Kaminari's bowl and pops it into his mouth, which Kaminari is a little salty about, but is sure it would be better to not mention it.
Bakugou groans.
Izuku only realizes he's crying when tears hit the page, "Kacchan…" but he knows better than to stop reading, "So because you're the reason I'm in this situation, you're going to be the reason I leave it. I don't know if this Quirk will return me to the life of living or if the state of my physical body is a problem or it will just let me die at last, which, hopefully, it will turn out the first option, but anyway, I want out of whatever state I am currently in. If I'm here because you failed to be a hero, then I'll only really leave when you do succeed. That's why I'm going to help you become a hero, Deku."
"This truly is a roller-coaster of information and emotions we're riding." Tokoyami says, scratching his neck.
"Tell me about it," about half of the class mutters.
"When's the last time I've seen so much drama," Kayama sighs. Yamada sends her a look and she shrugs, defensive, "I'm here to have fun."
"So they're working together now?" Hagakure clarifies, "And Bakugou initiated it, that's new! I think…"
"Now go to sleep, dumbass. You have a long day ahead of you."
Those last words somehow succeed in bringing excitement as well as dread to Izuku's fried brain. He'll most likely get a few weeks out of school until he's ready to go back. He reads the page over again. And again. And the only reason he doesn't for a fourth time is because the marker gets sent towards his head again. He sighs before placing the notebook on the ground, open, with the marker beside it.
"Alright Kacchan. Goodnight." As he probably should have expected, no reply comes. No notebook is sent flying and no hissing of the wind can be heard. So with tired eyes and a bruised heart, Izuku goes to sleep.
"If this universe ends here, I'm." Kaminari says without finishing off.
"That would be just cruel," Mina says, then looks at Midoriya like she forgot he was right there.
"It would be interesting." The freckled boy says before beaming at Bakugou, who simply rolls his eyes.
The next day, Izuku is woken up at the crack of dawn by his blanket being sent flying to the air. So he pretty much had four hours of sleep total. He guesses he really is haunted. Great.
The class heaves a collective sigh as Aizawa starts rubbing at his temples.
The writing on the wall is there and the notebook is still on the floor, though there's another, new and clean notebook on his floor too. Seems like Kacchan made it his duty to get himself his own notebook from one of Izuku's drawers, labeled in what Izuku will surely learn to recognize as the ghost's new and iconic handwriting as 'Deku's ghost notebook'.
So Kacchan doesn't seem to mind if other people found out he was haunting Izuku. He doesn't know why. Usually people keep quiet when they think some personal, impossible thing is happening to them that might concern others. But Kacchan wasn't really one for being quiet, he guesses. "Kacchan?"
And like how Izuku really should have expected, the notebook gets sent right to his face. It takes him a second to understand what he's seeing, with all the scribbly, wonky words that fill up multiple pages. He's going to have to make a collection of these too, isn't he? But at least he can read the first line, separated from the rest.
"I made you breakfast. Finish cleaning the kitchen before Inko wakes up. I made her a plate, too. So if you don't mention that to her, I will.
"Also, you need to work on your reflexes."
Izuku huffs.
"That's sweet." Jirou says. Midoriya nods. Inko is one of the people Bakugou actually cares about most. Sometimes he would act more like a son to her than Midoriya himself – He shakes his head. It's just that Mitsuki and Bakugou are pretty much the same person, so it's harder for them to get along. Midoriya also gets along with Mitsuki well, so he'll call it even.
Mina hums in agreement, "Get you a man who can cook, respects you mom," She pauses, thinking, "And kill."
"And die." Bakugou provides. He gets slapped in the arm,
"Not funny." Midoriya grumbles before he gets slapped in the arm right back.
When Izuku enters his kitchen, it's a mess. Spices are covering the floor, liquids are covering the tiled wall and plastic cups made themselves a home in the sink. He wonders how he hadn't woken up in the middle of the night by noises or the house burning down. Yet still, he finds two boxes of mildly sloppy-yet-delicious-and-super-healthy-looking breakfasts in the fridge. Probably already starting on the 'hero's diet'.
"Never mind," jirou says, "Good luck with that."
"A thank you would have sufficed." Bakugou grumbles. Not that he needs it. But as a ghost, he can only imagine the irritation of not being able to blow up the kitchen when wanted.
"Ah. Thank you, Kacchan."
Bakugou nods earnestly in approval, so does Midoriya.
Heat floods Izuku's chest. He can really talk to Kacchan now, he guesses. All he really said to him at this point was his name, right? But now he can really speak with him, even it's a one-way conversation. They never really talked… normally, at least, before anyways.
