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kazukorre · 3 years

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⌗ LIVING DEAD GIRL ‹ ISSEI MATSUKAWA

pairing: m. issei + gn! reader (yes, the title is a misnomer,, it's a song title!)

genre: angst?

warnings: reader is dead but no injuries specified, cursing, angel's shitty writing (let me know if i should tag w/ anything else!!)

word count: 2.1k (wasn't expecting that lol)

In high school, Issei Matsukawa did not see himself becoming a coroner. In truth, the thought the profession was weird, “why would anyone wanna spend their day cutting open dead people?” he would ask, viewing death as a matter to be avoided. This changed following the murder of a close friend, the boy quickly becoming fascinated with death and the mystery of what happens after someone closes their eyes for good. And if he could do anything to make the transition easier for someone, he would.

So here he found himself, spending his days cutting open dead people. He found it to be, well, less depressing than he thought it would be. It could be partially due to the fact that most people he did autopsies on died of natural causes or sustained very few injuries. That was until you came into his lab, no different than others he’d seen before, lying unmoving on a metal stretcher and covered by a white sheet.

Issei began his process as he always did, opening a new report on his laptop then removing the thin fabric that covered you. “Holy shit.” His comment was quiet, almost a whisper as he assessed your body, more gruesome than he had seen before. “What happened to you?” Issei asked no one in particular, something he did often, though this time he received an answer; “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” The man spun so quickly he thought he would snap his neck. Behind him, you stood, looking as you did on the lab table but reanimated and missing your injuries. Issei froze, unsure of what was happening and he watched as you stepped forward to view your own body. “Wow, I look really bad. At least you haven’t cut me open yet, I dunno if I’d be able to handle the sight of my own insides.” Issei stared in disbelief, eyes darting from the dead body on the table to the seemingly alive one standing next to it. “But you’re- how are you- what the fuck?” His voice shook with fear and confusion. “Relax.” You hoisted yourself atop one of the file cabinets before continuing. “You act like you’ve never seen a ghost before.” Your voice carried almost a mocking lilt as if to criticize the man in front of you. “I haven’t!” Issei’s voice raised an octave or two, his comment ending in what almost sounded like a squeak. “Oh, my bad. You can keep working, don’t let me hold you up.” You turned to face the opposite direction on the file cabinet, not wanting to see him perform your autopsy. “I don’t think I can do that while you’re um- here.” He swallowed thickly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. You sighed and turned back around.

“Fine. Then I need to talk to you. Well, actually, I have a favor to ask of you.” A curse of disbelief escaped under his breath before he responded. “Okay. But I have to ask you something first.” You nodded and he continued. “What is this? Why are you- how are you here?” You puffed your cheeks and blew the air out. “I have no family, and I didn’t have any ID on me, so the police don’t know who I am. So, you get to help me solve my murder. Congrats?” There was a pregnant pause before Issei spoke. “I still don’t get it.” “It’s called the coroner’s curse, don’t ask about the name, I didn’t come up with it. Basically, If someone is murdered but the case likely won’t get solved, like mine, then the coroner has to help them. That’s you.” Issei stared at you quizically. “So, I have to solve your murder? But how? I don’t know you.”

You slipped down from the file cabinet and made your way over to the half-empty report open on Issei’s computer. “You don’t have to have known the victim in order to help them. It’s just how the curse goes. But if it’s of any importance, you did know me. Kind of.” You began to fill in empty spaces of information like your name, age, and address. “No, I didn’t.” “That’s why I said kind of. The bar you go to all the time, I worked there. Used to see you come in all the time, I understand now why you do, this job must be depressing. Anyway,” you turned to the man behind you, “I’ll let you finish what you have to do. Meet me at the bar tomorrow night, 9:00, okay?” Issei hesitated before agreeing, feeling foolish and slightly off his rocker for agreeing to help some rando solve their murder, but nonetheless, he nodded. Offering him a smile, you left the lab, just as any living person would do.

Issei stood in the alley behind the local bar he frequented, looking around for any sign of you. “Boo.” The man jumped, his reaction mirroring the one he had when he first met you. “You can’t do that to me!” You simply laughed at how skittish he was and he sent you a death glare as you tried to catch your breath. “Okay, let’s keep the talking to a minimum. Remember, no one else can see me. Let’s go, follow me.” You began walking to the other end of the alley, Issei following close behind. “This is where I was killed by the way, if you were curious.” You pointed to a spot next to one of the dumpsters. When he looked, Issei saw dark stains decorating the brick wall and the metal of the dumpster. “Pretty cool, huh?” He grimaced, “Not really, no.”

Soon, the two of you arrived at your apartment, or technically, what used to be your apartment. Before Issei could ask how you were supposed to get in without keys, the door opened from the inside, revealing you in the doorway. “How did you-?” “I’m a ghost, duh. Catch up.”

