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“C’mon Bakubro, join us!”
“No way in hell! That thing is just a waste of time — it’s obviously fake.”
Bakugou glared intensely at the Ouija board.
Can’t they see how much of a sham that is?
Ashido looked up at the explosive man and batted her eyelashes innocently at him.
“Bakubabe, how will you know that it’s fake if you don’t try it first!” She wrung her fingers together, waiting for an answer.
Bakugou growled back in reply,
“Stop calling me that, raccoon eyes!” He turned his back to them and started marching to the hallway.
Most of the 1-A class had left to their dorms for lights out, but, for some moronic reason, Ashido, Kirishima, Kaminari had all stayed in the lounge together. They had planned to do this days ago, Bakugou was there when they talked about it. The plan was to wait until everyone (including Aizawa) was asleep, put out some candles in the dark and use the Ouija board. Although, for some reason, Bakugou was dragged into this plan. Talk about bad luck.
Kaminari grinned widely at them all and proceeded to say,
“She’ll stop calling you that, if you join us right now.”
“Yeah! I pinkie promise with a cherry on top!” She cheered in support of the proposal.
Bakugou took a deep breath in an attempt to resist the urge of upper cutting her in the chin.
He shivered.
Like someone went through him.
Like some thing was there.
Bakugou collapsed on the shared sofa and stared at the three teenagers. His vocal cords closed up as they realised what he was trying to say. He couldn’t give up that easily!
“Fff-“
“Take your time, man,” Kirishima said to him.
“FINE.”
Oh god. Bakugou had a SOFT SPOT for them! What had happened to him. First he was praised by almost everyone and everything, now he was agreeing to play childish games with three idiots.
Their faces beamed too brightly, blinding Bakugou in the process.
“Let’s just get this over and done with.” He growled. His mind wandered to the thoughts: ‘how big are the bags under my eyes?’ And ‘I miss sleep.’.
Ashido stood up and rushed over to where the board was set up.
“Ok, ok, ok! So, two of us will put our hands on this little stand and then we ask the ghosts or spirits questions!”
Oh my god this was such a phony.
“Let’s just get this over with.” Bakugou said, reaching over to the coffee table and placing his hand on the miniature stand. Kirishima quickly followed in suit, feeling nerves rock down his spine as he placed his hand on top of the other. ( Pun intended. )
Kaminari and Ashido shared an enthusiastic look as they could finally start. But just then, their faces dropped and their heads raised as they both looked up at Bakugou expectantly.
Bakugou frowned. Ah, so that’s what they want… WAIT NO WAY.
“I am NOT talking to the ghost.”
He turned to Kirishima with the hope that he’ll back him up.
“Sorry, man, but I think you should ask the questions. It’ll be so manly!”
Bakugou made a mental note to make Kirishima pay for that statement, but still, he started speaking.
“Ugh, for god's sake. Are there any ghosts or spirits in this room?”
A stone cold hand wrapped around his.
Huh, why the hell are Ashido and Kaminari —
He looked down.
His heart stopped.
But he wasn’t scared.
Katsuki Bakugou never feared anything!
But —
“Uhhmm, do you- feel that Bakubro.”
Kirishima was looking up at him, a horrified look on his face.
Bakugou mumbled, “yeah…”
The stand abruptly flew across to the top of the board.
YES
Ashido and Kaminari stared dumbfounded.
“Are you both doing that, or…”
Kirishima and Bakugou immediately shook their heads.
Kirishima hesitantly decided to take the lead,
“How, uh, how did you die?”
This ‘lead’ was closely followed by a slap on the head from Ashido.
“That’s RUDE Kirishima! You can’t just ask somebody how they died!” She yelled like a mad mother.
“I was just curious, OK!” He defended himself, “what’s your name then?”
In an instant, the stand started sliding across the board in an unsteady fashion — despite the board being as flat as paper. It was heading to the bottom right corner.
