one-shot; what's in a name
pairing: aizawa kōsaku/shiraishi megumi
word count: 2192 words
note: a huge part of the inspiration for this fic came from the fic Scrubs by a-flowingheat. Thank you for putting the idea into my head! More notes at the end.

M. SHIRAISHI.

Shiraishi typed her name clearly on the order form, and pressed 'send'. Simultaneously, she printed out a hard copy of the order form, for her own reference. Hiyama was standing by the printer, and she grabbed the form, along with her own printouts. Walking towards Shiraishi, she looked at the form, and a look of mild confusion came over her face.

"Shiraishi Megumi?"

"Uh-huh," Shiraishi nodded, as she frowned at a CT scan on her computer screen.

"My dear friend, don't tell me you've forgotten what you did last weekend," Hiyama put the form next to Shiraishi, and glanced at her friend's left hand. If she wasn't at work, there would be a huge diamond ring adorning her ring finger, with a plain platinum band sitting below it.

"Eh?" Shiraishi turned to Hiyama with a puzzled expression. "Of course I didn't forget, but why are we having this conversation?"

Hiyama sighed, shaking her head at her staff leader's obliviousness. "Your name," she said, tapping on the form. "Shouldn't it be Aizawa Megumi?"

"Oh that," she said absent-mindedly. "I've decided that I'm keeping my name…I mean, it's going to be really confusing with two Aizawas in the hospital. Besides, we work in the same department, which means it will be even more confusing in here, if I change my name."

"And that husband of yours is okay with this?"

"Of course, why wouldn't he be?"

Hiyama tipped her head to one side, looking at Shiraishi with a thoughtful expression. "So, you've discussed this with him?"

"Well, no…do I need to? I'm sure it's not going to be an issue," Shiraishi answered, her attention given to the CT scan in front of her. It was a fairly small matter to her after all.

"If you say so. You know him better than I do," Hiyama shrugged, and grabbed her notebook and stethoscope. "I'm going to do my ward rounds. I'll see you at lunch." She left the room, a half smile on her face.

"Are you ready to go?"

Shiraishi looked up, and smiled affectionately at Aizawa. Her husband had already changed out of his scrubs, and was dressed in street clothes. "Yes, just give me a minute to change." She saved the document she was working on, and then she shut down her laptop. Slipping her laptop into her shoulder bag, she pushed her chair back, and head towards the locker rooms. She changed quickly, tidying her short ponytail. When she reentered the office, Aizawa was peering into the paper bag on her desk, the one that held her newly ordered scrubs.

"Shiraishi Megumi?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Ohhhh," Shiraishi suddenly remembered her conversation with Hiyama last week. "Yes, that. I thought it'll be better if I keep my name, so we don't confuse people in the hospital. You're okay with that, right?"

Her husband looked at her, expressionless as usual. She knew him very well, in fact she knew him the better than anyone, but sometimes, it was still a puzzle as to what he was thinking, even for her. "Kōsaku?" She prompted.

"Yes, that's fine," he said finally, taking the bag from her. "Shall we go?"

"Okay," she smiled at him, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and tucking her arm through his.

The Shohoku Hospital gossip mill was going into overdrive, with majority of the female staff – doctors and nurses alike, and even the administration staff - buzzing about the latest arrival to the hospital. Matsui Seki, the newest addition to the Cardiology Department, was tall, handsome and completely charming, and word had it, an utterly brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon.

"He's so cool," Yokomine sighed to her fellow interns, to which Natori made a disgusted face. Haitani, on his part, was looking just a little too depressed, not that anyone noticed, since he always looked depressed.

"Cooler than Aizawa-sensei?" Natori smirked.

"Well…" she pondered the question. "It's a different kind of cool, I guess, but…"

"Excuse me," a voice broke into their conversation. They all turned to see Matsui smiling easily at them. Yokomine could feel her face turning red, and she prayed that no one else noticed. "This is the Lifesaving Department, right? Can you direct me to Shiraishi-sensei?"

Yokomine nodded quickly, and pointed vaguely, while Natori sighed at her fluster. "Shiraishi-sensei," he called out across the room to the staff leader. "Matsui-sensei is here to see you."

