Chapter Text
Katsuki Bakugo didn’t believe in ghosts. Or, maybe he did, now that he was being haunted by one. A week had gone by since he had died. Jumped. Taken a swan dive off the roof, if you will. Just like Katsuki had told him to. He had attended his funeral only because his parents knew the Midoriyas, when Katsuki had seen Auntie Inko… to be blunt about it, she looked like a mess. She was sobbing and clutching the closed casket like it was the only thing that was keeping her alive. Maybe it was. Katsuki didn’t cry. He knew he had no right to mourn him, especially since he was the reason he was dead. His mom cried, which was always a rare sight. His dad, oddly enough, stayed quiet. A blank and tired face as he cradled his wife in his arms.
The school held an assembly on the Monday after the funeral. They put up a picture of him, smiling and happy. That was from his first year at Aldera, Katsuki hadn’t seen him smile like that when he was at school in a while. The speakers told the students that bullying was unacceptable, and said that they had councilors if anyone needed to talk. The principal talked about keeping his memory alive, honoring him, caring for him and being respectful. But Katsuki saw through it all, they didn’t care.
If they did… if they did then they would’ve done something about Katsuki’s bullying. No, they didn’t give two shits about the fourteen year old who killed himself.
He was on the news two days after the assembly. They talked about quirkless suicide rates, and recommended suicide hotlines. Inko Midoriya had declined the offer to speak on her son.
Katsuki had gone with his parents to Auntie Inko’s house to make sure she was okay. The place was almost swarmed with press and reporters, begging her for a comment. ‘Why did he do it?’, ‘did he leave a note? What did it say?’, ‘how are you dealing with the death of your son?’. It was standard for this to happen to the families of quirkless kids who didn’t make it, it always made headlines and always tore the family to pieces. All to just be forgotten the following week when something more interesting happens. Katsuki hadn’t thought any of it weird up until he had experienced it himself.
Inko was alone, Katsuki knew. Her asshole husband had left overseas before Izuku was born, and Katsuki had never met him. He didn’t think his parents had either. He didn’t think that he had returned after hearing his only son was dead. He had heard his mom talking to Auntie Inko about it, he had expressed his condolences to his wife, but didn’t book a plane back to Japan. Katsuki knew if he ever met the bastard, he’d blow his ass to pieces.
Katsuki hadn’t spent the time after his death alone. He hadn’t missed out on school, and he knew his parents were there for him if he needed them. He hand’t thought about it. Not about his death. Not really. He wasn’t allowed to mourn him. He knew it was his fault, but he decided to not think about that either. It was a problem for future Katsuki to deal with. He didn’t think he could handle the guilt. Not now, anyways.
People at school have been talking about him. About how he didn’t take any school days off, and how it was all his fault. Like he was the only one mean to the nerd. His friends stopped hanging out with him, and the teachers sent weird looks his way. Katsuki was sick of it, but he knew it was what he deserved. No, it wasn’t entirely his fault. But he did have a big hand in making him… you know.
Sometimes he would see him out of the corner of his eye. Izuku. He would see him sitting at his old desk, which was now empty. Someone had scrubbed off the messages other students had written on and did their best to patch up the scratched in messages (but if you looked closely, you could still just make out the ‘go to hell’ message he had written in his first year). Katsuki would turn, startled, to see nothing.
The whispers got louder after that. Some people thought he was going crazy. Katsuki hated to agree with them.
He’d started going to the roof to eat lunch. He wondered what Izuku had been thinking, before he jumped off. Not this building, a different one, near where Katsuki had gotten attacked by the villain.