M
“M?” Kaminari repeated, confusion filling his voice.
Bakugou spun his head round to face the electric boy.
“They’re spelling something, moron.”
The stand started impatiently picking up speed.
I
D
O
R
I
Y
A
The stand stopped.
Bakugou felt his heart crack into sharp pieces and his temple felt clammy with sweat.
This must be a mistake.
Midoriya is a common name, right!
Right…?
“What’s your first name!” He managed to spit out. It was clear that Bakugou was panicking and any outsider could easily see that.
Kaminari, Ashido and Kirishima all looked at him, frowning in concern.
The stand moved.
I
Z
U —
He couldn’t take it anymore. This was just a cruel prank from the other three teenagers. No wonder they were so pushy about him joining in.
The chair behind him was suddenly tipped over as he stood up furiously.
“Bakugou! You're not meant to take your hand off!” Ashido whined.
“I DON’T CARE IF THIS IS SOME SICK JOKE TO GET ME TO OPEN UP, IT'S NOT FUNNY!” Bakugou shouted at them. He was vexed and at his tipping point.
They were always playing jokes on him, and he honestly didn’t care most of the time, but even he’ll admit that this little prank of theirs had gone too far.
Slamming his hands to the table, he stormed over to the door.
“Joke?” Kirishima echoed back in befuddlement.
“Bakugou, do you know someone with that name?” His voice held uncertainty as he prepared to be slammed with an explosion.
But, before anyone else could say a word, Bakugou had already left, leaving a slightly singed door behind him.
“I’ll go after him, you guys can continue,” Kirishima stated before rushing after the other boy.
Kaminari and Ashido wavered, unsure what to do, but, in the end, they decided to continue playing.
“Uh, so I hope this isn’t rude but, how did you die?” Kaminari tried ignoring Ashido’s glare and stared at the stand and their hands on top.
A
L
L
M
I
G
H
T
“All Might…?”
They both shared an uncomfortable look, shifting awkwardly in their seats.
The number one hero? Causing somebody’s death?
Ashido had a sudden realisation.
“Wait, you never told us your full, first name — is, um, is it alright if I look you up?”
The ghost started pushing the stand on top of the word:
YES
Although, instead of stopping, the ghost continued to pull the stand backwards.
I
Z
U
K
U
“Izuku… Oh! That's your name!” Ashido exclaimed excitedly, seemingly forgetting about All Might and proceeding to pull out her phone. The case was coloured in pink and purple stripes and had glitter sprinkled on the surface.
Such a pretty phone! The ghost thought.
The pink girl opened her google and started typing Izuku Midoriya . She opened the first link and was greeted with a Heroes News article:
VILLAIN ATTACK: WHO IS THIS SLUDGE MONSTER?
In early July, a quirkless boy named Izuku Midoriya, 14, was brutally suffocated by an escaped, sludge villain. Although All Might had arrived, it was already too late. The monster had killed the child. All Might managed to capture the villain and bring him into prison and give the little boy justice.
Ashido read this article carefully with Kaminari doing the same over her shoulder. A picture of a frail boy covered the bottom of the page. He had green and black curls shooting in every direction and his round cheeks were covered in dark brown freckles. His green eyes and thin, round glasses sat restlessly on his tanned skin as he stared awkwardly into the camera.
“Was this you?” Ashido asked nervously, her hand still on the stand.
YES
It was Kaminari’s turn to butt in.
“But you said it was All Might. Was that because he didn’t save you in time?”
L
I
A
R
“Liar?” Kaminari muttered under his breath.
S
T
O
O
D
“Stood? I don’t understand?” He tilted his head.
“He just stood around,” Ashido said, “He didn’t even try to save you. That’s what you mean, right?”
YES
A deafening silence filled the air as they both realised that maybe the Number One hero wasn’t as good as they thought.
“Oh.”
Kaminari looked back at the article.
