Reclaim My Name

Pairings: Bakugo Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku 

Rating: Teen 

Tags: Fantasy, Twitter Thread Continuation, Kissing, First kiss 

Summary: Direct continuation of this twitter thread https://twitter.com/naturallydeca/status/1197921500554248193 

This is a commission for isabel! 

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“Your name.” The Nymph said – not a question or really a demand, more like a simple statement to remind Izuku that he hadn’t already given his name to this weirdo creature that’d just stepped out of the darkness. The annoyance was gone from his voice, replaced with a slight lilt of curiosity. The Nymph peered closely at his face, following the line of his hand as it traveled along the line of his jaw down to his forehead, where it smoothed across his brow. It…it was a strange thing…to be stared at like he was worthy of intrigue when there was someone so bizarre standing right in front of him. 

“Deku.” Izuku answered on instinct, far too distracted by how strangely pleasant the Nymph’s skin felt on his own to even consider giving his real name. Everywhere the creature touched, a trail of tingles and warmth followed. Despite the odd color of his skin, it didn’t feel that much different from a human’s. There was something about it…something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on that kept it from feeling exactly like human skin. It wasn’t rough or unpleasant, just…something that wasn’t human. 

A flash of anger rippled across the Nymph’s face. Those bright red eyes were cold and hard in an instant. Clamping his large hands onto the sides of Izuku’s head, he wrenched him down, pulling a startled yelp out of Izuku as he shoved their faces close together. He hadn’t registered it before – the Nymph’s eyes were like a cat’s. His pupil were thin, golden strips that were nearly lost in the intense blaze of ruby red. Full lips curled into a snarl, giving Izuku another peek of those sharp, white teeth. His fingers curled into Izuku’s hair – not tight enough to hurt but firm enough to hold him in place. Warm breath brushed across his face as the Nymph slowly exhaled. A fresh bubble of fear burst in Izuku’s chest, sending a rush of cold rolling through him. The realization that he had just been lethargically hanging there, not making any attempt to try to escape from what could potentially be a very dangerous creature dawned on him. He’d been so caught up in the strangeness of the situation that he’d completely forgotten that this was batshit fucking nuts! Swallowing hard, his throat producing an audible click as the dry muscles rubbed against one another, Izuku tried to scrunch back when the Nymph moved in even closer – another centimeter, and they might as well be kissing – but was held too tightly to make a move like that. 

“Your real name.” The Nymph said coldly, his voice as hard and unyielding as the vine wrapped around Izuku’s waist. 

The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up. A bucket of cold flooded into his stomach. There wasn’t a single alarm bell in his head that wasn’t going off. He didn’t understand what the fuck was going on but could tell that he was standing right on the edge of some serious trouble, meaning that he had to be careful. Caving into fear right now was a surefire way for him to end up hurt or worse. Swallowing again, Izuku pulled in a deep breath, held it for a moment then said in the calmest voice he could muster, “C-Could you please put me down? I’m starting to get dizzy.”

“Why? So you can run?” The Nymph snarled accusingly, “Go find that foul smelling bastard and let him know just where his little pet ran off too? Looking for a big payout, just like the mehagun who used to ring the alarm?”

“No.” Izuku said softly, a pulse of horror beginning to grow in the back of his mind. Foul smelling bastard? Pet? What…what in the world had been happening behind the closed gate?! “I won’t run. Keep the…um, vine around me but please put me down. I’m going to be sick if I hang upside down for much longer.”

“Tell me your real name first.”

“He said not to tell anyone.”

“Who?”

“The guy who used to ring the alarm.”

The Nymph snorted derisively, his gaze becoming even harder. A harsh, menacing smile spread across his face, showcasing his sharp teeth even more prominently, “Course, he did. Wouldn’t want a freak like me knowing, would he? Fucking coward.”

“Why…why do you want to know my real name?” Izuku asked cautiously, his gaze flickering back and forth between the Nymph’s cold eyes and his sharp teeth, “What difference does it make?”

“You don’t know?” The Nymph laughed coldly, “What, was that not in the instructional manual or something?”