Katsuki chewed on his food quietly and slowly, he didn’t want to go to class. Before, he had been popular, now… well. Movement caught his eye, and he looked up. Had some extra followed up him? What the hell did they want—
Katsuki gaped, Izuku Midoriya stood just a coupe feet away from him. “I-“ Katsuki didn’t even know what he wanted to say. Was he going crazy? Seeing things with his guilt? “Izuku? Is that you?” he knew he was insane, he knew that the kid in front of him wasn’t his old friend victim. What good would it do to talk to his imagination? Part of Katsuki, a big part, wanted it to be real. Wanted this hallucination to be the real Izuku Midoriya. Wanted him to be alive, and for everything to go back to the way it was. But no. Katsuki blinked, and saw the image blink with him, from Izuku, normal, wearing his uniform. To a more broken, disturbed one. Covered in blood and bruises, eyes rimmed red with what Katsuki assumed to be from crying.
And then he was gone.
Katsuki had gone home early. Or at least, he tried.
The reception lady had given him a weird look when he signed out with shaking hands, but he didn’t pay it any attention. He needed to leave, he felt like the walls were closing in on him. Was the room spinning? The air felt hot. Katsuki stumbled down the street, before he knew it he was at the tunnel under the bridge. Katsuki felt himself lean against the cold concrete wall, taking deep breaths. In, out, in, out.
Katsuki opened his eyes. “Shit- fucking-“ he tripped and fell on his butt. Izuku was in front of him. Again. He really was going fucking crazy. “Christ.” he was breathing heavily again. “Izuku?”
“In the flesh! Or, well, not really. I guess.” oh fuck. Izuku was alive. Or, was he? Ugh! That didn’t matter. What mattered was Izuku was here, very much here. Katsuki could see him. Katsuki could hear him. Because they were talking. He was talking to a ghost. Ghosts were real. Katsuki was talking to one. Katsuki blinked, dumbfounded.
“How…” his words died on his tongue, he cleared his throat and started again. “How are you here? You died. I went to your funeral.” Katsuki said with a little too much venom than what was intended, but well, seeing a dead person did that to you sometimes. Izuku wilted, no longer as cheery as he had seemed.
“I- I um. Don’t know. How i’m here, I mean. Sorry, for acting all cheery this isn’t really a good situation for either of us to be in. I was just so happy when I realized you could see me.” Izuku looked up at him with an awkward smile. “And like- I know you’d probably rather me not to um haunt you, but I don’t think I really get a say in the matter. And also like I know you’d probably rather me just stay dead ya know because I know you never liked me and- and also wanted me to uh you know but like I-“
“Deku.” Katsuki watched Izuku full body flinch and stare at him as if he was a rabid animal. So many things he wanted to say to him came flooding into his mind. ‘How are you here?’, ‘can anyone else see you’, ‘can you go through walls?’, ‘why did you jump?’, ‘i’m sorry’. What came out of his mouth was none of the above. “You know I hate it when you ramble.”
Izuku clamped his mouth shut and continued to stare at him with his big (creepy) eyes. Katsuki rubbed his face and sighed, “fuck.” breathing in, he made a quick decision. “Fuck, okay. Fuck. Let’s go.” he stood up and began walking, not turning around to see if Izuku was following.
“Uh! Kacchan! Wh-where are you, uh, we going?” Izuku found his way just behind Katsuki, not moving up to walk beside him.
“Home.” Katsuki said through gritted teeth, as much as he had felt bad about Izuku’s death, he had almost forgotten how annoying he was.
“Home? What do you mean? Aren’t you supposed to be freaking out? I’m freaking out! How are you so calm—“
Katsuki whirled around and pointing at Izuku’s chest, he barely noticed how his finger ghosted through him. “Of course i’m freaking out! I’m scared shitless! A kid I bullied for ten years killed himself and is now back from the fucking dead and talking to me! I don’t know if i’m going crazy or if you’re actually fucking alive- or- or a ghost or not, so don’t you dare say i’m not affected by this because I am. Don’t fucking give me that look.” Katsuki huffed, staring into Izuku’s eyes before turning away and stomping down in the direction of his house.
“Okay.” is all Izuku said as they walked silently, he didn’t speak or ask him any questions. Katsuki occasionally snuck glances at him, he looked almost like he was real, if not a little transparent. Katsuki wondered what he had saw on the roof of his (their) school, bloody and broken.
The look of a dead man.