‘a quirkless boy’
“Because you're quirkless.” Kaminari accidentally blurted. A horrified expression fell upon his face as he realised he said that outloud. “I’M SORRY THAT SOUNDED RUDE! I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT.”
How have they not woken up the whole class yet? The ghost wondered.
D
W
Kaminari looked down guiltily,
“D - W? OH ‘don’t worry’! THANK YOU! IM SORRY!” He rushed out that last sentence, despite guilt still pilling in his stomach.
Being quirkless was very rare in Japan. Only less than 100 people don’t have a quirk and so they’re always shunned for not fitting the ‘social norm’. Everyone is aware of this discrimination but nobody ever seems to do anything about it.
Ashido decided to break the awkwardness that filled the room… by creating more awkwardness.
“Hold on, do you know Bakugou? He seemed pretty panicked when you mentioned your name.”
YES
F
R
I
E
N
D
Ashido looked surprised.
“Bakugou had friends?”
The ghost stifled a laugh.
“That does explain a lot,” Kaminari mumbled, his mind being brought to Bakugou's outburst earlier. “OH! That’s what he meant by joke! He thought we were pranking him!”
The girl looked offended, “Man, we’re not that horrible!”
The ghost sighed and floated closer to Ashido. He attempted to put a hand on her shoulder, but it only flew clean through causing a violent shiver to rock through their spines.
Kaminari looked up to see Ashido start shaking.
“Huh, are you cold?”
Ashido looked around and furrowed her eyebrows.
“I don’t… know?”
The small stand on the Ouija board started moving again.
S
O
R
R
Y
“Oh! Was that you, um, it’s alright!” Ashido reassured the ghost with a small smile, “But I do wonder if Bakugou’s alright.”
————
Bakugou staggered into his dorm room. His heart was pounding and he was struggling to breathe. Sweat ran down his temple as he attempted to control himself.
“It was just a cruel joke. Just a joke.” He kept mumbling to himself in hopes that he’d believe himself.
He’d thought he’d managed to get over Deku- no Izuku’s death, but apparently not.
Bakugou collapsed heavily onto the bed as guilt trickled into his gut and made him want to heave. It’d been all his fault. He hadn't meant for any of this! He didn’t think Izuku would have been killed so brutally after he said that.
In all honesty, he’s been trying to forget Izuku and forget past him, but what just happened tipped him fully over the edge.
He felt tears roll down his cheeks as he attempted to hold back the waterfall inside his eyes and heart.
Knock, knock.
A gentle knock at the door brought him back from his thoughts. Great.
“Hey Bakubro! I just wanted to check if you're alright.”
It was Kirishima. Of course he’d come.
Bakugou would always tell people that he was probably the luckiest person on the planet, but this right here is a prime example saying otherwise.
Out of everybody, Kirishima was the one person he would rather die than get embarrassed in front of.
“I’m fine. You can go now.” He replied with a gruff voice.
Kirishima wasn’t convinced and stood his ground.
“Ah, well is it alright if I come in, man?”
Nope!
“Yeah, whatever.” Bakugou said.
He quickly checked the mirror hanging on his wall to see if there were any tears visible and stumbled over to the door, swinging it open roughly.
Kirishima was standing there with his hands in his pockets. His face was tilted cutely and his eyebrows were furrowed; he was inspecting Bakugou carefully.
Kirishima’s face dropped with — somehow — more concern taking over.
Bakugou was confused. Huh?
The red haired boy immediately rushed closer, putting a hand on the other's arm. They both felt their faces turning red at this interaction but ignored it.
Kirishima looked up at him alarmed, “Bakugou, were you crying?”
Damit!
He needed to think of an excuse fast!
“The hell?! I wasn’t crying! It’s just your stupid, damn eyes!”
REAL SMOOTH, BAKUGOU!
Despite the rude comment, Kirishima looked unfazed. Instead, he dragged the taller teen over to the bed and sat him down.