“I don’t know anything.” Izuku admitted, guilt gnawing at his already nauseous stomach. What had he inadvertently taken part in? Looking away, his mouth drawn down into a troubled frown, he continued quietly, “They didn’t tell me anything. I…I didn’t know what I was guarding but if-if I had, I wouldn’t have stood by!” 

He turned back to the Nymph, who was watching him with a careful, guarded but not as openly hostile gaze, “Please, I won’t run so please put me down.”

“Your name.” The Nymph replied firmly, though Izuku noted that the vine around his waist was already beginning to tilt him back towards his feet. 

Izuku hesitated. Five said explicitly to never tell anyone…but had he meant just the people who worked here or did that include this strange creature as well? From what Five said, it didn’t seem like he knew the Nymph existed. He kept claiming that he never saw what was beyond the gate so it didn’t seem unreasonable to think that Five meant those who were keeping the Nymph imprisoned here. Maybe the person he should really be guarding his name from is this foul smelling bastard that the Nymph referenced. Or…this might be his way of justifying something he already knew he was going to do. Biting down hard on the interior of his cheek, Izuku pulled in another deep breath. He didn’t understand any of this but one thing was becoming painfully clear: he was involved in something fucking crazy. 

“Izuku.” He said softly, “My name is Izuku. Midoriya Izuku.”

Once the words were out of the mouth, he was hit with the most profound certainty that that had been the right choice. It was the strangest thing but…telling the Nymph his name felt right. The only way he could think to describe it was picking a choice in a video game and immediately getting some kind of visible indication that yes, that was what the game wanted the player to do. The Nymph stared at him silently for a moment then, just like that, flipped him right side up and set him down onto his feet. The vine remained tightly coiled around his hips but that turned out to be for the best, considering he would have fallen over as soon as the vertigo hit. Blinking rapidly, the world lurching dangerously, Izuku waited until he was a little more certain that he wouldn’t puke the moment he opened his mouth before asking, “And yours?”

“Hah?”

“What’s your name?” 

The Nymph blinked. Evidently, that wasn’t a question he was expecting Izuku to ask. Cocking his head, looking more intrigued than hostile, he asked, “Why do you ask?”

“You know mine, seems only fair that I know yours.”

The Nymph said nothing for several long, tense seconds – during which Izuku started to feel uneasy again. It didn’t feel like a bad question to ask – that wasn’t what worried him. This entire thing was starting to worry him. Why hadn’t the buzzer rang? Who was the foul smelling bastard? Why was he holding this strange creature hostage? What the fuck was this weird being anyway? Why was he so insistent on knowing Izuku’s name? His head began to ache. Questions buzzed around inside his head, ricocheting off the interior of his skull, driving them to whiz faster and faster as though if they were just thought quicker, he’d be able to think up an answer but there were none! There were no answers! Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know. He took this job to make his life a little easier, not even more difficult. If he’d known that there was some mystical creature on the other side of the gate, he…he would have…Izuku’s gaze shifted away from the Nymph’s face to stare down at the floor. He wouldn’t have believed it…not until he’d seen the being for himself but now that he had, what was he going to do about it? Izuku glanced back to the Nymph, who still looked like he was trying to decide something. Those red eyes watched him carefully but there was nothing hostile about his gaze. What was he going to do? He didn’t understand anything that was going on. There was a whole story that proceeded this and he was coming in halfway through without any inkling to what the hell was happening. The smart thing to do was…fuck, he didn’t even know that! Run? Turn on his heel, dismiss this all as some crazy dream and just live his life? 

That would be the smart thing…right? This…this creature, there was no doubt in his mind that he was from a completely different world, one that didn’t involve humans and he…he shouldn’t get himself involved. He didn’t want trouble, he just wanted to live his life as peacefully as possible. He should’ve known better than to take this job. He should’ve known it would involve something sketchy as fuck. He needed to bail right now – wish this creature the best of luck, point him to the exit and hightail it the fuck out of here. When one of the…whoever the fuck owned this weird building tracked him down, he’d make up some lie about being overpowered and that he had no idea where the Nymph went and put all of this behind him. That…that would be the smart thing so…why couldn’t he convince himself to actually do it? It wasn’t just the vine around his waist. He would have to do some clever verbal maneuvering but he was certain that he’d be able to get the Nymph to let him go. So why…why couldn’t he start moving towards the actions that he knew were smart? 