Izuku places a hand on the faucet's handle, planning on cleaning before eating. "Kacchan. I'm sorry for not doing anything." He says rather quietly, to not wake Inko. Izuku gulps awkwardly, eyes darting from left to right. He wonders where the blond is currently at, if he's even listening to him.
"I know you're only doing this because you want out… but I really do appreciate it. S-so thank you… And thank you for not wrecking my apartment. Though I'm sure it's only because you didn't want to worry mom. And…" Izuku looks up, forcing the tears threatening to spill to stay in place, shifting from one leg to the other, "And I know I'm being selfish, but. I know we aren't… really, friends. But I'm glad you're not gone, yet."
Midoriya nudges closer to Bakugou. The blond grunts, "I know what you're trying, nerd. Don't."
Midoriya squints. He has a mission.
"The only time we get along is when you're…" He still isn't able to say it still. Pathetic. Izuku lowers his head, not feeling like having neck problems before doing whatever Kacchan is planning on him doing, letting the tears fall. His knees buckle, and Izuku lowers himself to the ground slowly with his hands on the counter, placing his forehead against the cabinets under the sink. He sobs.
"…yeah. Maybe it's because you're Quirkless again." He half expects his breakfast to fly towards him or something. Or for the nonexistent wind to whistle angrily. But the apartment is deathly silent, sending a chill down Izuku's spine. Maybe Kacchan really isn't listening. "Is it selfish of me for liking this? Being able to talk to you without you replying angrily? A little?" It is. What the fuck, it is. Kacchan is most likely too busy going through his own shit to care about Izuku. "I-I'd rather you'd be a-alive! But. I still think you're so cool, Kacchan. Even like this," He presses a wet cheek against the cool wood of the cabinet, "Only you could manage making two breakfasts less than a day of… of…" He shakes his head, forehead pressing harder against the wood.
A thought crosses Izuku's mind. That one of the meals was initially for Kacchan. That makes him sob harder.
"We should make Bakugou some food when we get back to the dorms," Sero whispers to Kirishima, who is nodding feverishly.
"You heard that, Mina, Kaminari?" the redhead calls cheerily, "We should make Bakubro some food when we get back!"
Sero slaps a palm to his forehead. That was supposed to be a surprise…
"I think it would cheer us all up if we made food together," Iida exclaims, "Especially for Bakugou and Midoriya!"
Yaomomo nods, "I'd feel it would lift up the spirit." She pauses before admitting, "Sometimes, after a sad movie, all I need is some time with my friends."
The class nod and reply in agreement.
"Aw, you don't need to!" Midoriya says hurriedly, hands waving and cheeks tinting redder than what they had been before, due to the brief sobbing.
"Yeah, none of you losers know how to cook."
Mina pipes up, "Get you a man who can cook, criticize, respect your mom, kill and die."
"So," Sero mumbles, "You have low standards?"
"Pardon?" Bakugou snaps, sounding offended, "Are you calling me basic?"
"Definitely not, Bakugou." the ravenette says with amusement.
"You're so strong, Kacchan… Even, like this – I'm just…" Izuku's words are all garbled from the crying, not making sense at this point. "I'd rather give up on my d-dream of being a hero. If it meant. Y-you would live, you know. Even if you kept being mean to me." He takes a shaky breath, "I fucked up, Kacchan. I fucked up so badly. I'm sorry. So, so much." His voice cracks at the end and his shoulders jerk with a sob.
Bakugou feels heat creeping to his side. He pokes Midoriya in the waist, signaling for him to stay away and making him squeak.
At this point, a few of the students are silently sobbing. Even Hatada finds pity in the universe she's watching.
"Izuku?"
Izuku flinches, whipping his head up at the sound and notices Inko standing in the doorway with a sad look. She takes in the state of the kitchen and her kneeling son and smiles wistfully.
They clean the kitchen together without a comment and eat in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Kacchan's notebook doesn't seem fully finished, but the next thing he wrote to do was to find a gym. Which. Gives Izuku anxiety just thinking about. He'll have to discuss it with him.
Sero sighs, "Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't look like their mom."
As he takes his notebooks and heads to his bedroom, his mother calls for him,
"Izuku!" She pauses until he looks back at her, "Just. If you need anything, I'm right here. You know that, right? I love you, honey."
He nods, "I love you too, mom." He purses his lips, "I'm… I still want to try and be a hero. I'm gonna try doing that."
She smiles sadly, "Okay, sweetheart."
