Chapter Text
Midoriya flipped the light switch, turned over the "Closed" sign, and prepared to start his day.
He looked around at the old place as he did every morning. So many memories washed over him, both fond and agonizing. He remembered the first time he came into the shop, as a customer. The next memory washing over him was his first day as a janitor, the old man not trusting him with the pastries. His heartstrings tugged, remembering the day he formally took over the shop. He remembers crying in his bed that night, happy to have something he cared so deeply about, crushed to have lost someone so important.
Agh, not again. Don’t start crying at eight in the morning. He’s gone, he’s been gone, and that’s okay. He wouldn’t want you to mope around missing his cranky ass anyway.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a timer in the back kitchen went off, reminding Midoriya of his surroundings. Pulled from his internal world, Midoriya wiped his tears and ran off to save his cookies from burning.
He had gone to a local pastry school and focused solely on learning how to create wonderful treats. He was an excellent student, and his instructors knew he’d make an amazing pastry chef. Despite this, having only a beginning degree from a small community college, Midoriya found the job market impossible to navigate. No big company would hire some random kid from a nowhere town with no experience.
Well, he was from a nowhere town, but that seemed to be changing. Not too long after taking over the old shop, newer, fancier stores and restaurants opened up all around him. Their bright lights, trendy looks, and elaborate menus made quick work of stealing the few customers he was able to obtain. The small “mom and pop” shop soon became an unsightly distraction as people swarmed to the newest restaurant on the block.
It didn’t help that his bakery had gone without necessary repairs and restoration, as he simply couldn't afford them. Typically, he wouldn't worry about such cosmetic issues, but recently, it had become more than just needing to replace a wobbly chair or fix a crack in the wall. Now he was getting to the point where he couldn't pay all his bills every month, which would smack you with a dose of reality rather quickly.
Stuck in his head, Midoriya began to stock his display trays in an anxiety-ridden hurry, praying his first customer of the day would come in soon.
They didn't.
This began to wear on the boy even more. On particularly bad days, he would only get one or two customers. The small boy put a hand to his head, worried that all this stress would soon put grey hair in his signature green curls. About halfway through the workday, when most workers would typically take their lunch, his first customer waltzed into the rundown bakeshop. That customer was his favorite (and only) regular at the bakery, Ochako Uraraka.
Midoriya and Uraraka met in middle school and grew up together. When they first met, Uraraka had the biggest crush on the adorable boy. He was about average height (maybe a little short if you asked the wrong person), had the curliest green hair, a face perfectly polka-dotted with freckles (it's not like she had counted them and had their placements memorized or anything, she swears!), and the biggest and brightest smile you'd ever seen. His smile could put anyone at ease, which is unsurprising given his usual chipper and happy mood. Eventually, as time moved on, so did she, and she began to think of him as a little brother.
"Deku! What have you got for me today?" Uraraka exclaimed quite loudly, slamming her hand down on the counter.
Facing away from the door and failing to notice Uraraka walk in, the poor boy was almost frightened to death.
"GAH! Oh...hi Ura, you scared the crap out of me! Why don't you ever ring the bell like I ask?!" Midoriya whined, heart pounding. He glared at his friend, hoping his nasty look would hide the blush of embarrassment on his face.
"Because then I wouldn't be able to see that cute face you make when you get scared," She smirked devilishly.
"Oh shush...that's not very nice you know," the green-haired boy whined, "I have my usual items, but since I was feeling nice...prior to you scaring me...I made some strawberry and vanilla cupcakes just for you!" He knew these were her favorites.
She loves anything pink, so strawberries made perfect sense for her. She always found vanilla “boring”, but soon after she found out it was her fiancé’s favorite, ever the romantic, she began ordering strawberry-vanilla pastries.
"Yay! Thank you so much Deku, you're too nice for your own good, you know?" She beamed at him, "I'll also take a few cupcakes and sweets just for Iida, last time he got mad and went all 'robot arms' on me since I forgot to get something for him." This was the biggest order Midoriya had received in a while, though he wouldn't mention that to his friend.
After packaging everything for her and making small talk, Midoriya slid her items across the counter to her. Uraraka began to rummage around in her purse for her wallet to pay the boy when Midoriya looked up at her.
"Oh no! Don't worry about it, Ura! It's on the house. You've always been by my side and always stop by when you can. It means so much to me to have you as a friend, I couldn't possibly ask you to pay. Think of it as giving some holiday cheer early!" Midoriya smiled as he returned her money to the girl across the counter.
"Izuku, that’s not fair.” Uraraka looked at him with a mixture of frustration and pity, “Look Deku, I know you hate talking business with me, and I respect that. I don’t ask about how the shop is doing and never mention how the shop is always empty, no matter what time I come by. Please, let me pay.” It was less a question and more a statement.
