You know there are a ton of stories where Izuku gets the crossover as a mentor, but why not switch it? Old Ghost King Danny finds Bakugou one day being a bully and sets him straight, then later Bakugou sees Danny beat a villain. So he comes around later and Danny helps him be less of a disaster. So a quick look at the UA acceptance exams with a calmer Bakugou, less traumatized Izuku, and Danny and All Might chatting about their little apprentices.
ooooh im definitely going to make a sequel for this one
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Danny has had his fair share of bullies in his three hundred-ish years hanging out in the human realm. There was Dash, of course, when he was still alive. Skulker sure does know how to press his buttons sometimes. Even now that he's the king, sometimes he'll take an ill-fated swing and spend the next couple months in the thermos. Endeavour is another, when they went to school together, and even now, that both of them are pros. Working out the transformation part of his powers had been tricky, because he didn't really remember what he looked like when he was sixteen, but it worked out in the end.
But now there's this kid yelling about being the best hero ever, and he's beating the snot out of someone else.
Well, Danny knows for a fact that that isn't super heroic.
He walks up with little fanfare, but sure does give the kid a good scare. Despite the cold permanently clinging to his body, he can sneak up on people quite easily. He was naturally quiet when he was alive, and now that he's dead, his ghost instincts take over.
He places a hand on the kid's shoulder with a raised eyebrow. The kid he's beating up takes the opportunity to run away, clutching his bag to his chest as he does so. The kid tries to weasel his way out of Danny's grip, but the ghost king holds firm.
"For all that talk about wanting to be a hero you sure don't act like it, kid," he says.
"What the fuck are you talking about, you geezer?" The kid huffs. And, man, the mouth on him. He couldn't be more then twelve maybe. Danny gives him an icy smile to show that he's not playing around.
"Kid. You want to be a hero. Right?"
"Duh! What else would I be?"
"Heroes don't hurt innocent people, kid. Somewhere in that big brain of yours you surely already understand that."
The kid stays silent, but he doesn't let his fierce red eyes waver from Danny's calm, green ones. Danny sighs and gives the kid a level look. Despite his hero work and Ghost King duties, he does have free time. Maybe he could use it to tutor the kid into not being such a jackass.
"What's your name?" He asks.
"Why the hell should I tell you?" The kid barks back.
"It's only polite. My name is Danny."
"Tch," the kid says, turning his head away as if Danny isn't worth his time.
"Look," Danny says. "You wanna be a hero. I can help you with that. But if you really think you're gonna make it in the world of heroics with a shit attitude like that then you've got one rude awakening coming up."
"Well it's his fault for looking down on me!" The kid finally snaps, looking at Danny once more and not backing down. The kid's got spunk, he'll give him that.
"Did he actually say that, or is it in your head?" Danny asks. He's been on this planet for over three hundred years. At this point he can confidently smell an inferiority complex a mile away. And judging from the kid's sudden silence, he knows what the answer to his question is.
"Look," Danny pulls out his card and hands it over. It doesn't have a number on it. Just his name, and on the other side a place for him to scratch with a coin. "Take this. You ever decide you finally want some help learning how to be a good hero, just scratch that and I'll be there. Time knows we don't need another Endeavour on our hands."
"Endeavour sucks," the kid spits out. "All Might is way better."
"I suppose it's a good thing he's number one then," he replied. He takes his hand off of the kid's shoulder and stands back up to his full height.
"Why should I trust a dirty old hobo like you?" The kid asks. And, okay, he's not wrong but he could have been nicer about it. The white hair and the green eyes were easier to keep, but they weren't uncommon enough for him to be pegged as Phantom. And to downplay it even more, he wears clothes that don't fit properly so he can hide his figure. It only makes sense when you're a pretty popular hero.
"I think they call that a leap of faith. When you're ready you should try it sometime."
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It's three weeks later when Katsuki is saved by the mysterious man with white hair. Who just so happens to be another cool hero. The number 13 hero, to be exact. And Katsuki had all but told him to fuck off.
God, he was kind of an idiot sometimes.
He had been thinking about what Phantom had said. About De-Izuku looking down on him being in his head. He doesn't remember why he started thinking these things. He just remembers the burning anger associated with it. Maybe it was because Izuku was the only one dumb enough to stand up to him. Or maybe it's because, even when Katsuki pushes and pushes and pushes Izuku still resists, and wants to be his friend. He doesn't understand it, and that makes him frustrated, which just makes him angry all over again.
And it's exhausting, being angry all the time. It's like he's got this knot in his chest and every time he tries to untangle it, to unravel it and let himself relax for once, it just gets more and more tangled. And holy hell does it fucking ache. He's tired of being angry and he's tired of being followed around by idiots who don't know how to think for themselves and he's-he's just tired, he thinks.
He looks over at the card on his nightstand. A constant reminder that has Katsuki's thought's going in circles.
Because Phantom was right. Izuku hadn't necessarily done anything wrong. He wasn't a villain. And heroes were only supposed to fight villains. So why did he bother staining his own knuckles with Izuku's blood?
He finds a coin at the bottom of the drawer and scratches at the back of the card.
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"Katsuki Bakugou."
"What?" Phantom asks him.
"My name. It's Katsuki Bakugou. You asked me last time we talked."
"That I did," Phantom says, and there's a small, ghost of a smile on his lips. He holds out his hand for Katsuki to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you, Katsuki Bakugou. Are you ready to get started?"
Katsuki grips the hand like his life depends on it. He does not shiver from the cold seeping through Phantom's gloved hand.
"I was born ready."
