Name Calling

So it's Zel's birthday today and I promised her a dark and smutty fic for her birthday. 

This is not it. 

This is a ridiculously fluffy story that I hope she'll like because it's been a long week and I thought we all needed some fluff in our lives. I'm still working on the other one and it sadly might be a little late OOPS SORRY ZEL so here's the first half of your present, anyway.

Surprise! This is an idea you hadn't heard about!!

I love you, happy birthday <3

Soulmate AU: Hearing your soulmate say your name fills you with a burst of happiness.

─────

"Yo, can I start calling you Katsuki yet?"

Bakugou froze, staring at the sharp-toothed smile bearing down on him, and found himself nodding.

"I guess?" he shrugged. "I don't care what you call me."

"Really?! Awesome!"

He groaned when Kaminari practically dove into the conversation, throwing an arm around Bakugou's shoulders and grinning as he squeezed tight.

"Me too, right? Right?!"

"Whatever. If you want."

He continued to nod, rolling his eyes, as the group around him quickly grew. His "squad" had grown a little over their three years in school together, and he meant it when he told them he didn't give a shit – names were names, and his was his. He didn't understand the fixation on what people called each other.

In the back of his mind, though, a strange little voice piped up at him, as if it were prodding his brain for attention.

Wouldn't it be weird if it happened right now?

It was a stupid thought, obviously. For one thing, Kirishima and Ashido had already been through the experience in their second year, so it wasn't like one of them was going to trigger it. For another, it wasn't going to be some lame, two-bit extra who got to be Bakugou Katsuki's soulmate. His soulmate had to be perfect, had to be the best.

For Kirishima and Ashido, it had seemed more like a natural progression than anything genetic or predestined or whatever the hell soulmates were supposed to be. They'd been dating for about six months before they finally took the plunge, hiding away in Kirishima's dorm room to try it out.

They didn't know Bakugou had heard every word through the wall, and for their sake, he would never tell. He would never breathe a word about how Kirishima had cried when Ashido called him "Eijirou", how she had panicked over the tears until he bleated out "Mina!!" and her own had sprung. Like a pair of idiots they'd cried happy tears together, and the next day she'd shown up with a ring on her finger.

Temporary, of course, she assured everyone when they freaked out. A promise ring, until they were older and ready to get engaged. The girls had fawned over how sweet it was, how pretty the ring was, while Kirishima's friends had clapped him on the back proudly and told him what a great guy he was. Even Bakugou had begrudgingly given him a nod and a "congratulations" when the hype began to die down.

When the bell rang, Bakugou quickly forgot about the random intrusive thought. He was far too busy studying for finals and working on his hero career to worry about soulmates. He'd made some dumb mistakes in his first year and was still playing catch up with the professionals, trying to prove his worth so they might offer him a position after graduation. Some of his classmates had talked about starting their own agency together, about never wanting to be apart ever again, but as half of them plotted, the other half kept their heads down and stayed out of it.

He would never earn trust and acceptance if he started his own agency or worked with his old friends, he had to show the world that he was worthy of being a hero, and that started with the heroes who were in commission before him. As much as he hated sucking up, he'd known it was a necessary evil long before Aizawa and All Might had each independently sat him down to discuss his options and his future.

He supposed he was grateful that they cared about him enough to take the time, but he wasn't stupid.

The latest project that had taken up all his time and attention was one that made all but a select few of his classmates incredibly jealous. The International Hero Council had invited a small group of them – by name – to attend and present at their annual conference. For the past three weeks he'd spent his evenings holed up in various bedrooms, working on their shared speech and the materials to go with it – he hadn't been happy when the others had outvoted him and said a shitty slideshow was the way to go, he'd wanted to do something more exciting, but the others had agreed that boring and safe was the best option for them.

So there he sat, writing notes and taking his turn with the laptop when it came around, fixing all the stupid spelling mistakes his classmates had made in their excitement and haste. Yaoyorozu had been the only decent one to work with, the only one who took her time thinking about how to phrase things eloquently and what would look best on the slide. Midoriya and Iida had just been spewing word vomit onto the pages, whining when the others insisted (with varying degrees of politeness) that they needed to pare it down.

Now they were left with just a few days to go, putting the finishing touches on their speeches, rehearsing with each other – Bakugou tried to avoid that last bit as much as possible – and making a last round of checks through their slides. Aizawa had been reminding them every day to behave themselves, to be polite and respectable and not do anything stupid. All Might preferred to tear up and hug them all, telling them how proud he was that they'd come so far and how he couldn't wait to see them on stage like the young professionals he knew they were.

