Nimi: The Ghost of You
Kirjoittaja: Auri
Ikäraja: S
Hahmot: Midoriya Izuku & Bakugou Katsuki
Alkuperäisteos: My Hero Academia
Haasteet: Kummitushaaste
Oma sana: Spoilereita chapteriin 362 
En edelleenkään voi hyvin.
The Ghost of You
The room erupts in cheers and applause as they announce the latest No. 1 Hero.
Deku.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, Izuku thinks as he stands up. It doesn't. He was told to prepare a speech, after all. Still, he feels stunned. Like someone had kicked him in the chest. He clutches the papers in his hand and looks at the host, who is staring right back at him, expecting him to walk to the stage and address the rowdy crowd.
Everything fades out of focus, the screams of the audience sound muffled. Izuku feels a bit like he’s underwater. This doesn’t feel right. He can’t do this.
Izuku feels Kirishima’s hand land on his shoulder and it shocks him out of it. He bolts before Kirishima can say anything, running out of the gala hall; dodging people and muttering apologies as people call after him.
He finds himself all the way at the roof access door without making a conscious decision about it. Izuku takes a deep breath and opens it, stepping into the freezing midnight. The city’s neon signs cast a cold light, rain falls like icy daggers but Izuku walks to the ledge. He leans over the railing and stares down.
He feels empty — like nothing is real, like nothing is how
it’s supposed to be. The air shifts, and even without hearing a sound Izuku can sense his presence.
“You know I can feel you,” Izuku whispers without turning. Katsuki hums. His shape moves in Izuku’s peripheral vision.
“So what are you doing here, nerd? They’re celebrating you downstairs, you know.”
For a long moment they just stand there, listening to the sound of rain. Fitting, Izuku thinks. Katsuki used to hate rain.
“We were supposed to be here together,” he chokes out.
“We are,” Katsuki says softly.
“You died!” Izuku shrieks. He finally turns toward his wispy figure. “You died, Kacchan.”
They stare at each other wordlessly. Deku, 27-year-old
No. 1 Hero and… Kacchan. Still sixteen years old. A kid who never should’ve got caught up in a war.
“You died,” Izuku repeats, again, “And I
couldn’t, and now,” Izuku laughs humorlessly. “I’m at the top and you’re not next to me.”
Katsuki’s incredulous expression morphs into one of pure rage. “It’s not like I
wanted to die, you shitty Deku! And don’t think for one fucking second you could’ve got here without me! I’ve been
right here every step of the way!”
Izuku’s lips twitch into a mirthless smile. He thinks back to the moment he knew Katsuki was never coming home, was never coming back to him. He’d fallen asleep next to his hospital bed and woken up in the vestige realm and… he'd stood there, right in front of him.
“So that’s it then, huh, Deku?” Katsuki had said and smiled.
No, Izuku had thought.
That can’t be it.Izuku thinks back to how Katsuki taught him how to use his quirk —
It’d be a waste if you didn’t use it, shitty nerd! — and how Katsuki was always there, right next to him in every fight, pushing him forward, demanding Izuku to be his best; how they developed a new system, how Katsuki became an… extension of him. A crucial part of what
Deku is. He thinks about the countless times Katsuki has saved his life during all these years.
“I guess so,” Izuku whispers and turns back to stare at the silhouettes of the skyscrapers.
“Go back down, Deku,” Katsuki says, defeated.
“In a moment,” he concedes. Katsuki sighs.
His presence fades and the cold air around Izuku feels all the more suffocating.
So, Izuku, can I still catch up to you?