Their arms brushed together and the legs were pressed together as the red haired boy looked at him. Bakugou stared down in an attempt to avoid eye contact, yet, Kirishima had already brought a soft hand across Bakugou’s pink-tinted cheek and gently pushed him until their faces were mere inches away.
Bakugou felt his stomach flip inside and his limbs turn to mush. If his blush wasn’t visible before, it definitely was now.
Ok, so maybe Bakugou had a small crush on his best friend, and maybe Kirishima was all he could think about day and night. He’ll admit to that — well, never out loud, though.
Kirishima spoke after a few seconds,
“We weren’t trying to upset you, before. I didn’t even think the Ouija Board would actually work if I’m being honest.”
Bakugou mumbled what sounded like a yeah.
“And — you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to of course —,” Jeez, Kirishima was really testing his luck, “How do you know that ghost? Were you guys close?”
“No.” Bakugou grunted with his head held low, “He didn’t like me, probably hated me, actually.”
He felt a lump form in his throat as those words were uttered.
“Hated? Why?” Replied Kirishima, taking Bakugou's hand.
“I was horrible to him. Treated him like crap because of a stupid difference.”
And so, Bakugou explained everything. The journey of Izuku Midoriya becoming Deku and the guilt that constantly overwhelmed him inside. And maybe a few tears were shed.
—————
Uraraka shuffled her way quietly into the dorms’ social area to retrieve a glass of water but stopped when she laid eyes on Kaminari and Ashido.
They were both huddled over a relatively small board and some kind of mini stand, looking intensely down. Ashido held her phone in her right hand and her other hand was resting on the strange stand. Kaminari was doing the same, except, his right hand didn’t hold a phone but instead it was clinging to his trousers in a rigid manner. They were both muttering silently together, too focused on the board to have even noticed her.
Uraraka finally decided to ask what the heck they were doing, “Uhm… Kaminari? Ashido?”
They both startled up, ripping their hands off the stand.
“URARAKA! HEY-!” Kaminari squeaked like a newborn duckling, “-WHAT’CHA, UH, WHAT’CHA DOING UP?”
They both looked incredibly embarrassed at her arrival.
Uraraka squinted her eyes confused,
“I came down for a glass of water. You, uh, you might not wanna shout, y’know. It’s like-,” she took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time, “- just gone 3am.”
Ashido sighed at the slight subject change. If they were lucky, they might get away with using an Ouija Board without telling anyone. They’re just lucky it wasn’t Iida that came up.
Uraraka wandered closer to inspect the board and Ashido felt her heart pounding in her chest.
“Is that an Ouija Board?!” Uraraka exclaimed, trying to control the volume of her voice.
“Uh… no?” It was a big leap but Kaminari was willing to attempt it.
Uraraka raised her eyebrows,
“I’m not stupid, Kaminari. I know an Ouija Board when I see one.”
She sat down at the edge of the sofa staring up at the guilty teens.
Ashido was suddenly jumping to her feet and sliding next to Uraraka.
“Please don’t tell anyone! Sensei would kill us if he found out we were up after lights out. I don’t even know how he hasn’t heard us yet!”
Ashido grabbed Uraraka’s hand in her own and held it tight whilst giving her puppy dog eyes.
Uraraka thought for a minute. She would never actually snitch on them — despite however bad they were being. She would probably just leave them be and not get involved, but this did seem interesting. Uraraka had always wanted to try an Ouija board but could never afford one. So she didn’t want to waste this opportunity.
Uraraka squeezed Ashido’s hand lightly,
“You both got room for one more?”
They grinned manically at her and nodded.
Now this was interesting.
—————
“Kaachan’s friends are so nice!” Izuku thought contently, studying their faces.
He had decided to follow Kaachan to UA so he can admire and analyse all the different quirks the students have. Although, Izuku had been quite nervous stepping through the school's gate. Was he a trespasser? He is a ghost, but still! Knowing how smart principal Nedzu is, he probably had ghost detecting features or something.