“I don’t remember.” The Nymph suddenly said. 

“Huh?” Izuku hiccuped, jerking so hard out of his own train of thoughts, he gave himself whiplash. 

The Nymph glared at him, though there was no heat in his gaze, “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember your name?” 

“No.” The Nymph replied bluntly, his thick brows lowering, “You got a problem with that?”

“Why don’t you remember?” Izuku asked, then immediately felt stupid for doing so. 

“That foul smelling bastard stole it.” The Nymph’s full lips curled into a snarl. Some of that rage appeared once more in his bright eyes but this time, it didn’t scare Izuku. Obviously wasn’t directed at him, anyway. “Keeps me tied to him. Can’t hardly do a damn thing when he’s got my name. If I could just remember it,” the Nymph’s hands curled into tight fists, “I could get away from him but the isshek has it barbed.”

Okay, his head was really starting to hurt. He couldn’t remember his name because whoever the foul smelling bastard was had stolen it? All of this felt so ridiculous, he was almost tempted to really start believing that it was all a dream but…at the same time he knew, he was nowhere near creative enough to think up something this bizarre. He had the imagination of an accountant. The wildest dream he’d ever had was chasing a dog through a spaceship (and that was only because he was working at doggy daycare and got called a space cadet after spending ten minutes chasing a loose dog around the building). He couldn’t come up with something like this. Not that any of that really mattered – he knew, a strangely concrete knowing, that this wasn’t a dream. This Nymph was real. He was looking at something batshit fucking crazy…but all of it was still real...which meant that this Nymph’s suffering was real. 

And that meant…he couldn’t just walk away. 

“How about you give yourself a new name, then?” Izuku asked, cocking his head. 

“Hah? Give myself a name?”

‘Yeah! If you give yourself a new name, then that would mean the old one isn’t yours anymore. And that guy won’t have control over you anymore!”

The Nymph stared at him blankly for a moment then said, “Names have to be given by someone else. You can’t just give yourself one.”

That sounded like bullshit logic to him but it wasn’t like he knew how things worked in wherever this dude came from, “How about I give you a name, then?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll give you a name!” Izuku exclaimed, “No strings attached! If I give you a name, you can leave, right? You could even try to get your old name back?”

“You…,” The Nymph looked shocked for a moment then his expression hardened, becoming even more guarded, “What kind of idiot do you take me for? If you give me a name, it’ll directly bind me to you! No strings attached doesn’t mean anything when there’ll literally be strings attached!”

“Do you have any other ideas?” Izuku stepped forward. The vine tightened temporarily before loosening its hold. The Nymph looked conflicted – his gaze shifted around, unable to stay in one spot for too long. Taking a deep breath, Izuku continued, “Look, I know you don’t have any reason to trust me. Why would you? I’ve been playing the part of an unwitting guard and have no idea what’s going on here. You…you’ve obviously been through a lot of horrible stuff. You have no reason to trust me...but I’m asking you too anyway. Please…I…I don’t want to just walk away. I want to help.”

“Why?” The Nymph asked flatly, a hard, blank gaze flickering up to settle on Izuku. 

“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Izuku replied, his voice quiet but strong, “Because you need help and me…” He paused for a moment then laughed, “It might just be wishful thinking, just a stupid human brain trying to explain what the fuck is going on but I think there’s a reason I ended up here. There’s a reason why I ignored all my gut instinct and took this job. I think I was supposed to be here…for you. To get you out of here. So please.” Izuku took another step forward, reaching down to take the Nymph’s hand into his own. A hard jolt shook his arm but he made no attempt to pull away, “let me help.”

“You’re getting yourself into a lot of trouble.” The Nymph said. “He’s not gonna just let me go.”

Izuku laughed nervously, “I’ll admit, that does scare the fuck out of me but,” he offered a wide smile, “I don’t think I can run from this. I’d never be able to forgive myself.”