Midoriya couldn't help but look down in embarrassment.
The bakery had belonged to Midoriya for about four years now, soon to be five, and unfortunately, Midoriya has very little to show for it. He was lucky that the space he was renting came with an upstairs loft included in the rent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to afford to live somewhere else. Obviously, the green-haired boy vented about his troubles to Uraraka, but never in great detail. He refused to burden those around him. Sadly, with what little Uraraka knew, she didn't have much to offer besides a shoulder to lean on. She worked as an assistant, not as a baker or a mind reader.
After hearing about the struggles Midoriya was willing to share, she did her best to help. She came by as often as she could, and even asked her coworkers and her fiancé to stop by as well. She worries that her friend hasn't told her the full extent of how far behind on bills he might be, but she also knows she has to let him tell her on his own terms. He would much rather suffer alone in silence rather than burden his friends with his struggles.
"I'm sorry, I just don't like asking you to pay, you know? But, anyway, how's Iida doing?" Midoriya asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh, he's fine as usual. We're still trying to figure out a date for the wedding, a color scheme, and all of that wedding junk." Surprisingly, Uraraka didn't care about a big wedding. She was fine with just a few friends and family, but Iida insisted. He said she was worthy of so much more than just a small reception. Had it been up to Iida, Uraraka would've been dressed up like a princess and paraded around town. He would’ve carried her down the aisle himself and held the wedding of the century for the woman of his dreams, but Uraraka stopped him in his tracks, thankful but not needing that.
"That's so amazing Ura, I can't imagine how excited you must be over all this! It's definitely time for you guys to settle down...maybe I'll even have some little ones running around my shop soon too!" Midoriya wiggled his eyebrows as Uraraka practically choked on the air she breathed.
"HEY! RUDE!" Uraraka cried out, still recovering from the shock. Of course, the brown-haired girl wanted children, and to share that new part of her life with her lover. She just needed time, and for the demon twink in front of her to stop teasing her.
"Just a little revenge for scaring me earlier." Midoriya winked and shot her one of the infamous mischievous grins he often sported around his close friends. Ura quickly learned that as he became more comfortable with someone, the more of a little devil he became. Unfortunately for Uraraka, being one of his few friends, she was often the victim of many of his little pranks. He loved her even though he didn't say it as much as he should.
"Whatever." Uraraka was getting ready to start saying goodbye as a loud PING! came from her phone. She glanced at her cell, reading the message. Her eyes widened and looked like they might just pop out of her head at any moment concerning Midoriya. "Deku! Deku! Oh my god, this is great!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Huh? What? Did Iida finally give in and get you that new at-home facial machine you’ve been begging for?" The green-haired boy asked in confusion.
"No! My boss asked me to pick him up something sweet on my way back from my break, you know what this means, right?!"
"They're hungry and want something sweet?" The boy asked once again, confused by the scene unfolding before him.
"NO! My boss runs one of the biggest tech companies in the world, so clearly the dude is loaded and has a lot of connections. If he tries your pastries, he might ask you to cater our meetings. From there, who knows who else might start ordering! This could be your chance to turn things around Deku! Not to mention I think he's your type." Uraraka giggled, seeing the blushing mess her friend became after hearing that last part.
"I-I don’t know Ura, my stuff's okay, I'm not sure it's worth the hype you give it...But I guess I can give you a Sampler box to give him, it's not like I have a line out of the door to save these for anyway..." He said, doubting his skills, he started to pack everything up when his friend spoke again, this time sweetly and softly.
"Don't worry Deku, I know he'll love them. You put your heart and soul into everything you do, and you have a wonderful heart. I have to get going now," She grabbed the boxes from the green-haired boy, "Thank you, I'll text you later to check up on you." Uraraka gave the smaller boy a hug and a sympathetic smile as she turned to leave.
"Thank you so much, Uraraka. See you later." Midoriya said as she exited his shop. He began to resume refilling his shelves with a renewed sense of hope and anxiety, now if only he had some more customers....
Midoriya sighed as he closed up and switched off the lights. After Uraraka left, he only had about three more customers come in, and he was convinced that one only bought something because they came in looking for the bathroom and would've felt bad leaving without having bought something from the lonely boy behind the counter.
After donating his leftover pastries (which were most of them) to the local shelter, he walked through the chilly air back to his shop. He used the side entrance to get to the stairwell and proceeded to walk up to his apartment. During his ascent, he couldn't help but chastise himself for not realizing that the rent including a free upstairs loft should've been a shady deal. There was no way of knowing that his shop was in of the slowest parts of town, but it still annoys him that he could be so naive sometimes. Now he's stuck in a crappy apartment with no foot traffic for his bakery downstairs, and don’t even get him started on the plumbing. Cold showers are a regular thing for him now.