It had taken a long time to get used to being dead. It was so confusing! He could either go through objects like they were air, or he could pick them up like they’re solid — which, well, they are. It was always a 50/50 chance whether he could slide through the wall or hit his face on it and Izuku has many bruises caused by that same scenario. Wait, can ghosts get injured? He gets bruises all the time, but he doesn’t feel a thing when twisting his arm backwards — he’s tried before.
He had so many questions he wanted to ask the heroes in training, so when he realised Kaminari, Ashido, Kirishima and even Bakugou were going to use an Ouija board, he couldn’t let the opportunity pass.
He just needs Bakugou to know he’s here and ok — despite being dead.
Izuku had jumped from excitement when they asked for his name, but Bakugou didn’t seem as happy at the answer than Izuku thought he would. And then Bakugou stormed off for some reason and just left Izuku feeling worried.
There was a barrier around the board that stopped him from getting a few metres out of range, stopping him from following Bakugou. But luckily, Kirishima had followed and everyone knew Bakugou had a soft spot for Kirishima.
Izuku obediently answered each question the teens had asked, even if talking about it made him sad.
But when Uraraka joined, they started to get more creative and less depressing.
“Can ghosts go to the toilet?” Kirishima had asked.
NO
“Are there other ghosts?” Ashido questioned.
YES
“Is it rude to ask a ghost their age? Like, what if they were 200 years old or something?” Uraraka added curiously.
NO
Izuku was having so much fun! It was nice to talk to people his age. All the other ghosts at UA died over a decade ago and they were all a drag. Not including Oboro of course. He’s always pranking the students and making Izuku laugh; apparently Oboro was best friends with ErasureHead and Present Mic when he was alive.
But after a while, Izuku’s curiosity had reached his tipping point and he decided to ask them a question. He thought back to his analysis he’d done in his mind (he doesn’t have his notebooks anymore sadly.).
A
S
H
I
He spelt. Hopefully they understood he meant Ashido.
They all looked alarmed at the movement, probably because they hadn’t asked a question.
“Ashi?” Uraraka had asked, confused, “wait, Ashido do you mean?”
YES
Kaminari and Uraraka turned to look at her, but Izuku had started moving the stand again.
A
C
I
D
A
I
R
“Acid air? Are you asking if my Acid comes from the air?” Ashido queried.
YES
“No actually — that's what I originally thought, though. It generates straight from my skin.” She said proudly.
Izuku continued to ask more questions about their quirks and the other three continued to reply. He made sure to remember it for the next time he saw them fighting. Some of his theories were starting to make more sense as well!
He couldn’t wait to tell Oboro about this!
—————
The door to the dorm's social area opened to reveal a calmed down Bakugou and a relieved Kirishima.
Kaminari was busy explaining how he transfers electricity but stopped to look at who just walked through the door. His concentrated face turned into a soul-eating grin as his eyes flashed down to their intertwined hands.
Bakugou gave Kaminari a furious glare, yet it didn’t discourage him from giggling at them.
Kirishima and Bakugou both stopped right next to the shared sofa and stared.
Kirishima was the first to speak up,
“Uh, what’s Uraraka doing here?”
“She caught us using the Ouija Board and wanted to join.” Kaminari explained.
Although Ashido and Uraraka hadn’t even noticed them, that was because they were staring intensely at round cheek’s phone like it was a prized gem and whispering to each other. They were both squished up together and one of Ashido’s hands was resting on Uraraka’s lower arm.
“What the hell are you both looking at?” Bakugou said, looking at the two girls.
Ashido glanced up, taking her hand off the side of the phone she was holding and placing it on the other girl’s leg.
“Oh, we were just researching about All Might's recent history,” Ashido started, “we promised Izuk- the ghost that we would tell them!”
Nice save, Mina!
Bakugou stared annoyed,
“You can say his name. I don’t care.” He grunted, squeezing Kirishima's hand slightly.
