You know what I want? I want an AU where Bakugo isn’t a shithead. He was abused by his mom, saw how angry she was, and decided that no, he wasn’t going to be like her.
He has a hard time connecting with people, yeah. He doesn’t know how to show affection, and he doesn’t really want to. He’s dismissive, and distant. But he doesn’t tell Midoriya to kill himself. He doesn’t threaten to murder people. He doesn’t go absolutely feral if someone is stronger than him.
He’s supportive of Midoriya, and sticks up for him when people bully him for being quirkless. I want a Bakugo who knows what it feels like to be bullied, and decides he doesn’t want his childhood friend to go through that.
He still wants to be the best. Still wants to become rich and famous, and for people to know his name. But he knows that other people can also be rich and famous. Other people can also be heroes. Can even be really good, or great, or top heroes.
He battles with Midoriya, and they both give it their all, and no matter the outcome, Bakugo is supportive. Tells him he did good, or that he’s getting stronger. I want a Bakugo who helped train Midoriya to be stronger, because if he was going to try to be a hero, Bakugo didn’t want him embarrassing himself by going into it with the strength of a malnourished gerbil.
Maybe him and Midoriya aren’t close friends anymore. Maybe they only see each other in class, because they grew apart. As Bakugo lifted up his childhood friend, Midoriya was able to branch out and make more friends. And Bakugo didn’t want to let more people into his life. So he withdrew himself, and stopped talking to the other.
But he’s not mean. Distant, and withdrawn, and dismissive. But not mean.