I was a little surprised at the amount of interest I got so I guess I'll keep going! Any input or suggestions are always welcome

Chapter 2

It was supposed to be a joke! He never thought Deku would actually do it. He wasn't supposed to jump. But seeing him up on the roof, standing on the ledge, something inside Bakugou clicked. All his teasing, his harsh words, his jokes…had he pushed him to this? One of their classmates had spotted him first and started shouting. Soon a large crowd had gathered, staring up at the boy standing on the roof on the wrong side of the fence. The teachers were on their way up to try and stop him. One of them had already called the police. But when Deku started to fall, Bakugou's heart dropped. Most of the other students either looked away or covered their eyes, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Small explosions popped and crackled in his palms. If he shot up there, he might be able to catch him. He could prove he was meant to be in UA's hero course. But what if he didn't make it? The moment of hesitation was all it took—made him a second too slow.

He dove forward but wasn't quick enough. He managed to catch Deku's head and shoulders, but he wasn't fast enough to stop the boy's momentum. Deku hit the pavement with a sickening smack. Blood splattered Bakugou. He heard the bones breaking when he hit. Deku's leg was bent at an unnatural angle, his right arm pinned beneath him. He hit so hard he couldn't even cry out in pain. The fall hadn't been enough to kill him, but it had broken him. He gasped for air, each breath sharp and ragged. Blood dripped from his mouth and rolled down his chin.

"Deku…what the hell were you…."

Deku's eyes moved slowly, looking up at Bakugou. The look of despair and anguish reflected in his green eyes sent a chill coursing through Bakugou. It was like he was blaming him, like his eyes were saying "this is your fault."

"Back up! Back up!" One of the teachers rushed out, cutting through the crowd.

"Sensei!" Bakugou was frantic. "What the hell should I—"

"The ambulance is on its way." The teacher knelt beside them. Deku's eyes were half closed. He was barely conscious, gasping for air. "Thank goodness you caught him. If he had hit his head…."

But I didn't…he thought. He had moved too slow to actually save him.

It didn't take long for the whirr of sirens to reach their ears. The ambulance arrived and paramedics with a gurney leapt out of the back. The sea of horrified students and teachers parted to let them through, but Bakugou was still there cradling Deku's head. He was afraid of what would happen if he let go. It was only when the paramedics lifted the boy and strapped him to the gurney did Bakugou finally stand up. He watched listlessly as they wheeled him into the ambulance and drove off, sirens screeching. That's when the whispers began.

"Who was he again?"

"The Quirkless third-year, I think."

"I heard he was trying to get into UA. Maybe the reality was just too much for him."

"Poor thing."

Their words were an incessant buzzing in Bakugou's ears. A large hand on his shoulder made him jump.

"Bakugou," their teacher said quietly. "Change into your PE uniform. You can't go walking around looking like that."

He looked down at his clothes. He was covered in blood—Deku's blood. It was all over his hands.

"Why don't you go home?" the teacher suggested. "We will be calling your parents later to check on you."

"What about Deku?"

"I have to go call his mother now. He's lucky you caught him. He might've died otherwise."

Bakugou trudged to his locker to retrieve his PE uniform. His friends called out to him, but he wasn't listening, rushing into the bathroom. As he changed out of his bloody clothes, he stared at himself in the mirror. Thin streaks of red were splashed across his face. He turned the water on full blast and washed his hands furiously. Crimson water swirled down the drain. And even when his hands were clean, he kept scrubbing. Though they were no longer bloody, he felt dirty.

He slammed his fist against the wall, cursing himself. If he had been faster…if only he hadn't hesitated. What kind of hero can't save someone from falling? Anger at himself bubbled up inside him.

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, most of the students had gone home. After witnessing something horrific, the teachers had dismissed them, calling their parents and councilors to send to those who saw it all happen. He walked slowly up the stairs and slid the door open. Deku's yellow backpack was still sitting on his desk, untouched. Bakugou grabbed his own school bag and slung it over his shoulder. Approaching Deku's empty desk, he opened the big, gaudy backpack. Several notebooks were stuffed inside along with an untouched bento box. One of the notebooks was charred and torn. Reaching inside, he pulled it out. It was the same one he had burned the other day, the writing on the front reading Hero Analysis for the Future No. 13. He kept it after it was damaged to this extent? He flipped through the pages. Deku certainly was thorough with his notes. Doodled on one of the pages was a costume design, a rather gaudy one with tiny notes about how it was supposed to mimic All Might's look. But a big fat X had been scratched roughly over the face. Harsh words, in Deku's handwriting, were scrawled in red across the page: Worthless, idiot, die.