Midoriya had been unanimously selected to lead them off. From Bakugou, mostly just because didn't want to do it himself, but the other three had agreed that his big smile and freckled face were perfect for it. No one could possibly deny the little ray of sunshine their attention. His job was to introduce the group and where they came from, to get through the boring admin stuff, so the rest of them could share their class's stories without interruption or people tuning out.

Bakugou tapped his fingers on the keyboard as he contemplated, glancing up at the group as he braced himself to lower his guard and ask their perm- no, god no, not their permission. Their approval maybe.

"We should put our names on the intro," he spoke up, watching four pairs of eyes dart his way. "What are your names again?"

"Kacchan!" Midoriya insisted, sighing at him. "It's been three years."

"Whatever. Spell your damn names for me already."

He typed them out as they spoke, only half listening for confirmation that he had them right – truth be told he probably didn't need to ask, but he couldn't admit he knew them.

"Baku... Gou... Katsu... Ki," he mumbled as he typed out his own, "and... Midori... Ya... De... Ku."

"Bakugou!" Iida interjected, waving his hands frantically. "Please be professional!"

"Haaah?"

"You can't write Deku as his name! This is a formal event!"

"The fuck are you on about?"

"Please write our real names!!"

"I am, dipshit," Bakugou scowled. "It's fuckin' spelled that way, are you dense?"

Iida froze, briefly taken aback by the revelation, and Bakugou rolled his eyes.

"Fucking Deku, Izuku, what's the difference? It's not my fault his parents spelled it shitty."

Midoriya giggled, and Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him as he clapped a hand over his mouth, the laughter bubbling out between his fingers.

"It wasn't that funny, idiot. Shut up."

"I'm just really happy, Kacchan! I can't help it!"

He sighed, saving their work and closing the laptop, handing it over to Yaoyorozu as he climbed off the bed and stretched.

"Can you losers handle the rest? I'm going to bed."

"Of course!" Yaoyorozu answered with a sweet smile, always quick to ignore his bullshit. "Have a good rest, Bakugou!"

"Uh-huh."

He ignored the smiles and waves as he walked out, listening to them begin the slow process of packing it in as well. He'd learned by day three that none of them would excuse themselves no matter how tired or busy they were, so it had been easy to take on the role of the uncaring asshole and wrap things up himself.

Plus he really was tired.

─────

When the night finally arrived, Bakugou found himself at a stage door, grumbling as he fixed Midoriya's ridiculous tie. He'd hated himself as he put one around his own neck on his way out of the dorms, but he'd hated it even more when he saw Midoriya's usual lopsided attempt. Everyone else was too nice to tell him how bad it was, too kind to point out that he'd been doing it wrong every day for three years and still hadn't gotten any better. Damn nerd should know how to follow a video tutorial.

"Thanks, Kacchan!" Midoriya beamed. "We should all take a photo before we go on stage!"

"Haah?"

"We look so good!" he insisted, throwing his arms around Todoroki and Iida. "We need a picture to remember it!"

"Damn nerd."

Despite his complaints, when Yaoyorozu politely waylaid one of the waiters on his way through and handed over her cellphone, Bakugou stepped in closer. He stood at Iida's side, grateful that he at least didn't have to stand next to the damn halfie, and while he didn't smile, he did deign to take the scowl off his face for once.

With a dozen "thank you"s, Yaoyorozu took the phone back and let him go on his way, sending the picture to each of the group members before she turned her phone off.

Bakugou had to admit, when he opened it, that they did look pretty good. He'd made sure of that himself, dragging his parents into the mix to find them all decent suits and make sure they were well tailored. They refused to let any of the group pay – Bakugou had known before they started that they would – and even insisted that they keep them for future events. He could say a lot of things about his parents, but he knew they would always step up and be generous if he asked for their help.

His mother had spent a long time discussing options with Yaoyorozu for her counterpart, but eventually they'd come to find her a suit that matched the guys' ones, and not even Bakugou would deny that it suited her well.

He sent the photo to his parents before he turned his phone to flight mode and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

"You ready to lead us off, nerd?"

"Uh-huh! I'll make you proud!"

"You better."

With a deep breath, Midoriya stepped out from the wings amidst applause from the crowd, and Bakugou followed behind. Midoriya stopped to accept the microphone, but Bakugou kept walking, leading the group into a line beyond Midoriya's spot.

"Good evening everyone!" Midoriya said brightly, flashing a smile out at the watching heroes. "Thank you so much for having us here tonight, and I'm sorry for taking up your time!"

