I woke up in a cold sweat thinking about this and I have to just get it out or it'll drive me mad. So a DEH/BNHA AU in which Midoriya really does jump off the roof in the end, and Bakugou is there to see him go but, too little too late, can't stop him from jumping. All he's left with is a soggy book full of Midoriya's dreams and an overwhelming amount of guilt. The notebook takes place of the emails, with Bakugou discovering extensive pages on himself in the burnt notebook, and later on finding himself in every notebook after Inko (thinking like many others who knew the boys that Bakugou treated Midoriya poorly in order to protect the quirkless boy from killing himself in the hero industry) gave him the whole collection. They became a symbol in the media of the two boys friendship (and in a twisted way allowed Bakugou to become closer to Midoriya), while still serving as the cover's downfall later. In this AU he told Midoriya to jump after he's alone in the classroom with him, so when he calls an ambulance he's assumed to be the poor kid who tried to stop his suicidal quirkless friend from jumping, and his flawless record and strong quirk ensures that he's hailed as a tragic hero. All of a sudden Deku is a tragic story and Bakugou is SUFFOCATING in guilt and rage as people who spat on Midoriya's beaten form suddenly cry over his body. The Bakugou who enters UA is a quiet, broken shell of a kid who's anger is quick to flare but quick to splutter out, and is haunted by the shadow of a dead kid that chatters in his ear all the time. He still keeps distance from his classmates, but rather than from disdain and pride, it's because he's tired of the fakeness of others and being seen as someone who needs pity. Bakugou is famous and lorded as a hero even in UA because of the way he clung to Midoriya's corpse when he was being wheeled into the ambulance, shouting about how "Izuku was meant to be smiling, damn it! He's supposed to be awake, open your fucking eyes already you idiot! If you're dead who's gonna do good in this shitty world? You were meant to fight your way to the top right? WHY ARE YOU GOING SOMEWHERE I CANT SEE YOU??" Midoriya's ghost constantly reminds him of his failures, so he tries to be a better person in repentance and also in fear of becoming a villain. The only person who gets close to him is Shinsou (who is in class 1-A most definitely), after Bakugou gets into an ugly fight with him during the third round of the sports festival, and destroys his hands with explosions to break out of the mind control so he can kick Shinsou's ass and tell him he can be a hero! Fuck what others think! YOU ARENT A VILLAIN BECAUSE IF YOU ARE (what am I???). The bakusquad eventually forms but it's harder with Bakugou being so resistant, especially when they're so inherently good. Especially Kirishima, who does nothing but try his best to understand Bakugou and become friends with this kid who saw his childhood friend die in front of him. Meanwhile Bakugou can't stand this stupid kid is so wonderful and good, a true hero who claims that Bakugou is the one who is the best hero he's seen??? He HATES it, and hates how much his heart leaps at the thought of that ever being true. But Bakugou still reigns as top student, winning the sports festival after spectacularly kicking Todoroki's ass for not using his flames, especially after he had an enlightening conversation with the other boy and a solid confrontation with Endeavour. The two are not friends per say, but Bakugou can't help but feel a connection to the boy that carried the heavy weight of emotional pain like Midoriya, and who he beat with words he thought Midoriya would say. In the end Bakugou still gets kidnapped by the League, but they are more eager to recruit him because they know he was the one who caused Midoriya to kill himself. And Bakugou doesn't want to listen to these fuckers, but the Midoriya that's always with him is whispering "villain" in his ear and suddenly the League has released the truth anonymously to the media by sending pictures of the famous notebooks. The notebooks weren't just quirk analysis but also a form of a journal for Midoriya, and they mention the abuse he suffered from Bakugou and his quirk, and suddenly the entire society is shaken by a "hero" figure being exposed as a "villain". The rescue is more difficult with Shinsou taking Midoriya's place and encouraging Kirishima to reach out. And Bakugou, broken even more by his facade finally crumbling and his belief of truly being a villain, almost doesn't reach out. But they get there in the end, and Bakugou hates himself even more when All Might loses his power, with One For All having been discreetly handed off to Mirio during the year. Everything comes to head when Bakugou is hassled by society into making a public speech, and against UA's wishes he steps up to the podium. Pale, exhausted and grief-stricken, Bakugou comes clean on national television. Only at the end, when disgusted murmurs have broken out and faith in heroes is fracturing, Bakugou gives a tearful speech about his understanding of what it really means to be a hero, of how fucking stupid it was he was lorded for having a quirk and others were condemned as "weak" for not being born lucky. He cuts to the core of social issues and he screams until his voice is hoarse about how unfair it is he stands here when IZUKU is the hero this world deserved. And it's a sobering moment to realise a child is breaking down on television because society is the one that held him high and turned him to view quirkless as worthless Deku's because that's how the world works. The slate isn't swept clean and Bakugou is condemned by many for his actions, but more awareness of quirkless suicide/domestic violence statistics is raised and all of a sudden society is actively trying to fix their flaws because their corrupt system has bred broken children who see themselves as worthless, and children with God complexes who turn toxic with society's help. In the end Bakugou managed to stay in UA with the intervention of his teachers, including a devastated All Might who wishes he could've helped this Midoriya kid (he has to save EVERYONE). The other kids are wary but suddenly many hey an understanding of how fucked up Bakugou has been over the thought of becoming a villain, and suddenly the bakusquad and what would've been the Dekusquad have merged into this ride-or-die group of friends who only want to make Bakugou happy. Eventually he is happy when he gets the necessary counselling and faces his issues for good. The day comes when he can finally look in the mirror and smile at the hero he sees, and it's the same day he finally says yes to that Shitty-haired bastard who keeps asking him out.
My Secret Santa gift for @prometheanastronaut . Merry Christmas!
Prompt was Dekusquad.
Some Dekusquad general edits plus one of all of them. || Tap for better quality ||