“You’re weird.” The Nymph said bluntly. While Izuku laughed again, surprised by that genuinely given statement, the Nymph looked back down to the floor, his brows furrowed over a conflicted gaze. 

Sensing that he still hadn’t completely convinced him, Izuku said, “You have my name so that means there’s already a bind between us, right?”

“Doesn’t work like that. I can’t bind a human with their name.”

“Then, why were you so insistent on knowing my real name?” Izuku asked, surprised. 

“I can’t bind anyone but I can make you do what I want.” The Nymph raised his head, settling a stern glare on Izuku, “Kiss me, Midoriya Izuku.”

Suddenly, he knew what a puppet on a string felt like. Jerking forward, his limbs moving on their own, Izuku pushed up onto the balls of his feet and pressed a clumsily kiss to the Nymph’s full lips. His scent was even stronger when he was this close. Staring, wide eyed and stunned, into those bright red eyes, Izuku shivered when the Nymph’s muscular arms wrapped around him, squeezing him close to a strong chest. A hand curled around the back of his head, dragging him in even closer. The Nymph’s eyes fluttered closed. His lips slipped and slid over Izuku’s as he deepened the kiss from a chaste, first timers peck to the kind of kiss Izuku imagined long time lovers partook in. It…it felt good…really, really good. The Nymph was a little rough, as though desperate to devour even more of his mouth but that was adorable in a way. Izuku’s eyes slid closed. A sweet, berry-like flavor bled into his mouth, quickly coating his tongue. Tingling heat pooled into his face. It was just one bizarre thing after another but this one…he couldn’t really complain about. 

Pulling away with a soft exhale, the Nymph offered a small smile, one that made Izuku’s heart flutter. Dragging his tongue across his lips, he murmured, “Didn’t think a human could taste so good. Or be this stupidly cute.” 

He brushed a lock of hair off of Izuku’s forehead. Flushing even hotter, Izuku sputtered and tried to jump back, his heart beating like crazy, but the Nymph tightened his hold. Blinking rapidly, his head spinning (k-kissed! He’d just kissed him! That…that was his first kiss…but it had felt so good…), Izuku looked up into those bright red eyes. The Nymph gazed down silently at him for a few moments then blew out a long breath through his nose, “You really just want to help, don’t you?”

“Y-Yeah.” Izuku nodded, shoving away that whole kiss thing for now, “I do.”

“It won’t stop with just giving me a name. You get that, right? Tie yourself to me and you’ll be his enemy. I can protect you…no, I will protect you but you have to come with me.”

“What are you going to do once you get out?” Izuku asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

“I’m going to get my name back,” the Nymph said firmly, a bright spark of determination igniting in his red eyes, “and I’m going back home.”

Honestly…he knew that he was stepping into a very dangerous situation. The smart thing to do was run, to leave all this craziness behind…but he also knew that he wasn’t going to run. It probably was just his brain trying to justify all this weirdness but the feeling that he was supposed to be here, that he was lead to be right here, right at this moment…it wouldn’t leave him. He was meant to be here, meant to help this strange creature get back home. Even if that was a delusion concocted by his overworked mind, it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t walk away. Not after knowing how much he was suffering, not after learning that he just wanted to reclaim his name and go home. He didn’t want any trouble but he wasn’t going to back down either. 

“Katsuki.” Izuku said quietly. 

“Huh?”

Pulling in a deep breath, Izuku curled his hands in loose fists. He set his mouth into a thin, determined line, “Your name…is Katsuki.”

The Nymph’s eyes widened. He stared down, silently, at Izuku for a moment then snorted, the corners of his lips curling up into the first genuine smile Izuku had seen from him, “No hesitation, huh?”

“No.” Izuku said firmly, “I’ll help you find your name and get you home. I promise!”

The Nymph…Katsuki’s grin grew even wider. Sighing heavily, his shoulders slumping, he scrubbed at the back of his head, “Guess I’ll be relying on you then…Izuku.”

“You can count on me,” Izuku smiled, “Katsuki.”