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Training with Phantom isn't like anything Katsuki thought it was going to be. Sure, sometimes they worked with his quirk and his fighting and the process of building muscle. But most of the time, they just talked.
They talked about why Katsuki wanted to be a hero. All his life, the reason was always so simple until now. He wanted to be the best. He wanted to be like-no, better-than All Might. And to do that he needed to be at the top.
But Phantom had just shook his head with an almost sad smile and asked him again. A clear order to think on it some more. To go down deeper than that.
It had taken nearly a year for Katsuki to come back with an answer.
In that year, he's had more conversations. Some about his mom being annoying. Some about how he and Izuku have sort of fixed their relationship. Izuku has always been quick to forgive, but it doesn't stop the burning guilt Katsuki feels every time he looks at the boy without his shirt off.
Overtime they work through his inferiority complex and when Katsuki feels frustrated at someone or something he takes it out on Phantom during their training, because he can take the hits. But that's also not healthy all the time, so he also writes in a journal occasionally. Usually when Phantom isn't available.
And overtime, the knot in his chest lessens. It becomes manageable. It's still there, and probably always will be. Katsuki doesn't know how to not be angry. It's one of the only emotions he knows how to express really well. But his chest doesn't ache anymore with the anger. And usually, when he is feeling that way, it's not because someone is looking down at him. It's because someone else is being a bully. It's because someone else has knocked Izuku to the ground and Katsuki in all his righteous anger will not be stopped. It's sometimes at himself, when he remembers what he put his best friend through for the better part of a decade.
Because Izuku is his best friend. Probably his only real friend. And Katsuki had treated him like shit.
Phantom was right. That hadn't been super heroic of him.
Because Izuku was still strong in his own ways. With his unwavering determination and his expert analysis Katsuki is sure he'll be a good hero some day.
He doesn't know how to say these words out loud, though, so instead he invites Izuku to jog with him in the mornings and do homework together after school, and that's okay for now.
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"Where are we?" Bakugou asks. Phantom looks down at him. He's grown so much over the past couple years, it's hard to imagine that he had once been a snot nosed brat with an attitude problem.
And he still was. But it was more manageable than it was before. It didn't consume Bakugou's every waking moment like it used to, and Phantom couldn't be more proud of his student.
"We're in my home," Phantom answered, gesturing to the swirling green abyss. "This is the Ghost Zone. Come one, I'll show you my Keep."
It didn't take them far to get there. The castle has aged with him through the years. It's no longer dark and dreary like how Pariah had had it. Instead, it's bricks are well kept and the gardens tamed by his groundskeeper who's obsession is gardening. The inside is not particularly bright, but anybody could still see just fine. It's got a homey, lived in kind of feel to it. Even when he keeps it cold for his core, it feels warm. It feels like home.
In the throne room there is his big fancy chair with his crown and his cape sitting perfectly folded. As he puts them on, marveling for the millionth time as the constellations on the inside of his cape move around, he directs Bakugou's attention to the portraits on his walls.
They are of his family. His friends. Long, long since passed but not a day goes by where Danny doesn't think about them.
"These were my friends and family," he says. He hasn't quite explained to Bakugou that he's three hundred years old and actually dead, but he's sure that with all of this cold, hard proof surrounding him the conversation will be easier. "These are my parents," he gestures to their portraits. His father takes up nearly all of his frame with his broad shoulders and barrel chest. His mother is smiling serenely towards the viewer, her eyes sharp with knowledge. "This was my sister, Jazz," he gestures. Jazz is sitting ramrod straight just like always. There are crows feet around her eyes, and her favorite blue headband keeping her bangs out of her face. She looks as kind and intelligent as she did the day she died. He moves over to Sam and Tucker, and introduces them to Bakugou. Tucker had filled out as he got older. Ghost hunting will do that to a person, he supposes. But he's also the most intelligent person Danny's ever met, and it shows, with his easy smile and his relaxed shoulders. He had done very well in life, Danny remembers. Sam had long hair when the portrait was made, but it had been buzzed down when she died. The portrait sometimes can't decide which one it wants to show, so it slowly flickers between the two hairstyles. She's got tattoos covering all of her exposed skin that isn't her face. She's got obvious muscle from her time as a ghost hunter as well, but even more so as he time as an activist. She is the kindest person Danny has ever known. Her heart holds enough for every living thing. Especially the things people would cast aside without a second glance.
It's the final portrait that makes Phantom hesitate, just for a moment. Not because he doesn't enjoy seeing her, but because she is hard to talk about. It's been hundreds of years, but one doesn't forget the pain of losing their partner so easily.
"This was my wife, Valerie," he tells Bakugou, who has been oddly silent this whole time. "She was a ghost hunter, too. But she was also...My queen. Words cannot describe the pain I felt when I finally lost her." Phantom hold the ring that sits around his neck as he follows the grey streak in Valerie's hair. Her eyes are big and brown and absolutely stunning. Sometimes when Phantom isn't feeling his best, he'll sit beside her portrait and just talk to her. It's not quite the same as it was when she was alive, but it still brings some comfort. And that's not nothing.
"Why are you showing them to me?" Bakugou asks. There is no bite or bark to his words. Just a solemn curiosity that Phantom understands a bit to well.
"These were the people I fought for. The people I protected for. I leaned on them when I couldn't stand on my own. I trusted them with my greatest secrets, and was better for it. I had their help, their support, and their unwavering loyalty, so long as I gave the same to them. I'm showing you this part of my history because it is important for you to understand this lesson and ask yourself.
"Katsuki Bakugou, who do you fight for?"