"When is it that you get your Quirk again?" Uraraka asks, leaning forward to look at Midoriya, not mentioning that he's almost hugging Bakugou at this point, to not ruin his progress.
"Uhm,"
"What's with all the questions?" Bakugou barks.
"Ah no, it's alright!" Midoriya insists, "There was a uhm, specific event that made me realize I have a Quirk. And my – the other universe's me's – physical strength is still not enough to – uhm. And now that Kacchan is uh, I might not discover it, I'm not sure. Something like that. I-I'd rather not talk about it. Long story…" He shoves his notebook in his face, rereading some notes he took just so he'd have something to do after that train wreck.
"Okay, Deku. Calm down," the brunette assures kindly, "You don't have to tell me."
After Kacchan called Izuku a wimp a few times, they settled on cleaning a beach he knew instead of going to the gym. Kacchan had provided him with a meal and workout plan. "You only have 10 months to build yourself up for the entrance exams. You need a fighting style and a weapon because your Quirkless weak ass is going to fail without it." he said. He doesn't mention any of what happened earlier, in the kitchen. And Izuku is somewhat grateful for that. So he settles on a sword.
They're badass and he found one in the dumpster with a sheath and everything. It's like a trashy, jumbled mall there. People will throw about anything, apparently. And it being heavy will help him with arm strength.
Tokoyami nods, "Great choice."
"I agree," Jirou says, "Totally badass."
"If Midoriya had a sword here we'd be doomed." Satou says.
"Pretty noble of you to clean a beach, Midoriya," Yamada says, "Even if it's Bakugou who suggested it. A good first step to becoming a hero."
"Heh, thanks." Midoriya chuckles, not mentioning that in their universe it was actually All Might that told him to clean the beach.
"When I last visited that beach it was clean, though?" Kirishima says, confused.
"Oh, uh. I did that in this universe too."
"What?" Kaminari asks in disbelief, "That's totally nasty! But also really cool, Mido!"
"Thanks?" Midoriya says awkwardly, "You already saw me doing it, though…" He looks at the screen.
Sometimes, Kacchan would randomly throw trash at him, "To test your reflexes". He was almost cut multiple times on rusty edges. Kacchan would also throw trash in the ocean so Izuku would have to go and get it. "You don't know what setting you may get," Kacchan wrote, apparently before they even went to the beach, already prepared for this argument, "you have to be ready for anything, Deku."
Izuku lets it happen, though. Lets Kacchan have some of his old ways back. He kind of deserves sending deflated basket balls his way for Izuku to clumsily use his sword like a bat. It's kind of fun. And when he gets hit in the face, some of the nearby cans clink into each other, like laughter.
Kirishima smiles a little. That's strangely wholesome, a little. It might just be Bakugou making fun of Midoriya, but at least they're having fun after everything that happened. And it's not like the blond can really do anything in his state. The redhead just hopes that after Midoriya manages to become a hero, Bakugou will turn back to the world of the living. And maybe they can have a better start to their new friendship.
Healthy relationships are hella manly!
After about a month, Izuku had to go back to school. Now that Kacchan wasn't there, the whole mood of the class didn't die down like Izuku had expected, but most of the people instead started bashing on Kacchan. "Of course he couldn't have been a hero, he was an ass!" and "Kind of ironic how 'the guy with the strongest Quirk' died first, don't you think?"
"Man, what a bunch'a assholes." Kaminari voices, scowling.
"Language!" Iida cries.
"It's okay, Iida," Kayama tells him gently, "You can admit it."
"Ah, well. Yes."
He did his best to ignore it, for a few days. Even if it made him fume. How dare they say that Kacchan deserves not being a hero? He was bold, strong and only a little mean! He was only mean to Izuku, anyway. The students seem to not care as much about Izuku now, most likely because it was Kacchan who did the most damage, but that didn't mean Izuku was anywhere near glad. Kacchan, though, didn't seem to care, never revealing himself or doing anything while they were at school.
Aizawa sends a look towards where Midoriya and Bakugou are sitting, huddled next to each other. He isn't sure if their 'history' in this universe and the other one are really that alike, if he should be concerned. But it does really seem that the two teens have somewhat gotten along better, at least after that one fight.
He's happy about the progress Bakugou had made, even if he's still pretty prickly, it's clear that he cares about his class and friends.
"You're not gonna show them who's boss?" Kirishima asks his friend with a pout, whom sends him a frown.
"I'm haunting Deku, not these shitheads." He rolls his eyes, "Getting revenge by being a ghost? Sounds petty and pathetic to me."
