Encountered my first Bakugou defender on Friday. They accused me of not understanding Bakugou's character and romanticizing the villains. The best part? They had only read up to chapter three of the story. I'm a little ashamed to say I lost my temper a bit. But I don't regret it.

Please enjoy.

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"Effective immediately, Katsuki Bakugou will be transferred out of the hero course."

Nezu leaned back, taking a look around the room. As the extent of Bakugou's transgressions had been shared with every teacher at UA, none of them were shocked at his decision. Some of them- those who had known him for much longer- were probably expecting expulsion. And Nezu had wanted to expel Bakugou, he really did.

"Nezu!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as President Samui voiced her obvious disagreements, reminding him of why he hadn't been able to. As he had told Aizawa, the Hero Public Safety Commission had been steadfastly against expelling Bakugou. They had high hopes for him becoming a hero and it was easy to see why.

The foundation of today's definition of a hero wasn't built on nobility, empathy, or valuing the lives of the innocent. It was built on power and entitlement. Those with obviously strong quirks were cherished by society, while those with seemingly weaker or no quirks were completely disregarded. And this was an agenda that the HPSC had been pushing for decades.

It was why they had attempted to use Midoriya as a scapegoat. It was also why they were attempting to shield Bakugou from any real consequences.

Samui attempted to keep a smile plastered onto her face. "I thought we had an agreement," she continued through clenched teeth.

Nezu smiled right back at her. "We did," he replied. "We agreed that Bakugou wouldn't be expelled, and he isn't." He cleared his throat. "However, he has proven to be irresponsible with his quirk, violent, and sporadic. He has attacked fellow classmates multiple times and acted irresponsibly when faced with a villain attack."

His smile never breaking, Nezu met the woman's gaze. "He doesn't meet the expectations of a UA hero student."

Samui glared viciously at him. "Nezu, I will not allow you to ruin that boy's bright future," she hissed. "He has the potential to be a great hero!"

"No one's future is ruined," said Nezu pleasantly. "As he will be admitted to general studies course. There he can continue taking academic classes and graduate normally. With his grades, I'm sure he'll do just fine provided he sees Hound Dog regularly."

From the corner of his eye, Nezu noticed Aizawa's eyes sharpen and knew the younger man had caught on. Yes, Bakugou would take normal classes, graduate normally, and get a normal job. Someone else in this situation may think they were lucky. That this was merely a warning considering everything Bakugou had done.

But Bakugou wasn't someone else. This would be a direct hit to his ego, shattering the superiority complex he had built up for years. And once his past was 'accidentally' leaked to Shiketsu, Ketsubutsu, and all the other hero schools in Japan (who would have hesitated to take him in even without the knowledge of his actions), he wouldn't even be able to transfer out. He would either have to stay a general education student here or attend another mundane high school.

Nezu took a sip of his tea, attempting to hide his admittedly villainous grin.

OoOoOo

Katsuki couldn't move.

General studies. They were moving him into the general studies department with the rejects who had no chance of ever amounting to anything. He would be stuck there while useless Deku got to stay in the hero course with All Might's quirk. His fist curled by his side, the warmth of his quirk threatening to slip out of his control.

But the clown eyed him. "Don't even think about it, Katsuki," he warned.

The hag- who had finally stopped crying after weeks- barely spared him a glance. "I still think we should have taken him out before they made their decision," she stressed. "Maybe, he could have gotten into Shiketsu, or-"

Katsuki growled, and snapped out of his chance. "I'm not fucking going to a second-rate hero school," he hissed. UA had been his only option since he was five. The fucking nerve of her to suggest anything less.

His father sent him a sharp look. "Don't speak to your mother like that," he ordered. Katsuki growled again, but knew better than to disobey. The clown had grown a spine in the last few weeks and even he knew it wasn't wise to get onto his bad side. His father looked at his mother with a softer look. "I have to agree with Principal Nezu, hon. Katsuki isn't responsible enough to be a hero."

Katsuki swallowed, the clown's words somehow cutting him more than he would like to admit. His parents might not have sucked up to him the way his teachers had, but they had always supported him. They had always believed in him. The thought that they no longer did made his chest tighten.

It also made him angry.

"Says who?!" he demanded. "The rat? I'm the best fucking student they have! They should be begging me to-!"

"Be quiet, Katsuki." The clown didn't yell, he never did. But somehow, his father's voice was enough to shut him up as the man glared down at him. "You're lucky you aren't being charged with misusing your quirk. The school is being gracious enough to still allow you to attend, don't make them regret it." His father's gaze turned cold. "And if I hear you even looked in Izuku's direction, you'll immediately be transferred to Aldera High."

Katsuki normally didn't take threats seriously. He was the strongest, what could anyone do to him But the look on his father's face told him that he was completely serious.

He had a feeling that the clown would make good on his promise.

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Izuku's chest felt lighter.

Next to him, his mother cried happy tears as she hugged him. He felt a lump in his own throat, but didn't cry. He had cried too often in the past week. He simply hugged his mother back, burying his face into the crook of her neck. As he read the email over and over, the words seemed to sear themselves in his brain.

General studies. Kacchan was no longer a hero student.

It wasn't expulsion. But it was a punishment. A punishment that Kacchan would hate just as much as- if not more than- being expelled. For the first time in their lives, someone had listened to Izuku. Someone had taken his side.

It was over. Ten years of burns, insults, and bullying were over. He could focus on becoming the greatest hero in Japan without worrying about Kacchan losing his temper over it. He didn't have to chase after Kacchan anymore or act as a prop to stroke his ego. He could study, hang out with his friends, and perfect using One For All and didn't have to spare the blond a second thought.

Izuku was free.

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Technically, the story ends here. However, I will be posting one additional chapter as a quick epilogue of sorts. It won't really be a chapter, just a short summary of what I think would happen next. You don't have to read it, but it would make me happy :D

So, I didn't necessarily decide not to expel Bakugou because it would be too harsh. Bakugou is a violent bigot who looks down on others and picks on people weaker than him because he can. Honestly, I'd like to see him in juvie or something.

However, aside from the battle trials and final exam, the majority of Bakugou's transgressions happened before UA. Because he was already accepted and enrolled in UA, I began to wonder if what happened before would even count. This was something I thought about a lot and I don't think UA would have the grounds to expel him based on any of these incidents (though, they can use them to as evidence of his violent and cruel nature). And yes, Bakugou's behavior in the battle trials and the final exam was unacceptable. But All Might didn't stop the exercise when he should have and Aizawa shouldn't have paired them up. They both share the blame for that.

Like I used Nezu to explain, I do think that condemning him to general studies is worse anyway. I think forcing him into the same spot as other "rejects" is something he would hate. I think making a big show of expelling him would make him more important than he is. Here he's just kind of... discarded. He would also have a front row seat to watching Midoriya become the best hero student in UA while he's stuck being the same as the extras he looked down on.

(Side note: the HPSC president doesn't have a name so I made one up. Samui means "cold," so I thought it fit)

Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!