He snapped the notebook shut and stuffed it back in the bag. He should at least take Deku's bag home. They couldn't leave it here. But he dreaded what Auntie would say. Deku's mom…would she blame him?

V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V

When he arrived at the hospital a few hours later, Mrs. Midoriya was already there, begging the doctor to tell her what happened. His mother was there as well, trying to comfort the frantic woman. When his mom spotted him, Bakugou balked.

"Katsuki!" she shouted. "Where the hell have you been?" She hugged him tightly. "When your teacher called me and told me what happened, I was so worried!"

"Get off me," he grumbled. "I'm fine."

Mrs. Midoriya was looking at him. Tears were pouring down her plump cheeks, her eyes red and puffy. He stiffened. What would she say? What had the teachers told her? She approached them slowly.

"Oh, Katsuki…they told me what you did. You tried to save him…." She sniffled. "I-If you hadn't been there to catch him, I don't know what I'd do! The doctors said if you had not caught him, he would have died!"

Guilt clawed at him. Saved him? If he hadn't spoken so harshly, bullied him, maybe he wouldn't have jumped. This was all his fault. He averted his gaze, lifting Deku's backpack.

"I brought his stuff," he muttered.

"Thank you…." She took the yellow bag from him, hugging it tightly to her chest.

"Mrs. Midoriya," one of the doctors said.

"Yes?" She set the bag down in one of the waiting room chairs and hurried toward him.

Bakugou's mother sat down, arms folded. Hands in his pockets, Bakugou leaned against the wall. He glanced up at Mrs. Midoriya, talking to the doctor as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"He's been in surgery for hours," his mother said.

"Huh?"

"Izuku. They rushed him to surgery and he's been in there ever since," she said. "All we know is that there is a lot of internal bleed and several broken bones. From that height, if he had hit his head, he probably would have died instantly."

He nodded absently, still watching Midoriya's mother. She nodded quickly. The doctor excused himself and headed back down the hall. Mrs. Midoriya shuffled toward them and slumped in the chair. She covered her face with her hands, shoulders trembling as she cried. His mother rested her hand on the woman's hunched back, trying to comfort her.

"My baby…my poor baby…."

"What did the doctor say?"

"H-he's been transferred to the ICU," she managed through her sobs. "He's unconscious. T-the doctor said I can't see him until he stabilizes."

"It'll be okay," his mother said. "He'll be alright."

"Thank you, Mitsuki." She choked on a sob. "My poor baby…."

V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V

"Kacchan!" Deku's voice echoed behind him.

Bakugou turned to see Midoriya chasing after him. The only thing was…he was five, not a third-year middle schooler. The young boy held out his hand, a concerned look on his face. He remembered this day. It was shortly after his quirk had manifested and Deku's hadn't. He had slipped off a log when they were playing with some friends and he had fallen into the water. This was when it started…the bullying. He had been aggravated by Deku's attitude, acting like he was better than him! What could he do without a Quirk? He hated the way he looked at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "It would've been bad if you hit your head."

Smacking his hand away, Bakugou heard himself shout. "Get lost! I don't need your help!"

The scenery melted away and suddenly he was in their middle school classroom. Deku was standing in front of him, eyes downcast and shoulders slumped. He heard himself speak again, "If you wanna be a hero that badly, there's a quick way to do it. Believe that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a last chance dive off the roof."

That's not what I meant, he thought, I didn't mean it. But for some reason, he couldn't speak. Deku looked up at him, the same dead look in his eyes he had seen when he jumped, filled with hopelessness and despair.

"You're right," he muttered. "I should just give up. I'm just a quirkless nerd…worse than useless."

There was a loud scream and a flash. He found himself standing outside. Deku's bloody, mangled body lay motionless on the ground. The scene was drenched in crimson. His own hands were covered in blood. Bakugou's hands trembled, his heart hammering against his ribs. His breathing quickened. And though Deku's lips weren't moving, Bakugou heard his voice clearly.

"You win, Kacchan. This is what you wanted right?"

A scream erupted from him and Bakugou bolted upright. He was back in his dark bedroom, chest heaving. Sweat rolled down his neck. His tank-top was drenched. He looked down at his hands. There was no blood. They were clean…yet he felt like they were still dirty. They trembled as he tried to catch his breath.

"Fuck!" He hunched over, covering his face with his hand. "You weren't supposed to do it, idiot. Fuck…."

Please remember to leave a review, let me know what you think! And Chapter 3 will be up when I get around to writing it :)