Sure enough, the heroes were rapt. The dumb nerd with his big eyes had drawn them in immediately, earning adoring smiles from the older retirees especially, and a few slightly more conniving ones from some of the younger crowd.

"The five of us here tonight are soon-to-be graduates from U.A. High School, so please wish us luck with our final exams! And if anyone has space at their agency for an eager young hero, give me a call later!"

He earned a chuckle from the audience, and it only encouraged his smile to stretch wider, radiating pride in himself for landing a successful joke, no matter how dumb it was.

"My name is Midoriya Izuku, and here with me I have Iida Tenya, our reliable Class President of three years in a row; Yaoyorozu Momo, our equally amazing vice-president who has also been elected every year; Todoroki Shouto, winner of our second-year sports festival, and top of our class for the past two years; and Bakugou Katsuki, winner of our first-year sports festival, and as of right now, the top student in our graduating class."

A strangely genuine smile tugged at Bakugou's lips, and he could feel the surprise on stage beside him, four pairs of eyes darting his way and struggling to hide their shock. They recovered quickly though – after all, Bakugou had finally proven he was the best. He'd beaten the shitty halfie in heroics classes, had overtaken the glasses nerd and ponytail chick in academics, and other than a minor setback at their most recent sports festival, had even proven his superiority over a certain useless Deku.

Bakugou, on the other hand, was still a little stunned. The smile made sense, sure, but he didn't plan it, and had never done it before, he just felt it well up inside him and fight its way out against his will. He'd never felt so strangely pleased before – not even when he'd watched a dumb kid thump Midoriya in the balls.

When Midoriya finished introducing their class and their stories, he handed the microphone off to Iida, and just as they'd rehearsed so many times, it made its way down the line. They talked about how so many members of their class had come in as amazing students from their previous schools, the best of the best, only to realise there were others just like them, others ready to give them a challenge. They regaled the heroes with stories of villain attacks and their own attacks, of well-laid plans that didn't always work out, and how they'd quickly learned to count on each other instead of trying to run off on their own. It wasn't about being the hero, Todoroki pointed out. It was about being a hero, and that didn't mean the glory had to go to one individual alone.

Their teachers and mentors taught them to adapt, to work together, to overcome as a team. To focus less on hero rankings and charts, and more on the people they were trying to help.

Bakugou was the last to speak, and he felt oddly hypocritical as he began, even though he knew that was exactly why he'd been chosen to go last.

"I was a stubborn, angry kid," he admitted, seeing a few familiar faces in the crowd fill with disbelief and surprise. "There is no one in the world who could have changed that better than the people at U.A. did. No one could have shocked me as much as Todoroki, when I walked in on day one and there was someone with an even flashier quirk than mine. No one who could have kept me on top of my game more than Iida and Yaoyorozu, driving me to spend more hours studying and reading so that they couldn't show me up. And no one could have surprised me and driven me more than..."

He paused for a moment, glancing down the line. Despite his best intentions, the word "Midoriya" refused to leave his lips.

"...Izuku did, with the way he improved so rapidly and constantly threatened to overtake me."

Midoriya laughed, but the crowd didn't seem to mind the momentary lapse in formality, even when Bakugou hesitated to glance at the blushing, giggly nerd across the stage. They were probably all staring too, to be fair.

"And even more importantly, I had teachers who believed in me, who had faith in my potential and never gave up on me, no matter how hard I made it for them some days. Some years, even. They showed us that it's okay to be different, that we don't have to do things the same way as the people before us. We can pave our own way, create our own path to greatness, and I look forward to the day when you can all watch us as we do exactly that."

He glanced once more at Midoriya, at his wide-eyed look and trembling hands, then out at one face in particular in the audience.

"I spent a long time listening to people tell me I wasn't heroic, that I couldn't be good, because of a few faults in my personality or my appearance. We've all been told we couldn't be heroes, for one reason or another. And yet here we stand before you, telling you here and now, that we will be the best. Not me, not him or her, all of us. I refuse to let saving people become a competition."

The applause was thunderous as they filed off stage with a few last bows, heaving a collective sigh of relief the moment they were out of sight. Bakugou tore his tie off immediately, popping open his first two buttons to give himself some space to breathe, and Yaoyorozu fished an elastic out of a pocket to tie her hair up.

"I don't know why I decided to leave my hair out," she complained quietly. "It's far too hot in there."

Bakugou stuffed his tie in his pocket, jumping when an elbow landed in his ribs, shooting a glare at the grinning nerd beside him.

"You called me Izuku," he teased. "And everyone heard it."