He swiftly unlocked his apartment door and creaked it open to reveal his humble abode. It was small but had all the necessities, so could he really complain? Yes. Yes, he could. The small kitchen and living room (if you could call it that, it was more like an extension of the kitchen with a sofa shoved in) were attached. His couch was a deep green made of velvet. It was originally downstairs out back behind the bakery, but his landlord said if he wanted it he could have it. Midoriya shivered as he remembered the traumatic trip to get it in here, but it matched his hair, so he was happy with it in the end.
Passing through the door in the living room is his bedroom. His mom helped him move his bed set from his home to his new apartment. He liked it because on cold lonely nights like this one, it reminds him of home and helps him not feel so alone. Connected to his bedroom was the bathroom which, oddly enough, was the largest room in the apartment. He's not really sure what went through the contractor’s mind as they designed the floor plan, but he loved the large bathtub and shower combined with the huge closet for two...sadly, he had no one to share this with.
It wasn't long after taking a shower and drying his deep forest green curls that he felt his eyes begin to droop, sleep beginning to overtake his body. He needed to call Uraraka and find out if her boss liked everything, but was just so tired he couldn't help but rest his head on his pillow.
Just five minutes. I'll rest my eyes for five minutes, then I'll call Ura before it gets any later and I end up bothering her...god, I hate being alone. I must annoy her so much calling and texting her all the time. I really need to find more friends.
After shaking the nasty thought from his head, the boy finally dozed off into a deep sleep.
**********
Midoriya woke with a start and instantly recognized that he had overslept. He must have been more exhausted than he thought, realizing it was the next morning. What shocked him even more was seeing all the missed notifications from his friend the night before.
Missed Call from Ura (8:30pm)
Missed Call from Ura (8:35pm)
Missed Call from Ura (9:00pm)
Ura: Deku text me back ASAP! (9:02pm)
Ura: What the hell Deku?! ANSWER ME! (9:04pm)
Missed call from Ura (9:05pm)
Ura: You better be asleep or dead, and if you aren't dead yet, you will be when I'm done with you Izuku Midoriya! (9:10pm)
Midoriya began to panic upon reading all of this and called Uraraka back immediately. Well, not immediately seeing that it was the next morning from when she sent the messages, but it's the thought that counts right? Uraraka picked up after a single ring.
"DEKU? What. The. Hell. Why weren't you picking up?! Are you okay?!" She practically screamed over the phone. It would've been even louder had she not been on her way in to work already.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just a little tired and knocked out early. I got worried when I read your texts this morning. Are you alright?" The boy questioned.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but you might want to be sitting when you hear this." The brown haired girl warned.
"I am." He said quite nervously. Uraraka rarely calls him like this; it's so out of character considering how sweet and sisterly she typically is. Midoriya's only ever witnessed her like this once before when Iida attempted to surprise her for her birthday. He had ignored her calls and messages all day to "build suspense" much to Midoriya's disapproval, knowing that would just stress Uraraka. When she walked into her apartment full of friends for a surprise party she started crying, smacked Iida across the face then hugged him so tightly Midoriya swears he heard a rib crack. He smiled remembering this, Midoriya wished he had someone to care for and be cared for like Iida and Uraraka do for each other.
Midoriya was instantly snapped back to reality when Uraraka's sweet but nervous voice sounded off on the other line.
"My boss tried your sweets and asked for some pictures of your bakery and the person running it...which is you. After I finished showing him everything he seemed excited and wanted a big order for an afternoon meeting."
She sneakily left out the fact that her boss muttered, "Oh, he's quite adorable," under his breath when looking at a picture of Uraraka and Midoriya on the day of the grand opening of his bakeshop.
"Oh my god...Ura, that's amazing!" The boy yelped out in a mixture of surprise and amazement. "How much does he want? How soon does he want everything?! I normally ask for a week's notice, but I could bump it up a few days if he really needs them soon!"
Midoriya began to bounce in excitement unable to contain the joy he was currently experiencing. Yesterday he received a decent-sized order from Uraraka, and now he might have an even bigger order from her boss? He must have pleased whatever god there was to deserve such good fortune back to back.
"Well...it's for the entire office building so...he asked for a hundred of every treat you offered yesterday in your sampler box," Uraraka said slowly, not wanting to overwhelm Midoriya to no avail.
"Wait. He wants HOW MUCH?" The boy instantly stopped bouncing and started pacing around his small bedroom, beginning to be overwhelmed by nerves. "Ura, please tell me I have at least a week to get ready for this?"
"Aha, yeah…about that," She nervously giggled, "he would like everything by tomorrow at 12:00 pm sharp, and he's extremely punctual."
