Ghostly Whispers

Aftermath

"Really? Didn't notice," Bakugo replied.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm better. They stitched up everything they needed to. Now they just wanted me to rest so they stuck me with you since the entire building was filled with this affected by the attack."

"How did you find out this?"

"Well, I wasn't the one in a coma the entire time. So I just talked to the police to catch up to speed about what happened. Icy hot and the others are fine by the way if you were worried or anything."

Izuku relaxed into his bed, "That's good."

"Hey, Kacchan?"

"What, nerd?"

"Did I do a good job?" Izuku asked nervously.

Katsuki furrowed his brows, "Hah? Why are you asking me that?"

"It's just that... I feel like if I did better no one else would have gotten hurt. There was so much damage that I wasn't able to prevent," Izuku brought up his arm to cover his eyes. "I sound pathetic, don't I?"

"Look at me nerd," Bakugo ordered, making Izuku drop his arm to stare at Katsuki's red eyes. "You did better than any other extra could have done. I have never known anybody that could ever do half what you did."

"That means a lot, Kacchan," Izuku tilted his head towards his friend to direct a grateful grin at him. Katsuki scoffed back at him which made Izuku laugh at his old friend.

*

It was late at night when Izuku woke up with Bakugo sleeping next to him in his bed. Midoriya looked out the window to see the sun setting on the horizon, making the hospital room lit up in colors.

He looked out the door of his hospital room to see a glimpse of someone passing by the room. He stared at the figure's curly hair and noticed the resemblance.

"Dad?" Izuku mumbled, throwing the blankets away from himself. He dragged behind the IV behind him as he headed towards the direction where he saw his father heading. He used the IV pole as a cane to help him while he walked. He followed him up the diary with some difficulty since it had been a week since he had walked.

He threw open the rooftop door to see that he wasn't wrong in his guess. It was his father's spirit that was watching the sunset from the rooftop.

"Dad? What are you doing out here?" Izuku called out, walking over to where his dad was leaning against the railing.

His father sighed, "I was thinking about something ever since you took down K's creature. And I wanted to wait until now to tell you."

Izuku furrowed his brows in confusion, "What is it?"

"Izuku," Hisashi frowned. "My tether with you has been broken."

And just like that Izuku's heart felt like it stopped.

"How?"

"During the fight," Hisashi started with a gentle expression on his face. "The protective tether I had with you went away when I realized that you can protect yourself. You no longer need me at your side."

"Wait, no! Dad, don't leave," Izuku shook his head.

"Izuku," his father sighed, reaching out his hand towards his son.

Midoriya started to tear up, tears dripping down his cheeks. He wasn't ready to see his father pass on. "You can't leave yet."

"Izuku, I'm still here," Hisashi waved his hands, trying to calm down his son. "I had two tethers remember?"

Izuku sniffled, "You have a tether with mom..."

"Yeah. She is the last tether I have on Earth. My time here isn't up just yet," Hisashi looked towards the sunset with a smile. "I want to be here to guide her up with me. Until then, I will still be here to protect her. The only difference is that I can't pop in with you as much as I usually do because I have no tether to pull myself to you."

Midoriya smirked through the tears, Hisashi hushed him quietly to calm him down. Izuku leaned forward, focusing on the feeling of his father's embrace to ground him. "I'll still be here, kiddo."

**

Sad Alternative

"Izuku," Hisashi frowned. My tether with you has been broken."

And just like that Izuku's heart felt like it stopped.

"During the fight," Hisashi started with a gentle expression on his face. "The protective tether I had with you went away when I realized that you can protect yourself. You no longer need me at your side."

"Wait, no! Dad, don't leave," Izuku shook his head.

"Izuku," his father sighed, reaching out his hand towards his son.

Midoriya started to tear up, tears dripping down his cheeks. He wasn't ready to see his father pass on. "You can't leave yet."."

"But what about mom? You have a protect tether with her too!"

Hisashi nodded, "I did. I think that faded away slowly but surely when she was raising you to be the best son anyone could ever ask for. She is already strong by herself, she doesn't need protection from me anymore. Plus, I saw her out there when she didn't hesitate to help you out in the fight."

"You both are strong separately and even stronger together. You don't need me any longer," Hisashi smiled at his son. "It's time for me to move on."

"I don't want to say goodbye to you yet. I don't think I'm ready," Izuku answered back honestly, letting the tears drip down as the sunset-colored the sky in pink and orange shades.

"It's not a goodbye. Think of it more like a 'see you later'. I'll be waiting for your mother and you to come to the other side. Plus, I can still watch from beyond, but it will just be more of a distance," Hisashi reassured.

Midoriya nodded back at his father, sniffling back his tears. Hisashi took a deep breath before wrapping his arms around his son. Izuku wrapped his arms around his dad, allowing himself to feel his father's touch since it was going to be the last time. "It has been amazing watching you grow up into the man you are now."

Izuku sniffed, "See you, Dad."

He could feel his father smile into his hair, "See you Later, Izuku."

Midoriya nodded as he could feel his father's embrace leave him as he started to fade away. He pulled back to smile back at his dad as he faded into the colors of the sunset sky. He stared on the rooftop until the unset colors were replaced by the cool purple and blue of the night sky above him with millions of stars looking down at him.

With a deep breath, Izuku looked up to the stars with a soft grin on his face.