Chapter Text
“Hah! I win!”
Izuku yelps as Touya suddenly shouts out of nowhere, stopping Izuku from continuing his daydreaming.
The older ghost jumps up and floats towards Izuku’s dead body in excitement. Izuku looks at him confusedly before he hears footsteps coming their way.
Izuku turns to the sound and sighs. It is indeed All Might in his weakened form running towards them. Izuku’s face falls as he remembers their earlier conversation on the rooftop.
(That rooftop wasn’t even high enough for him to jump and die, so Izuku had to walk to find the tallest building he could while feeling like a piece of garbage so he could finally end his miserable life.)
Why did the hero even come back? Izuku wonders. Maybe it’s a coincidence. This building isn’t that far from that rooftop after all.
He floats to Touya and watches blankly as All Might falls onto his knees and shakily cradles Izuku’s body in his arms.
“Oh damn. He for sure regrets his decision,” Touya says, surprised.
Izuku purses his lips and looks away. “M-maybe he just feels bad.” He then turns to the other boy. “You win. Now what?”
Touya blinks. “Don’t you wanna watch All Might crying? This is fun.”
He’s starting to think that Touya’s definition of fun doesn’t match with Izuku’s.
He kinda feels bad for making the Number One Hero cry. But on the other hand, it’s nice seeing him care about Izuku’s death. Izuku watches sadly as All Might continues weeping.
Suddenly, Touya snaps his head up to look behind All Might. Izuku jumps at the sudden movement. “W-what?”
“I sense more ghosts coming this way.”
Oh? So we can sense other ghosts somehow. Izuku furrows his brows and concentrates. He… doesn’t feel anything?
“…You can use quirks in the afterlife?” he asks instead. The question sounds so bitter even to his ears.
Touya blinks. He takes one look at Izuku’s expression and drifts closer to him. The white-haired ghost lifts his hand and gently wipes away the tears on Izuku’s face.
“Of course not,” he says softly. “If you are here long enough you’ll start to notice others' presence.”
Izuku sniffles. He feels so relieved to hear that. “O-okay.” He glances down at Touya’s hand, then remembers another question he had in mind earlier. “So ghosts can touch each other but we can’t interact with living people?”
“Yep,” Touya says as he drapes his arm around Izuku’s shoulder again. Izuku sighs internally in relief at the contact. He’s about to ask more when a shrill cry startles them both.
Izuku looks around and finds a group of ghosts coming their way. All of them have different emotions on their pale faces. Horror, shock, sadness.
The only woman in the group spots them and her face blanches. Izuku blinks once and she’s suddenly in front of him, grabbing his face gently even though her hands are shaking.
“Oh, kid. You’re so young,” she whispers sadly. “I’m so so sorry for Toshinori. I-I don’t know what comes over him.”
Izuku frowns. “Toshinori?”
“Oi, lady! Back off!” Touya interrupts the conversation and pushes the woman away with a scowl. It’s only then that Izuku notices that she’s wearing what seems to be like a hero costume. Actually, not only her, but everyone in that group. Except the white-haired, green-eyed guy at the back.
She reluctantly backs away but she looks to be on the verge of tears. Izuku still doesn’t know what is going on, but he decides to stick close to Touya just to be safe.
The other men reach them and guide the woman away. So now there are seven new ghosts — hero ghosts, to be precise.
They stare at each other in silence before the bald, muscular guy floats to them and clears his throat. “Sorry about that.”
Touya continues to scowl. “So who are you guys? And what do you want?”
“Touya-san, that’s rude,” Izuku mumbles quietly but the older boy ignores him.
The man scratches his head. “It’s fine. We’re literally strangers anyway. We’re, um, pro heroes that just follow All Might around.”
“And we’re very disappointed in that blond oaf!” someone shouts.
“But the kid is dead! Disappointment isn’t enough!” the woman cries.
Izuku stares in bewilderment as the group proceeds to argue. He tugs Touya’s sleeves to gain his attention. “…Are all ghosts like this?”
Touya huffs. “To be honest, I usually avoid hero ghosts so I have no idea.”
“Oh,” Izuku replies quietly, distracted by the ambulance and the paramedics that run right past them.
He turns back to the dead heroes to find that they’ve divided themselves into two groups. Four of them go after All Might to the hospital. And the other three stay. Izuku blinks at them.
“W-why are you guys still here?”
“Let’s just say that we feel bad,” the man with scars on his face chuckles. “And we kinda don’t have anything to do. Hope you don’t mind us sticking around.”
“I guess we should introduce ourselves,” the one with the white hair smiles at him. “I’m Yoichi.”
“Call me Hikage.”
“And I’m Daigoro!”
Izuku perks up when he suddenly recognizes the man. “You’re L-Lariat, right?”
Daigoro’s eyes shine, and he immediately appears in front of Izuku and lifts him up for a hug. “Oh my god! First time a kid knows me! What’s your name, kiddo?”
“I-Izuku,” he stammers out while trying not to blush. He points at the older ghost. “And that’s Touya.”
Touya waves at them.
“So where are you guys going next?” Yoichi pulls him away from Daigoro’s embrace.
Izuku looks at Touya and the boy hums. “I guess we could follow your body. Do you wanna see Inko and that blond brat’s reaction?”
He flinches at the mention of them both. So Touya didn’t lie when he said that he had followed Izuku for a while. And to be honest, Izuku doesn’t want to see them again. This whole new afterlife thing is already better than his life before. Even though it’s a little bit scary to think of at first, he feels more comfortable the more time passes. And it’s only been a few hours since his death.
“Ehh, sure, I guess,” Izuku nods.
“Do you know where the nearest hospital is?” Touya asks the heroes.
Daigoro floats down onto the ground and starts walking. “This way.”
“I’m not walking…” Hikage groans in annoyance. “What’s wrong with this guy?” he mutters and floats after the man.
Yoichi doesn’t follow them but stays behind with Izuku. The man looks at him with an unreadable face. Touya stops and stares at them in the corner of Izuku’s eyes.
“Yoichi-san?” he asks hesitantly.
The man sighs. “I’m sorry kid.”
“Huh?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “I mean, for Eight. I don’t understand why he said that to you.”
…Who is Eight?
“And I don’t know if we moved on from your death too quickly or not? Is it alright that we seem too happy? And is it okay for us to just barge into your life?”
And suddenly Izuku is overwhelmed. Why is everyone — every ghost — he meets so nice? Every second that passes Izuku is more certain that the decision to kill himself was the best thing to do.
Cold arm wraps around his back and Izuku is being pulled into a side hug. “No need to coddle the kid. Death is death, isn’t that right, Izuku-kun?”
Izuku blinks up at Touya and sniffles. “Yeah.”
Yoichi doesn’t seem convinced, but he nods and leads them to the other two that were walking ahead.
Touya says nothing as Izuku presses closer.