"I think you have big potential to freak them out," Mina says, "Life is too short to pass an opportunity like that."
"No shit."
"I mean. Afterlife…"
Until at least a week after Izuku's return, he heard a few students talking about Kacchan during lunch, when he was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria like always. He couldn't take it anymore and lashed out, standing up for Kacchan. Doesn't matter what they pointed out, that he made Izuku's life worse than it had to be, that his Quirk does more harm than anything. Too loud. Too mean. Doesn't even call people by their names.
What is he gonna do? Call a victim by a rude nickname? Make them feel even crappier?
Make large explosions and death threats at a villain that will cause more panic for the innocent person?
Degrade all the other heroes to make himself look better?
All that doesn't matter, because kacchan will be saving lives. That's what matters. Kacchan would make sure that he's the best and beloved. He's not so simple minded. He'd be the best at his job, Izuku knows. He wouldn't let an innocent person feel like shit if he can help it. Anyone but Izuku, at least. He's gonna be the number one hero, goddamn it. Was supposed to.
Bakugou frowns, biting his cheek and tensing. A warmth presses to his left, a freckled cheek on his shoulder. But he doesn't notice it, nor does he care, right now. Because it makes him relax, just a bit.
But Izuku's too overwhelmed to say all that, can't speak any coherent sentences with all the crying so he punches. Hard. Sending the other student stumbling to the ground, not caring that everyone is watching.
"Ooh!" The students cheer, bouncing on their seats.
"That form was so bad!" Midoriya sputters. Kaminari reaches a hand and pats his shoulder,
"It's the thought that counts, Midori."
The greenette sighs, "They had it comin'." He pinches Bakugou's side, then, making the blond squawk, "Why didn't you do anything, Kacchan?!"
"Maybe this was your lesson on how to punch for the first time. Better do it on some loser than a villain."
Midoriya huffs. Of course.
Obviously, Izuku got in a bunch of trouble, had to get yelled at by the teacher and stay for detention.
"At least the other student got the same treatment, right?" Yaomomo clarifies.
Bakugou and Midoriya exchange wary glances.
When he got home late, still angry as ever, he ranted to him mom about the situation, who was already called about what happen and simply smiled sadly at him again and told him to be careful next time, and that she's not upset with him.
When he enters his room, it's immediately as if a hurricane enters his house beside him. A low-key one, at least. Izuku's backpack is tugged away from back. "Woah, Kacchan!"
The wind whistles, the bag jerks from its place, softly hitting Izuku in the knee. "Okay, okay." He pulls out Kacchan's notebook and a pen, which promptly fly out of his hands and the ghost ruffles through the notebook for a clean page. Izuku takes this time to clean the room after Kacchan's outburst until a notebook shoots his way, hitting his back and falling on the floor. Izuku looks down at it.
"What the fuck, Deku. Are you trying to get us in trouble?!" is scribbled angrily.
"Don't 'what the fuck' me, Kacchan! You need to stand up for yourself! I couldn't just watch as…" Izuku trails off as the pen scribbles hastily against the page.
"It's already bad enough that you're trying to get into U.A. with no Quirk. Don't make yourself a troublesome reputation while you're at it, dumbass."
Izuku groans angrily, "Well, that didn't stop you, did it?"
"Oh snap!" Kaminari exclaims, looking wide eyed at the starring pair. Bakugou furrows his brows at him,
"You tryna get your neck 'oh snap'ed?"
"You kind of deserve it, Bakugou." Uraraka sighs, crossing her arms.
Bakugou clicks his tongue. "Fair enough, I guess…" he grumbles.
"So we have kacchan bully rights for the day?" Mina asks, grinning.
Midoriya yaps, "Don't call it that!"
The pen lays limp there for a few suffocating seconds, long enough for Izuku to consider apologizing before that train of thought is cut off by scribbled noises, "Well I'm not the one here becoming a hero, am I?"
Izuku frowns down at the notebook, "Kacchan… After you – after we're done with this, when I become hero – you'll be back, remember? You'll get to be a hero, Kacchan!" He chuckles nervously, gesturing largely with his hands, "I'm sure that even if you'll have to go through U.A. a little later than I, and possibly have to redo this year again, too, you'll still surpass me eventually. I mean – I'm just gonna be a Quirkless hero – probably not even in the top one-hundred! But you're gonna be number one, r-remember?"
He crouches next to the still notebook, feeling desperate. Kacchan's approval is one of the most valid approvals. If Kacchan approves it, you've done well for sure, that's a fact. "Right, Kacchan?" he pleads.