That was it. Midoriya dropped the old cracked phone in pure horror, realizing he had less than 24 hours to make the largest order he's ever received, and for a business tycoon no less. It goes without saying that Midoriya was in shock.
"Deku? Deku, are you there?" Uraraka asked, worried she may have just completely broken her childhood friend.
Midoriya picked the phone up off the floor and managed to drone out, "yeah...I can...I can get that done, I'll text you later for pickup and delivery details." Then hung up.
This was going to be painful.
The small boy sat there decompressing the truly despair-inducing situation before him for about thirty minutes. Midoriya shook his head, realizing he didn't have time to sulk. He got moving out of the door in an instant. He already had most of the essentials on hand, seeing as he typically didn't get many orders, and he orders ingredients such as flour and sugar in bulk, but he just needed to grab a few things he would run out of after filling the order.
Once he finished shopping and made his way back through the busy streets filled with early Christmas shoppers, Midoriya entered his storefront but left his front door sign displaying “Closed”. There was no way he'd be able to run both the front and bake at the same time, plus the money from this order alone would pay the month's rent, so he wouldn't complain.
As Midoriya began his workload, he found himself distracted by the thought of Uraraka's boss actually enjoying his sweets. He didn't really think of himself as someone who made things that were deserving of such a large order or even praise in general. Years of bullying prior to Uraraka entering his life really did a number on his self-esteem.
Shaking off these thoughts, he kept on, only stopping once for lunch. Later, he called his friend to talk about prices and such. Uraraka simply stated her boss was willing to pay whatever price Midoriya set. She also mentioned the "dude was loaded," so Midoriya should charge a little extra; However, Midoriya would feel horrible charging full price! Still, Uraraka insisted, so they had come to a compromise, Midoriya would charge full price but would throw in a free dozen of a specialty item for her boss.
"So what are some of his favorite flavors? Do you know what kind of sweets he likes? I kind of just threw in a little bit of everything yesterday. Did he mention anything sticking out to him?" Midoriya hoped Uraraka would have answers for him.
"Well, he's typically pretty quiet and reserved, so it can be hard to read him, but honestly, you can never go wrong with anything peppermint flavored, dude loves the stuff." She said this with a sickly smirk that Midoriya was unable to see.
"That's great! Thanks so much Ura, really, this is the biggest order I've ever received and it's all because of you!" The curly haired boy said, fighting back tears.
"No problem Deku, just remember to make time for my wedding cake once your business takes off, okay?" the brown haired girl genuinely asked her friend, even getting a little emotional at the thought of her friend being involved with her wedding. Midoriya on the other hand, could only think evil thoughts.
"Oh, don't worry Ura! I'll even be sure to cater for all of your children's birthdays too! Maybe they'll love my strawberry cake just like their mom, or maybe French Vanilla like their dad?" Uraraka fell out of her chair and onto the cold floor of her shared office.
"WHAT THE HELL DEKU? AFTER ALL THAT I'VE DONE FOR YOU?!" She yelled out after slamming her finger on the end call button.
Midoriya was nearly rolling on the floor laughing. Finally collecting himself, the boy began his work on the new item for his customer.
Ochako began cursing Midoriya's name under her breath as she began to pick herself up off the floor. How could he say that?! Even after helping him get such a big order, she'll make sure to get him back for this!
"Miss Uraraka? Is everything alright? You seem quite flustered." A cool, deep voice said from across the wide office.
"Y-Yes sir! I'm so sorry for my outburst, sir! It won't happen again, I promise! I was just finalizing the details for your order when my friend brought up me and Iida again aha..." Uraraka felt a wave of embarrassment washing over her like a tidal wave during high tide.
"No worries Miss Uraraka, I'm well aware of how the topic makes you feel. I wish I could have called the baker myself, but you know how busy I can get. Now, will the pastries be delivered or picked up?" He asked inquisitively.
"Well, um, I may have forgotten to ask." Uraraka blushed wildly at her blunder, "but don't worry, I'm really close to him! I’ll just call him back and-"
The man raised his hand, signaling her to stop speaking.
"Nonsense, I need to get out of this stuffy office anyway. Clear out my schedule for 12:00, I'll pick up everything myself and greet this friend of yours." Uraraka gulped. This is not what she expected. Normally, she would have shot Deku a text warning him of what was to come...but considering the joke just played on her by the green head, she decided against it.
That'll teach that kid his lesson...Oh this is going to be perfect...
It wasn't until much later that the boy in question realized he had never confirmed whether the order was for pickup or delivery. As if on cue, he had heard the bell on his counter be rung by who he assumed would be Uraraka. Luckily, he had just sealed the last package, so he yelled out, "Just a moment please!" as he stepped out from the back. What he hadn't anticipated was the most gorgeous man he's ever seen in his life.