"Shut up, fucker," Bakugou growled. "I've called you by your name a thousand times in your life, when was the last time you called me Katsuki, huh?"

Midoriya beamed at him, and Bakugou immediately knew he'd walked into a trap.

"Ka-tsu-ki~" he sang.

Bakugou felt a weird sensation deep in his stomach, and the corners of his lips twitched, as if they might curl into another damn smile.

"Sh-Shut the hell up, Izuku."

When he saw the look on Midoriya's face, he knew. He didn't need to say a word, didn't need to ask or ponder – if his suspicions were correct, Midoriya had realised it too.

God damn it.

The walk back to the dorms was quiet, the adrenalin quickly wearing off in favour of exhaustion and the desire for sleep. They said goodbye to Yaoyorozu at the elevators, and when the guys' one stopped at Midoriya's floor, Bakugou followed him off without a word. Todoroki and Iida didn't dare to ask or object.

Midoriya, too, didn't bother to question it, just unlocked his door and held it open for Bakugou, locking it again behind them to provide what little privacy they could get in a dorm full of their peers.

Bakugou reached out, tangling his hand in green locks and tilting the head back to see bright green eyes, looking up at him with something that could almost be awe.

Keeping his face carefully straight, neutral, composed, he opened his mouth.

"Izuku."

Midoriya's cheeks burned red and his lips stretched into a smile, his eyes squinting a little as it took over his face.

"Katsuki!"

He felt his lips twitching and immediately retracted his hand, covering his face before Midoriya could see the blush spreading across his cheeks, the smile twisting his features.

"Izuku," he mumbled, muffled by his hands.

With another giggle, Midoriya slung his arms around Bakugou's waist, holding on tight even though Bakugou still refused to stop covering his face.

"I'm glad it's Kacchan!" Midoriya said brightly. "I wouldn't want it to be anyone else!"

"Shut up, nerd."

Midoriya quieted obediently, giving Bakugou a moment to steady his breathing before he opened his mouth again.

"Do you want me to call you Katsuki from now on?"

"Shut up," he insisted. "Shut up shut up shut up."

"Okay, not all the time," Midoriya agreed knowingly. "Just when Kacchan needs a little happiness!"

"You're such a fucking nerd."

"Uh-huh! You'll help me be happy too, right?"

"You're always happy, fucker."

"I try my best!"

Bakugou finally sneaked a look, parting his fingers to peer out at Midoriya's delighted face, and huffed a short breath when the green eyes shone at him. Midoriya tactfully kept his thoughts to himself, rather than tell Bakugou how cute he looked, peeking through his fingers.

"Izuku," he said again quietly, his tone a lot fonder than usual.

Midoriya giggled again, resting his cheek on Bakugou's chest and humming contentedly.

"Stay here with me tonight, Kacchan."

"No fucking way."

"Pleeeeaaaase? I'm so happy, I want to snuggle!"

"This soulmate bullshit doesn't mean we're dating, asshole."

Midoriya pouted, holding a little tighter around Bakugou's slim waist, his dark suit extra perfect for showing off his figure.

"But I wanna date Kacchan," he whined.

"Shut up."

"Pleeeaaase, Katsuki?"

"Fuck."

Bakugou scooped him up, throwing him at the bed and scowling when Midoriya grinned at him again. With another huff, he began digging through Midoriya's drawers, hunting for a change of clothes that would fit him respectably so he could get out of the damn formalwear.

"Does this mean you're staying?"

"Not if you don't shut the fuck up about it," Bakugou growled.

Midoriya mimed zipping his lips, but sat up on the edge of the bed to watch, swinging his legs happily as his eyes raked over Bakugou's bare back. It took a moment for Bakugou to realise, for him to turn around and see the fond gaze, and he grumbled to himself when he did. With his hand spread over Midoriya's chest, he shoved, sending him sprawling back on the blankets, but once again Midoriya could only laugh at him.

"Katsuki is so handsome!"

"I swear to God, you damn nerd, if you keep intentionally making my stomach flip like this I'm gonna punch you in the damn freckles."

"Kacchan doesn't like being happy?"

"Ugh."

"I promise I won't do it in public!" he assured Bakugou knowingly. "But I like seeing you all cute and flustered like this when you're here with me, smiling at me. Is it okay?"

"I am not smiling, nerd ass!"

"You aaaaaare," Midoriya sang, leaning in close when Bakugou sat down beside him.

After a long pause, Bakugou looked away, hesitating with words on his lips.

"I feel like you're drugging me or some shit," he admitted.