Shiraishi looked up, and smiled briefly. Standing up, she walked over to them, and bowed politely. "Matsui-sensei, it's nice to formally meet you."

"Shiraishi-sensei," he returned her bow. "I just want to come by and tell you that Professor Shiraishi was one the best lecturers I've ever had in my medical and academic career. He was one of my inspirations, and I learnt a lot from him. I'm sorry to hear of his passing six years ago."

Shiraishi was touched. Her father would be so happy to know that his students still remembered his guidance. "Thank you for your kind words, Matsui-sensei."

"I'm wondering, would you be so kind to have lunch with me later? It's difficult being at a new hospital, I would appreciate any tips on orientation and such," Matsui leaned casually against a desk.

"Oh, definitely," Shiraishi answers pleasantly. "Please do come and sit with me during lunch. I'll be glad to tell you what you need to know, if I am able to."

"It's a lunch date, then, Shiraishi-sensei," Matsui gave her a wink, and nodded at the fellows, as he walked off. Shiraishi stared at his retreating back for two seconds, and turned around to see the three fellows, Hiyama and Fujikawa looking at her with identical expressions of dropped jaws. Even Saejima was looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"What?" She asked, looking puzzled.

Fujikawa turned to Hiyama. "Are you going to tell her, or should I?"

Hiyama shook her head. "All I know is, I am not going to be the one to tell him."

Shiraishi looked at her colleagues in confusion. "Am I missing something here?"

"Oh Shiraishi, you're hopeless," Hiyama sighed.

"Oi, Aizawa, you're here? I thought you'd be in the hospital cafeteria…"

Aizawa looked up to see Shinkai grinning at him. He stifled a sigh. He was at Neurosurgery to check on a patient with brain injuries that was brought in by the Heli yesterday, and he really wasn't up to socialising with Shinkai, who did nothing but annoy him, even on the good days.

"No, why should I be in the hospital cafeteria?"

Shinkai whistled. "Let's just say…you really should be there…to rescue your wife."

At that, Aizawa's face immediately darkened, and he shot Shinkai an ice-cold glare. "What are you talking about?"

"See for yourself," Shinkai snickered maddeningly, gesturing.

Still glowering at his former colleague, Aizawa scribbled his signature quickly on the patient's medical notes, and headed towards the hospital cafeteria.

"Did anyone ping Aizawa?" Fujikawa muttered, as he put down his lunch tray next to Hiyama and Saejima. At a few tables away from them, Shiraishi and Matsui were sitting across from each other, having a casual conversation. Matsui was turning on his charm in full force, and his body language was definitely suggestive, however, it didn't seem like Shiraishi noticed anything was out of ordinary. She continued talking to him politely, answering his questions.

Typical.

Hiyama laughed, opening her can of juice. "I told Shinkai-sensei to give him a heads up. Now we can sit back, and watch the new guy getting his ass handed to him." She looked behind her, towards the entrance of the cafeteria. "He's here."

Sure enough, Aizawa strolled into the cafeteria calmly, stony-faced as usual. Those who knew him well, however, could feel the waves of animosity rolling off the neurosurgeon when he spotted Shiraishi and Matsui, sitting at the same table. His jaw twitching slightly, he walked towards them. He stood behind Matsui, arms folded, his expression changing from stoic to stormy.

Shiraishi paused in mid-sentence when he walked up, her brow furrowed at the thunderous look at his face. Matsui, feeling the death stare directed at him, turned around, and smiled uncertainly, putting out his hand. "Hello, I am Matsui Seki, with the Cardiology Department, and you are?"

Slowly, Aizawa reached out and took the other man's hand, almost crushing it as he shook it, his expression hostile. Matsui winced slightly, and drew his hand back, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he stared at the unfriendly Aizawa.

"Aizawa Kōsaku, from Lifesaving," he said, his tone as cold as the freezer he was infamously nicknamed for.

"Ah," Matsui nodded in realisation. "You and Shiraishi-sensei are working the same department, I see."

"Yes," Aizawa's voice had become even chillier. "My wife and I are from the same department."

