House of Memories --- Villain! Deku
PromiseBHere is my AU and take on Villain!Deku as told by the song “House of Memories” by Panic! At The Disco.
In my AU, Izuku Midoriya (AKA Deku) attempted suicide at the age of 14 (end of junior high) by jumping off the roof of the building, just as Bakugou told him to. He was saved by Kurogiri and taken to the League’s base to recover. After finishing recovery from several sever injuries such as a concussion, broken arm, dislocated shoulder, and shattered knee, he was taken to meet All For One in person.
AFO offered Deku a quirk, in fact, more than one. At first, Deku said no, because at this point in the timeline, Deku still idolized All Might and wished to be a hero. However, after telling his story to Kurogiri, Shigaraki, and AFO, the three of them questioned him as to why he still desired to be a hero after everything that had been done to him.
He was bullied for not being born with a quirk. He was bullied for trying to become a hero without a quirk. His own mother implied that it would be impossible to achieve his dream. And his own idol, All Might, blatantly told him to give up his dream.
After that, Deku reconsidered, and joined the League.
If you’re a lover, you should know
The lonely moments just get lonelier
The longer you’re in love
Than if you were alone
Memories turn into daydreams, become a taboo
These lyrics are told by Katsuki Bakugou, remembering how he used to love Deku as a friend before he got his quirk and his ego was fed by his friends, family, teachers, and even Deku himself. He remembered how lost he was when he found out that Deku killed himself (at least as far as he knows) because he knows for certain that it was his fault.
His happy memories of Deku became mere daydreams, where Deku was still alive and would return home and become a hero with him, and they would be the Wonder Duo just like they’d planned to be before Bakugou manifested his quirk.
I don’t want to be afraid
The deeper that I go
It takes my breath away
Soft hearts electric souls
Heart to heart and eyes to eyes
Is this taboo?
These lyrics are said by Deku himself, talking about the hero system and how he wants to take an eye for an eye with Bakugou. He’s saying that the deeper he digs into the hero system, the more corrupt it is revealed to be, and to a former All Might idol and present Stain idealist, he’s shocked to see that All Might is no exception. He speaks about how Bakugou nearly destroyed him, and in return, he wants to do the same thing and succeed.
Baby we built this house
On memories
Take my picture now,
Shake it til you see it
And when your fantasies
Become your legacy
Promise me a place
In your house of memories
The chorus is sung by Deku explaining to Bakugou to remember the times when they were happy as best friends, because those memories very well may be the last good ones he has of Deku. He explains how when Bakugou’s dream of becoming the #1 hero comes true, Deku will be watching and waiting, and the second that dream is achieved, Deku will crush it under his foot like a bug.
I think of you from time to time
More than I thought I would
You were just too kind
And I was too young to know
That’s all that really matters
I was a fool
This verse is sung by Bakugou pleading to Deku for forgiveness in their first battle at the USJ, when Bakugou and Kirishima were sent to the ruins zone. Deku was among the villains there, and Bakugou and Deku fought one on one. Bakugou was explaining how he knew he screwed up when they were kids, and how he remembers exactly who Deku is and was - a determined boy with a heart of gold and a brain of steel. He admits defeat of the battle when Kirishima is injured, opting to help take care of his friend instead of defeating Deku.
Baby we built this house
On memories
Take my picture now,
Shake it til you see it
And when your fantasies
Become your legacy
Promise me a place
In your house of memories
The chorus is once again sung by Deku, though this time there’s the slightest bit of doubt when he tells Bakugou to remember him the way he used to be.
Those thoughts of past lovers
They’ll always haunt me
This part of the bridge is sung by Deku trying to repress the admission that Bakugou has or is at the very least trying to change for the better, though he’s still angry and passionate with revenge.
I wish I could believe
You’d never wrong me
The next part is Bakugou saying that he wishes things would go back to the way they were, and that he wants to think that the real Deku is still in there, though he’s given up on that idea a long time ago. At that point in the storyline, Bakugou is already a pro and moving up quickly in the ranks, while Deku is and has been the #1 villain for a very long time.
Then will you remember
Me in the same way
As I remember you
This part is sung by both Deku and Bakugou, though with different meanings and intentions behind the lyrics. Deku is asking Bakugou if he will come to hate Deku as much as Deku hates him, while Bakugou is asking Deku if he’ll ever come to terms with the fact that Bakugou has changed and he’s never going to hurt anyone the same way ever again.
Baby we built this house
On memories
Take my picture now,
Shake it til you see it
And when your fantasies
Become your legacy
Promise me a place
In your house of memories
The chorus is once again sung by Deku. The doubt has since slipped away, because he’s taunting Bakugou with the fact that he could hurt him with the knowledge of what he did when they were kids.
In your house of memories
Promise me a place
The last two lines are sung by Bakugou.
It’s the final showdown between the villain Deku and pro hero Ground Zero, and everyone’s watching, whether it be in person surrounding the sworn enemies, or on the TV program shot by a local small time news station (that suddenly blew up with the live coverage). Deku has Bakugou in a choke hold on the ground and Bakugou knows he’s lost. He asks Deku to remember him the way he used to be, remember the work that he’d gone through to get where he was that day, and how good of friends they used to be.
Bakugou is bleeding out, and Deku isn’t letting anyone near him, so the paramedics are too late. Only when Bakugou stops breathing does Deku release the choke hold and disappear.
That would be a day that Deku forever remembered and regretted.
Two weeks later, after hours spent kicking himself for every decision that led him to this point, Deku turned himself in to the police. He was put on death row and spent three years waiting for that time to come.
And when it did, he thanked All Might and Bakugou for everything they put him through.
(I might turn this into a fic and put it on Ao3... idk we’ll have to see, but I hope you actually read all the way through and I hope you enjoyed!)