"I'm sorry! I can stop!!"

"It's... It's fine," he conceded, shaking his head. "I'm just not used to it. Yet, I guess."

With the permission granted, albeit indirectly, Midoriya figured it was safe to move in closer again, leaning his head on Bakugou's warm, strong shoulder.

"What does it feel like, Kacchan?"

"Haah?!" he demanded. "Shouldn't you know?"

"It's not the same for everyone!" Midoriya clarified. "It might not be the same for both of us! Like, when it happened to Iida and Uraraka! He said it was like he got lighter, like a weight had been lifted off him or something! But she said it's like something happens inside of her instead, like it bubbles up! So even though they're soulmates, they're not ident-"

Bakugou clapped a hand over his mouth to silence the rambling, shooting him a warning look, and with a little smirk Midoriya stuck his tongue out. He licked a stripe on Bakugou's palm, watching him pull away in a hurry, spitting a stream of curses as he wiped it on Midoriya's cheek.

"It's kind of like butterflies," he answered finally, after he'd satisfied his urge to punch Midoriya in the arm. "In your stomach, you know? But like... They spread outward from there, and make me... Smile."

"Ooooh! I like that! Kacchan is full of happy butterflies!"

Bakugou snorted at that, but didn't protest, and certainly didn't shove Midoriya off of him.

"What about you?" he asked, nudging him lightly "What does it feel like?"

"It's like... tickles!"

"Haah?!"

"Like being tickled! I start smiling and laughing no matter how hard I try not to!"

"Tickling doesn't make you happy though."

"No, I guess not, but this does! Happy tickles!"

"Idiot," he snorted, pausing again and still refusing to meet the shining green eyes. "So you do feel happy?"

"Of course! Isn't that, like, the rule? But like you said, I'm always pretty happy! So it's mostly the laughing thing, I always want to laugh when you say it! In a good way, though!"

Bakugou hummed to himself thoughtfully, gaze darting across to finally look at Midoriya's face, at the expectant look waiting for him.

"Izuku," he said quietly, watching Midoriya's lips start to twitch. "Iii-zuku."

The giggles began, and Bakugou's voice grew a little louder, a little more confident.

"Izuku, Izuku, Izuku."

Midoriya fell backward on the blankets, clutching at his stomach as he tried to contain himself, failing miserably as Bakugou continued to chant his name over and over, watching him squirm and squeak as if someone really was tickling him.

"K-Kacchan, stoooop!" he choked out, hiccuping loudly and making Bakugou laugh. "Katsuki Katsuki Katsuki!"

"Izukuuuuu"

"Katsukiiiii"

Bakugou dove on top of him, pinning him to the bed and clamping a hand over his mouth. He was grinning too, as his free hand shifted to Midoriya's side, finding a little patch of skin and scratching at it lightly, shoving his shirt up out of the way to start the real tickles.

Midoriya threw his arms in the air, surrendering, and Bakugou took pity on him. With a smirk he released his grip, letting Midoriya breathe, and leaned in close. Their eyes met, staring each other down, and Bakugou gathered all his courage to plant a tiny kiss on the wide grin beneath him.

"Are we dating now, Kacchan?" Midoriya asked, reaching for him determinedly.

"Yeah."

He wound his arms around Bakugou's neck, pulling him back down for a longer kiss, savouring the warmth of Bakugou's chest pressed to his and the soft lips that caressed him despite their obvious nerves.

When they parted, in a moment of weakness, Bakugou shifted to plant three little pecks on the freckled face.

"Ii," he said softly, as he touched the first cheek.

"Zuu," the tip of his nose.

"Ku," with a little smile, against his other cheek.

"Kacchaaaaaaan," Midoriya whined, eyes shining with tears. "You're the cutest, I'm so happy."

"I'm gonna be a good soulmate," he said simply, his expression unusually genuine. "I promise."

"You're already the best soulmate ever!" Midoriya insisted. "I wouldn't want anyone else."

"Yeah," Bakugou nodded, a pink tint spreading across his face again. "My soulmate is only allowed to be the best. Someone worthy. Someone like a dumb useless Deku who turned into the best hero I know."

"Katsuki."

"Izuku."

With a little smile, Midoriya rolled away, stripping off his suit and digging fluffy pyjamas from under his pillow. When he'd bundled up warm, he held his arms out, letting Bakugou be the one who took him in, who let him snuggle up close, who didn't complain when he hummed contentedly, burying his face in the crook of Bakugou's neck.

"Forever, okay?" he asked quietly.

"Forever, Izuku."