Work Text:
The lights were turned on.
The seats were arranged.
The tables were wiped down.
The display cases were filled.
The sign was flipped.
Midori & Midori was now open.
Izuku knew who his first customer would be every morning. He had come in every morning since the school semester started, never missing a day. Their most loyal customer.
Izuku beamed as Rikidou opened the door, the bell ringing out through the still quiet bakery. Just like clockwork. "Good morning, Rikidou-kun!" Inko called from the kitchen, so used to the boy's presence. "Good morning, Midoriya-san, Izuku-kun!" Rikidou replied cheerily. "Your usual?" Izuku asked, already reaching under the counter for the takeaway boxes. "No, actually. We're gonna be having a pretty rough training session after school," Rikidou explained, leaning against the counter.
With a wince, Izuku grabbed a larger box. "Sheesh, that sounds rough. Will your classmates be having some?" "I'll be sharing with Yaoyorozu-san." Rikidou agreed, watching as Izuku started picking out Rikidou's favourites and the most sugar and calorie dense treats they had in stock. "Hm. Her Quirk uses fat stores, yes?" "It does." "Should I start packing some for her for after your training sessions?" Izuku began taping the box closed and ringing up the cost. Rikidou pulled out his wallet, nodding along. "Please do. She has a Quirk like mine, and I don't think she's eating enough for Hero work." Izuku frowned. "Well, you tell her to come in here and we'll see what we can do."
Rikidou snorted and ruffled Izuku's hair, ignoring his squawk indignation. "Thanks, Izuku-kun. I'll let her know. Thanks for the food, in either case."
He was out the door before Izuku could retaliate by throwing the grabber at him.
Izuku huffed, propping his head up by resting his fist under his chin. He let the noise of his mother in the kitchen in the back wash over him, and reminisced.
He wasn't sure when the idea of being a baker came to him, but it definitely was when he was a kid. Everyone had always told him his Quirk was well suited for the food industry, but never could decide on where he should work.
Maybe it had come to him while he visited a sweet shop in Tokyo, noticing other children struggling to pick what to buy and using his Quirk to help them choose.
Maybe it was when his elementary school held a bake sale, and Izuku and his mother spent the night before in the little kitchen in their apartment making sweet treats that he knew his classmates would enjoy.
Maybe it was when he started carrying treats in his backpack for those recovering from villain attacks - which were common in Musutafu - to keep their blood sugars up.
Maybe it was when he started researching Quirks that altered people's diets, and wondered why there weren't any specialty places for those people to buy them.
It was probably when someone on a Quirk forum he was on complained about the lack of access to blood or blood-infused foods in the prefecture. They said they had to get it all imported, because they were turned away from hospitals. Izuku remembered frowning, and going to find his mother to ask why people couldn't get what they needed.
She told him that it was the same reason people looked down on perceived 'weaker' Quirks, that people had stupid stigmas and were ignorant. So when he told her about his plans to make access to blood easier for people who needed it, Midoriya Inko supported him every step of the way. They researched where they could acquire different types of blood, allergen alternative ingredients, and specific things like cricket flour. Then they began to look for a place to put it all.
They eventually found an empty storefront in front of UA high-school. It needed some work, and a proper kitchen to be installed, but Izuku had fallen in love at first sight. (It totally wasn't because it was so close to UA, definitely not)
It had taken a lot of pleading and negotiating with his mother, but they had finally agreed for Izuku to continue his schooling online, so he could focus on the bakery.
He remembered playfully arguing back and forth with Inko and the aesthetics of the place, from the paint on the walls to the theme. Inko wouldn't let him make it Hero-themed (and Kami, was he glad for that now) and they eventually settled on a forest theme to match the name. 'Midori & Midori'. Inko made little seats that looked like toadstools, and Izuku glued fake moss to the till. They found mushrooms magnets that they put on the display case, and all of their treats matched the woodland forest theme.
Upon their opening, Midori & Midori resembled a European Pre-Quirk fairytale.
Izuku was jolted from his reminiscing by the bell above the door ringing again. It was another UA student, a third year apparently, and Izuku jerked upright, straightening to quick that his back cracked.
"Welcome to Midori & Midori! What can I get for you?" He asked the rather frantic looking blond.
"Hi, I'm looking for something as an apology gift for someone?" The student jogged up to the counter. "Ah," Izuku nodded with a smile. "Pissed off a teacher?" He asked knowingly. "Recovery Girl," the student elaborated, looking pale. "My Quirk evolved, and she's not proud of me for getting so injured." Izuku hissed through his teeth. "Oooh, that sounds like a situation and a half. Do you have any idea what she might like?" "I asked Yagi-sensei, and he says that she likes stuff with dark chocolate." The student fiddled with their hands as Izuku ran through their inventory in his mind. Dark chocolate, dark chocolate...
"Ah-ha!" Izuku snapped his fingers with a grin. "Spice chocolate truffles! You're lucky we still have some." The student cocked their head to the side, looking rather like a golden retriever. "What's that?" Izuku opened the fridge door and pulled out the tray. "Chinese Five Spice. Five Spice powder is made out of star anise, fennel, clover, cassia and Szechuan peppercorn. It's a lot sweeter than it sounds," Izuku explained happily, putting the truffles in a little box and taping it shut. "They only need three other ingredients: dark chocolate, buttercream and cocoa powder. They're really good," Izuku assured, ringing up the purchase at the till.