You motioned him inside and led him to your bedroom. You handed him a photo of a man then turned to rustle through your desk drawers. “What do I do with this?” “That’s the guy you have to go after. He’s the one who did it.” Dropping his hand to his side, Issei looked to you again as you handed him something else, this time it was a stack of what looked like pages from a diary. “These are his journal entries. I found them one night when I stayed over at his house. I took them just in case I ever- well in case this happened. It’s basically a written confession. I have other stuff too, but these pages should be enough. He was dumb enough to sign them, so his name’s there.”

As you turned again to grab more pieces of potential evidence, Issei began to zone out. He wished that he could have done the same for his friend years back before he became a coroner. He was unaware of how much their death had affected him and how little he had processed it. “Hey, what’s your deal?” Issei blinked a few times before speaking. “Uh, nothing, I just- nothing.” He cleared his throat and looked down. “You were crying. Sure you’re okay?” He nodded. “I guess it doesn’t matter if I tell you this, since you’re dead and all, but. My friend, they- they were murdered, too. The police didn’t do anything about it, said it was probably just gang violence and they’d probably never find the person who did it so…” His voice trailed off and the end of his sentence, eyes burning with tears. “So I guess, by helping you, I’m helping them, too. It sounds stupid but-” “It’s not stupid, it’s sweet. I’m sorry about your friend, though, I’m sure they were great.” Issei nodded and cleared his throat again. “I’m just glad I get to help you.”

“Right. So, what you’ll do is put all of this in an envelope, bring it to the precinct and tell them you have information that could help with my case number, and give them the envelope. Oh! Here’s a photo of me, for identification. And tell them you wanna remain anonymous, you look different from him anyway, so they shouldn’t suspect you.” You handed Issei a large orange envelope and the photo of you. He stuffed the papers and photos into it before sealing it. “Do you need me to walk you home or do you think you can find your way?” “I think I’ve got it from here. But, what about you? What happens to you now?” You chuckled sadly before answering with what you thought was an obvious answer. “Well, I finish dying. Go into the light or whatever. Your job is done, you have what you need to solve this for me, so I’m done here.” Issei swallowed thickly. “So, that’s it. I won’t see you again?” You smirked at him playfully, “What, you got a crush on me or something?” He flushed at your accusation before stammering out an answer “N-no! This just seems anti-climactic, I guess.” “Anti-climactic? You helped a dead person solve their own murder, how is that anti-climactic?” Issei laughed at how seemingly offended you were by his comment. “I guess you’re right. I should go, I’ll let you uh, finish dying, then.”

The two of you made your way out of your bedroom and back to the front door. “Thanks for helping me, Issei. I appreciate it. You helped me get my name back.” Your tone was sing-songy as you said your last sentence. “No problem, it’s not like I had much choice anyway.” You gasped dramatically, causing the two of you to share genuine laughs. “But seriously, you’re welcome. I’m glad I could help you.” You nodded and ushered him out of the door, offering him a wave and watching him walk down the hall of your apartment floor and into the stairwell.

Issei shivered as he stepped into the air-conditioned precinct, sealed envelope in hand. He approached the woman at the front desk, clearing his throat to grab her attention. “How may I help you?” Issei placed the envelope on the desk and slid it gently toward her. “Uh, I have some info in here that could help with a recent murder. Case uh, case number 3386?” The woman nodded, taking the envelope and setting it next to her. “May I ask your name?” Issei rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Could I remain anonymous?” The receptionist hummed in agreement and thanked him for his help. He nodded and stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket, walking out of the precinct.

[# an epilogue, of sorts]

A month had passed since your murder. Issei kept the photo you had given him instead of turning it in to the authorities. He felt some strange connection to you. Despite only knowing you for two days, he couldn’t get over the fact that you saw him nearly every night. How much of his life did you see? He kept it in a frame on his nightstand right next to a photo of his friend, and soon it became a habit of his to say goodnight to you both. Issei hadn’t noticed how lonely he truly was. Of course, he was still in touch with a few friends from high school. But since his friend’s passing the topic of conversation always seemed to shift to them and it soon became too much for Issei to handle. Being a coroner was oddly peaceful to him, but being surrounded by death all day was melancholic still. It wasn’t until he ‘met’ you that he realized how much he missed being around other people. He existed in a world of isolation and loss, so much so that though you were dead, your soul brought light to his life.

Issei saw to it that you had a proper burial, using his connection with the local funeral home to give you the sendoff he felt you deserved. He would visit your grave often, though sometimes he felt strange about it, visiting the resting site of someone he barely knew, but he always knew there was a reason behind it. Something that kept bringing him back to that cemetery, something that told him there was something in there for him. He was glad he did, though, because being in that cemetery during a rainstorm led him to his future significant other, the person he needed to end the dull and lonesome cycle of his life. He prospered in the end, eventually marrying them and beginning a life of his own. You watched from above all the while, cheering on your unlikely friend from the afterlife.

hmm... i dont know if i like this,, but its been years since ive written anything so im probably very rusty (=_=)

tags r such a pain ew

#matsukawa issei #issei x reader #haikyuu matsukawa #matsukawa imagines #matsukawa x reader #haikyu x reader #hq x reader #hq x gn!reader

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