Matsui's eyes widened, and he momentarily looked thunderstruck. He turned towards Shiraishi, his gaze automatically landing on her left hand – no, they were all doctors and surgeons, she wouldn't be wearing any rings – and he was sure the name on her scrubs said "Shiraishi". To be positive, he looked at the sleeve of her scrubs, to make sure.

M. SHIRAISHI.

He stared at the name for a moment, and then came to his own conclusion. Taking his lunch tray, he bowed to Aizawa, and then to Shiraishi. "Shiraishi-sensei, I apologised if I came on too strongly. I didn't realise you're married."

Shiraishi's brow was wrinkled in confusion. "You came on too strongly?"

Matsui was about to clarify further, but Aizawa's almost murderous face stopped him. Murmuring another apology, he hurriedly left the cafeteria, abandoning his barely eaten lunch. Shiraishi looked at Aizawa, her face concerned, but also bewildered. "Kōsaku, is everything all right?"

"Come with me," he said abruptly, grabbing her wrist, practically dragging her out of the cafeteria.

Hiyama and Fujikawa were in fits of hysterical laughter, as Saejima exhaled and shook her head.

"Kōsaku, what's wrong with you?" Shiraishi folded her arms and stared crossly at her husband. They were standing at the compound of the Heli, and Aizawa was still seething.

"He was flirting with you. Excessively." He scowled. Thinking about the situation just now made him want to punch Matsui in his stupid face.

"Eh?" Shiraishi stared.

Aizawa made a sound of exasperation. Of course, his clueless wife, as usual, was just being friendly and welcoming, without catching on the other party's intentions.

"But so what if he is? You know you don't have anything to worry about." She placed her hand on his upper arm, and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm not worried, but I don't like men flirting with my wife," he snapped.

For some reason, the annoyed look on his face amused her. "Aizawa Kōsaku, I didn't know you're this possessive."

His expression softened a little, and then he picked up her hand with his. "Megumi," he rubbed his thumb over the fourth finger of her left hand. "Why won't you take my last name?"

Shiraishi blinked. "I thought you said it was okay that I keep my name."

"I know I said that, but…" he took a deep breath. "I want it known that you're mine, you're my wife, so idiots like Matsui would stay away." Because she herself clearly could not tell that men were showing inappropriate interest in her.

She looked down, curling her fingers around his, but she said nothing.

"Will you take my last name?" he asked gently.

She took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to his. "I want to keep Shiraishi, because…I am my father's daughter. I'm a doctor, because of him. I want to honor him, Kōsaku. Every day, when I'm saving lives, when I'm on the Heli, I want to remember him, and I want to feel that he was proud of me."

He looked at her steadily, feeling conflicted. He wanted her to take his name, but at the same time, he understood. Her father was her hero, the person that was most important to her. He could not ask that of her, not after understanding why.

"I understand," he said quietly.

"Thank you," she whispered, and stepping forward, she slipped her arms around his waist, and hugged him.

"That just means that you have to tell any random man that approaches you that you're married, from the word go," he said, matter-of-factly.

Shiraishi laughed. "All right, from now on, I'll just introduce myself as Shiraishi Megumi, married woman."

"See to it that you do,"Aizawa nodded.

"But Kōsaku...just so you know. I'm Shiraishi Megumi at work, but for everything else…I'm Aizawa Megumi." She stood on her tiptoe, and kissed him quickly on the mouth. "You're my husband, and you'll always be a part of me."

He caught her before she pulled back, and kissed her again, longer and deeper.

Now he just had to think of a good way to keep all potential perverted idiots at bay…

A/N: It's clear which parts of the fic by a-flowingheat inspired this one, haha.

On the last name thing, my sister and my brother-in-law are both doctors in the same hospital, and my sister keeps her maiden name. My husband and I are both academics (although in different fields), and I also keep my last name for professional reasons. But both my sister and I used our husbands' last names for everything else: social settings, credit cards, and so on. So it makes sense to me that Shiraishi wants to keep her maiden name, and I hope it does to you, too.

Also, I'm having way too much fun writing established Aizawa/Shiraishi, just because it could be all sweet and fluffy and stuff.

Okay, this is like the sixth day I have continually spammed the fandom, y'all need a break from me, haha. But I hope you enjoyed this bit of fluff, and as usual, reviews, comments, suggestions and criticisms are loved and appreciated!