The student perked up. "Oh, you're a life saver, dude!" They pulled their bag from their back, presumably looking for their wallet. "It's no problem," Izuku suppressed a happy wiggle when he finally recognised the student from last year's UA Sports Festival. The third year with the Permeation Quirk, Toogata Mirio! He's a lot more blond than I thought, Izuku idly remarked in his mind as he handed Toogata his box and took his credit card in return.
"Thank you so much!" Toogata bowed low, head nearly hitting the floor, holding the box above him. "Now I don't have to worry about Recovery Girl hitting me with her cane!" A pause. "Probably."
Izuku snickered as the upperclassman checked his watch and jerked back dramatically, before scampering out of the bakery with one last; "THANK YOUUUU!!!"
Inko poked her head round the door to the kitchen with a confused smile. "Who was that? They sounded rambunctious." "Last year's winner of the second years' Sports Festival. The guy with the Permeation Quirk." Izuku informed her with an amused grin. "He was in here for an apology gift for Recovery Girl," he sniggered, and his mother covered her mouth with a hand in an attempt to stifle her laughter. "Poor boy," she giggled, brushing the flour from her hands onto her apron.
"Mhm. I hope it goes down well, Rikidou-kun told me all about how annoyed Recovery Girl gets when they get stupid injuries." Izuku plopped his elbows down on the counter. "His Quirk evolved and I think he's having trouble getting a hold on it. He expected to get hit with her cane." "Now that's bound to pack a bunch," Inko joked.
The rest of the morning was quiet, with only a few customers coming in for a late breakfast.
So quiet, in fact, that Inko broke out the tunes and insisted that Izuku dance with her. It was then, as they were spinning around and around and teary with laughter, that the bell rang again.
Izuku wiped at his eyes, still beaming. "Hello! Welcome to Midori & Midori! What can I get you today?"
A group of five had walked into the bakery, cooing at the decor. Izuku recognised them immediately, and fought back a squeal. It was the Wild, Wild Pussycats! Izuku knew every Pro that came into the bakery, both in civilian wear and in costume, and understood that sometimes they didn't appreciate overly exuberant fanboys when off-duty. Mandalay, Ragdoll, Tiger and Pixie-Bob. They had a child with them, who Izuku assumed was a relation. They were a scowling little thing, with a horned hat and little black boots. They all took a seat on the couch by the low table, whispering back and forth, so the mother and son duo took it as their cue to get back to their respective duties.
After a few minutes, the little kid stomped their way up to the till. "Hi! How can I help you?" He chirped, trying to make himself seem as friendly as possible. "They want to order," the kid grumbled. "Alright!" Izuku agreed. "Would you like to point out what you all want?" The kid hesitated, then took the notebook Izuku offered. "You can write it down here instead."
Izuku took the notebook back when the kid finished up with a smile. "Let your guardians know that they can pay on their way out." "Fine," the child huffed, stomping their way back.
With a fond smile - Izuku had known a boy like that in his old middle school; Bakugo was a loud and angry kid - he got to work, plating orders and putting them on a tray. He carefully maneuvered his way over, balancing the tray. "Order up!" He sing-songed, setting the plates down on the table. There were "thank you"s all round, and Izuku made sure to shoot the kid - Kota, apparently - a smile on the way out.
Rush hour was announced by several rambunctious teenagers barging their way into the bakery, bags slung over their backs and laughing loudly. Wait, were those teachers, and a little kid too?
The mob was led by Rikidou, with a smug grin.
"Heya, Izuku-kun!" Rikidou called. "I was told it wasn't fair to hoard such goodies, and was bribed by Eri-chan's puppy eyes!" Eri-chan was probably the little girl with albinism and a teeny tiny horn poking out of her forehead. "Can't blame you," Izuku chuckled as Rikidou approached. "She looks like the cutest little thing!" He cooed. "She is. She's being looked after by Aizawa-sensei, so she gets to visit our class a lot." "Lucky bastard," Izuku poked Rikidou in the chest, who snorted.
"Hey Satou-kun! We're ready to order!" A tall girl with black hair pulled back in a ponytail called over to them. Izuku recognised her from Rikidou's descriptions of his classmates as Yaoyorozu. Izuku actually recognised them all as Class 1-A students from both Rikidou's tales from Heroics class and this year's Sports Festival. The few he didn't immediately recognise he assumed were Class 1-B students. There was Yaoyorozu, Sero and Koda from Class 1-A, and Kendo, Shoda and Monoma from Class 1-B.
"We had a joint training exercise with 1-B," Rikidou explained at Izuku's look. "Yaoyorozu-san is close with Kendo-san, and convinced them to come with." "Ugh, everything here looks so good!" Sero groaned, tipping his head back. "Would you like a recommendation?" Izuku perked up. Sero turned to look at him. "Sure, what have you got?"
They made eye contact, and Izuku grinned.
"You like marshmallows, right?" Sero blinked. "How did you know-?" "So I'd recommend the choco pies!" Izuku interrupted, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, grinning cheekily. "They're a Korean treat, made with chocolate and marshmallows. They kinda look like cookies."
The students gaped at him in awe, and Izuku fought back a bout of giggles. "How did you do that?" Kendo gasped, looking back and forth between Sero and Izuku. "It's Izuku-kun's Quirk." Rikidou explained, aggressively ruffling his hair. "Perfect for bakery work."
"Oh, can you do me?" Shoda leaned forwards eagerly.
Izuku was easily able to tell everyone their favourite flavours, and the students managed to convince the elusive Aizawa-sensei to join in.
"Hmmm..." Izuku narrowed his eyes, looking into Aizawa's own bloodshot ones.
"Mango."
"Whaaaaat!?"