Chapter Text
“Bakugou.”
The blonde stopped dead.
Deku didn’t.
He simply walked past him, carrying a stack of notebooks against his chest like he hadn’t just committed the greatest offense known to mankind.
Bakugou slowly turned his head.
“…What?”
Deku looked back.
“I said Bakugou.”
“I heard you, Deku.”
“Oh.”
Deku smiled.
Then he walked away.
Bakugou stared after him.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
“Did you guys hear that?” he demanded.
Sero looked up from his phone. “Hear what?”
“Deku.”
Kaminari glanced toward Midoriya, who was now sitting at his desk.
“What about him?”
Bakugou’s eye twitched.
“He called me Bakugou.”
There was a pause.
Sero blinked.
“…Yeah?”
“He doesn’t call me Bakugou.”
Kaminari shrugged. “Technically, Bakugou is your name.”
“Shut up!”
“Okay, okay.”
Bakugou crossed his arms, glaring at Midoriya.
Deku was completely ignoring him.
Or at least pretending to.
“Oi, Deku.”
Midoriya looked up immediately.
“Yes, Bakugou?”
Bakugou’s eye twitched again.
“Why are you calling me that?”
“Calling you what?”
“Bakugou.”
Deku tilted his head.
“That’s your name.”
“I KNOW THAT!”
Sero covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
Kaminari wasn’t even trying.
“Dude, you sound offended that he knows your legal name.”
“Shut your mouth, Pikachu!”
Mina, who had been suspiciously quiet throughout the entire exchange, suddenly snorted.
Everyone looked at her.
“What?” she asked innocently.
Bakugou narrowed his eyes.
“You know something.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“You’re smiling.”
“I smile all the time!”
“You’re smiling weird.”
Mina’s grin widened.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Bakugou stared at her.
Then at Deku.
Then back at Mina.
Something was definitely happening.
He just didn’t know what.
“Whatever,” he muttered.
He turned away.
“Hey, Bakugou?”
He spun around.
“What?!”
Deku pointed toward the table.
“You left your pencil case.”
Bakugou stared at it.
Then at Deku.
“…Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Bakugou grabbed it.
He waited.
Nothing.
No “Kacchan.”
Just Bakugou.
He frowned.
⸻
A few minutes later, Sero leaned toward Kaminari.
“Okay, something’s definitely up.”
“Obviously.”
“Think Mina’s involved?”
Kaminari glanced at her.
She was sitting beside Midoriya, looking far too pleased with herself.
“Absolutely.”
Mina noticed them staring.
“What?”
Sero raised an eyebrow.
“You know why Midoriya suddenly started calling Bakugou ‘Bakugou’?”
“Nope.”
Kaminari grinned.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“Am not.”
“You are.”
“I am not!”
Bakugou slammed his hands onto the desk.
“CAN YOU THREE SHUT UP?!”
Everyone went quiet.
Mina smiled.
“See? He’s cranky.”
“I’m always cranky!”
“Exactly.”
Bakugou’s eye twitched.
Then Midoriya spoke.
“Bakugou?”
Bakugou immediately turned toward him.
“What?”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You seem upset.”
“I’m not upset!”
Deku blinked.
“Okay.”
Bakugou stared at him.
He waited.
Surely—
“Kacchan?”
Nothing.
Bakugou’s heart sank for some reason he absolutely refused to acknowledge.
Instead, Deku simply smiled.
“Do you want to come to lunch with us?”
Bakugou crossed his arms.
“…Fine.”
Mina’s grin became absolutely enormous.
Bakugou noticed.
“Mina.”
“Yes?”
“What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
She laughed.
“Come on, Bakugou. Lunch.”
He followed them.
Still suspicious.
Still confused.
And increasingly irritated by one very specific fact.
Midoriya hadn’t called him Kacchan once all morning.
Not once.
And Bakugou was starting to realize that he hated it.
A lot.