Ashido, Uraraka and Kaminari all had a visible sigh of relief and looked back at the Ouija Board.
“He started asking us questions about our quirks.” Uraraka said, trying to break the awkward silence.
“Hah? Aren’t Ouija Boards the other way round?” Bakugou questioned.
Uraraka just shrugged her shoulders and the two girls looked back at her phone.
Ashido suddenly started bouncing in her seat,
“Ooh! It says here: All Might once fought a mind reading villain and the dude revealed All Might’s secret love for romance novels! That’s so cute, oh my god!”
But it seemed Ashido wasn’t the only thing vibrating with excitement. The Ouija Board sat on the coffee table started shaking uncontrollably for a few seconds until it fell onto the ground.
“WHOOPS!” Izuku yelled, embarrassed.
He tried picking up the board and succeeded to the other teens’ horror. Izuku placed it back on the table and quickly bent back over to find the stand.
Maybe he got a bit excited.
Kaminari sat dumbfounded.
“So we’ve confirmed the ghost is real.”
“Well, yeah. Duh.”
Bakugou replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world — ignoring when he thought it was fake 30 minutes ago.
Ashido yawned.
“Man, I’m tired . I’m going to bed now.”
She bent over slightly and rested the side of her head on Uraraka’s shoulder. Ashido’s eyes had become all droopy and she could barely think straight.
“Yeah, me too.” Uraraka agreed, placing her phone face down on the side table next to her and running her hand through Ashido’s hair. Blush was spreading discreetly across her already pink cheeks at the closeness with her ‘friend’.
Kaminari nodded as well as, he too, was starting to feel his eyes drifting off.
Kirishima and Bakugou’s eyes met.
“We should probably head down now, as well.” Kirishima said, waiting for Bakugou’s reaction.
Bakugou looked towards the Ouija Board and back at Kirishima.
“I might stay up by myself for a while, but-,” c’mon Katsuki, just say it, “uh, can I stay in your dorm tonight.” He mumbled the last part so only Kirishima heard.
Kirishima smiled and nodded his head before leaving with the others down the hall to fall into a well deserved coma.
—————
“So, I guess this Ouija Board does work.” Bakugou mumbled to no one in particular.
He sighed and sat down on the edge of the sofa.
Bakugou placed his hand on the small stand, wavering slightly and scrunching his face up. He looked over to the door in case anyone was still there and then, he began to speak.
“So, uh, you are Izuku, right? I’m not just talking to some random extra?” Bakugou questioned.
YES.
“Right, ok.”
This was not good for Bakugou’s already damaged heart.
“So, uh, I didn’t mean to freak out earlier.” Bakugou admitted, cringing as he thought back to before.
He shuffled awkwardly in his seat. It was very embarrassing talking to air. Bakugou was trying to keep his voice low — which was difficult for someone who’s always shouting.
“And, uh-,” Bakugou took a gulp, “I’m sorry about, well, before.”
Izuku sat next to Bakugou, leaning into him.
“It’s alright. I forgave you years ago.” Izuku said comfortingly, despite Bakugou being unable to hear him.
Bakugou just stared at the ground, oblivious to Izuku sitting next to him.
“I know it sounds stupid, but I was actually worried for you before. I just-,” he rubbed his hands across his legs, nervously, “I don’t understand why I said that.”
“I didn’t want you going to the entrance exam and getting yourself killed by who knows what.”
“Uh, but I guess it’s a bit too late now.” He mumbled with his head held low.
Bakugou sat in silence for a few seconds.
“Well-,” he sighed, “it was nice talking to you.”
Izuku dropped his eyes to the ground and placed a hand on Bakugou’s. If the other teen felt it, he didn’t say anything.
Bakugou stood up exhausted and looked around, heading for the door.
“Bye.” He muttered softly, before heading to his boyfriend's dorm.
Izuku waved wearily back.
“Goodbye, Kaachan.”
He smiled.