Izuku stares as the pen takes a moment to write, hovering lamely just enough over the paper to not scribble with every movement. "Sure"
"Well, if that isn't soothing in the slightest…" Satou murmurs.
"We can't be sure how every Quirk works without its holder," Midoriya says with a casual smile, "I'm sure that Kacchan just has his doubts after everything. It wouldn't make sense if the Quirk didn't eventually bring him back." He looks to Bakugou, as if conformation. Because Bakugou's approval is always worthy. But the blond just shrugs,
"I dunno."
"Yup, that's still not réconfortant," Aoyama says, his shiny grin slightly dim.
"Let's not get our hopes up so soon," Iida announces, taking his part of being class president and cheering his fellow classmates, "Midoriya does bring a good point. I'm sure everything will turn out fine."
Aizawa frowns, "No reason to be so naïve. Not everything turns out fine and dandy just because we hope it would. Bakugou is most likely taking the worst case scenario into consideration and preparing for the worst, which will make it all the more better if things do turn out fine in the end."
"At least when we're watching a show, Teacher…" Iida grumbles, mostly to himself.
"I still think things will turn out fine!" Hagakure announces.
Iida perks up, "That's the spirit, Hagakure!"
Izuku frowns, having the urge to cry again, for reasons. "Kacchan…"
"20 pushups"
"What?"
"You read correctly. Go on. We have other things to go through today, nerd."
Izuku sighs.
"Good luck with that," Kirishima says, smile almost slipping into a grimace, "Bakubro's learning style is a treat, really."
"Like it should be." Bakugou replies.
After that, it seems that Kacchan's old friend group – the one with the fingers and the one with the undercut – got the idea and started messing with anyone that was messing with Kacchan's name. They appear to also have had a rough time lately, seeing that they were the closest to Kacchan and spent the most time with him. They might have their own feelings of guilt over what happened, though now they don't have the comfort that the blond will come back.
Maybe Izuku could have still been in the same friend group with them, like old times, if he had a Quirk. But he doesn't want to disturb them. He's not really sure if they even like him still. But they stopped really bothering him, just acting mostly polite if they were ever forced to speak with each other. Which might as well be the closest thing Izuku would get to friends.
"I'm not sure if that's considered looking at the bright side or not." Ojirou lets out.
"It's seeing it for what it is," Kayama says, "You already know this, but not every situation is black or white. It just seems that Midoriya here learned that a little early.
"Ah, thanks?"
"Not really a compliment, but you're welcome!"
Soon enough the entrance exams for U.A. will arrive, and Izuku became more and more anxious, more and more hasty with cleaning up the beach. Kacchan wouldn't tell him to go over another chapter of their workbook or do even more workout routines than what he was already doing or go over the different forms of the sword fighting, but he did anyways. And the ghost never really commented on it, so.
It was a little tricky to convince U.A. to let him bring his sword. Mostly Inko did all the work on that because what does Izuku know about all that adult paper legal stuff? He'll most likely learn that soon enough anyways, providing he actually passes the exams. He even got a new sword, much to his mom's worries.
The morning of the exams is when he completely finishes cleaning the beach.
"Oh damn!" Kaminari exclaims, looking at the image on screen.
"That's very impressive, Midoriya – kero."
"Thanks, Kaminari, Tsu." he chuckles sheepishly, "I'm sure that most of you would have been able to do it quicker."
"Don't take credit off of yourself." Shinsou says, "Most people would have seen cleaning a beach pointless and a waste of time."
"I wouldn't have considered it." Todoroki admits.
"W-well, I'm sure you had all your stuff planned at that point! And it was Kacchan's idea anyways, remember?" the greenette sputters.
"You still did a great job, Deku! Thanks for the service!" Uraraka cheers.
"Th-thanks – I mean no problem, eh…"
Izuku stands in front of the beach, screaming all the emotions of the past ten months out until his shirt gets thrown in his face, even if it's not that windy. "Thanks, Kacchan." he drawls as he peals the shirt away from himself, "I'll get going; I get it."
Izuku manages to do a better job in the practical exams than he thought. The sword is useful against the robots. But then the zero pointer enters the scene, and just as Izuku was about to run away like all the others, he spots an injured girl stuck under some rubble, right on the giant robot's course. The same girl he met when on his way to the building.
"Hey that's me!" Uraraka calls happily before her face falls, "Ah, but Deku! You managed to only save me because of your Quirk!"
"Please don't tell me two people die…" Jirou grimaces.
Midoriya hisses a breath through his teeth. "I'm sure it'll be fine."