The Weight of a Nickname

A few days had passed since the kindergarten incident, and I was walking to school with a sense of trepidation. As I approached the playground, I heard Bakugou's voice ringing out, "Hey, Deku! What's up?" My heart sank as I scanned the area, my eyes landing on Izuku, who looked up at me with a mixture of sadness and embarrassment. I had hoped to be present when Bakugou started calling him "Deku", so I could... well, I wasn't sure what I could do, but I had wanted to try and mitigate the situation. Instead, it seemed that Bakugou had already started using the nickname the day before in the park. I felt a pang of guilt for not being there to support Izuku sooner. I also didn't want to steal Uraraka's thunder, as I knew that she had a special way of reinterpreting the name "Deku" that would change its meaning and significance. But I couldn't just stand by and let Izuku be stuck with a derogatory nickname for years to come. I sent a quick, silent prayer of forgiveness to Uraraka, wherever she was, and made my way over to Izuku. "Hey, Izuku-kun," I said, trying to sound casual. "What's going on?" Izuku looked up at me, his eyes welling up with tears. "Bakugou-kun started calling me Deku," he said, his voice shaking. I knelt down beside him, trying to think of something to say. I remembered that "Deku" could be written with different kanji characters, and I hoped that might help. "You know, Izuku-kun, 'Deku' can actually be written in a way that means 'can do' or 'capable'," I said, trying to sound confident. Izuku's eyes widened as he looked at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of hope. But then his face fell again, and he looked down at his feet. "But Bakugou-kun doesn't mean it like that," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer what little comfort I could. "I know," I said. "But maybe, just maybe, we can make it mean something more positive. Something that would make you proud to be called Deku." Izuku's eyes shone as he looked up at me, and his smile was so wide that it hurt to see. But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. I couldn't just stand on the sidelines and comfort Izuku after the harm had been done. I needed to have a talk with Bakugou Katsuki. I stood up, my heart heavy with determination. It was time to face Bakugou and talk to him about his behavior. I couldn't let Izuku suffer because of Bakugou's thoughtless words. I took a deep breath and walked over to where Bakugou was sitting, his eyes fixed on me with a mixture of curiosity and hostility. "Bakugou-kun," I said, my voice firm. "We need to talk."