Sweet Hearts

SevenRenny

What did candy stores and Hero schools have in common? Apart from kids, mostly nothing else. When being told they'd be doing volunteer work, he hadn't been expecting this. Yes, he knew how to cook, but hard candies looked like they needed a different skill set as he watched a worker kneed and loop the white dough-looking candy around a hook over and over again. The last time he'd had candy had been at Recovery Girl's office, drowsy and tired and ready to sleep for eternity.

This store used traditional methods to make sweets and, as Izuku and some of his class and a few younger children watched by the side, the store made candy out in the open and would later give handouts. It was almost comical just how much Ochaco seemed to enjoy a free candy when handed one.

"You're right – it's so good!" she agreed with the little kid beside her, stars shining in her eyes in wonder.

"Alright. Two at a time, now," the candy worker ordered. He looked quite muscular for someone doing nothing but selling sweets.

The store inside was all orange and pink, decorated with lollipop stands, a gumball machine, shelves of bagged goodies and wrapped chocolates shaped like animals, and dangling strips of sour gummies. The store's mascot, a cartoony whale, was painted on the wall behind the Pick-Your-Sweet stand by the wall where kids could select and have the employee scoop whichever candy they wanted into a bag. No one was inside the store just yet; though, it could have something to do with some of the UA students being here. They had the sign at the front door to signal the opening hours, but for the time being, the store had its employees publicly making candy by the open display window, handing out finished sweets at the end.

"Alright. Now everyone, just grab a partner and grab one of them aprons."

Pulling on the glove he was given Izuku still felt lost as to way they were here in the first place. "Bonus grades," – they've been told. "Advertise yourselves out there. Do some work. Get your names out. Build a reputation, starting now." Still…

When he tried to stuff his hand into the other glove, his fingers dug into something else inside. "Eh?" He pulled out another glove that had been stuffed inside.

"Oh, can I have that?" Ochaco asked. She pointed at her naked hand with an already gloved one. "I'm missing one…" she admitted meekly.

He chuckled and held the mouth of the glove open. "Here."

She slipped her hand in and he helped tighten the strap around her wrist. She gave him a thankful smile, one he'd slowly gotten used to over the months of being closer with her, closer than he'd ever thought he'd possibly get to someone intimately. He wasn't sure what they were, for the time being – were they dating? Did that require stages? If so, were they in first floor, or were they handling things wrong, or did they need an instruction manual to read? Neither knew what to do about it. It had been 'I like you' followed by fits of giggles then childish cuddles then hand tugging. Maybe they weren't doing things right, but they'd get it eventually.

"Okey dokey, you kiddos got your mittens on, just go on to the back table there. You and your partner pick out a design you like. We'll pick out the colors together after, sounds good? Hop to it! You got costumers waiting out there! Show us what you've got!" the muscular worker said enthusiastically and straightened like a soldier.

The cookie cutter designs were basic, from spirals and stars to hearts and paw prints; but the candy shown as examples were of complex colors and patterns, and many had Hero logos imprinted on them. These were done by kids from other schools. One lollipop had a combo of two logos as a sign of the collaborated work. Behind the candy stick was a bag full of the sweet, with 'Charity' imprinted on the top right of the bag in a tilted manner.

"These are so cute!" Ochaco cooed at the wonderful treats made by unknown pairs.

"Do you have any ideas?" Izuku asked her, only wanting to see her happy.

"Well, I mean… you don't want to pick one first?"

He rubbed the back of his head shyly. "It's fine. I can't decide. Whatever it is, we'll both work together on it, right?" He hadn't been thinking much when he said it, but the giant smile was so worth it.

"Let's do it together, then!" She'd grabbed his hands and held them up in victory.

They got to deciding what design and why while everyone else picked up shapes on the go… the employee thought it was quite amusing to see what those two touch a cookie cutter as if it were a collage Finals test.

"Okay… something we both have in common… something that says… that says…" Izuku thought about it. He pinched his chine, then looked down at his knuckles. "Something that says I want to keep you here–" still in thought, he knocked his fist against his chest twice. She stared at him, registering his meaning in slow-motion, her brain tripping over itself. He finally seemed to realize his own gestures and immediately began sputtering out gibberish, his hands feverishly pointing at everywhere and nowhere. Did he go too fast? Was he too honest? Was he creepy? Did he come off as clingy or obsessive or weird or or or –?

"I – I want to, too! I mean Ahhh…" Ochaco blushed and covered her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she removed her hands, but kept looking down, and putted her chest. "I want to keep you here, too… I mean, you know, in here… Because, because… you're already in here. And I want you to stay. So… so do you…?"

"Ah! Of course! I'd love to stay!" His face was so bright and pink; but voice, loud and proud. He grabbed both her hands hopefully and gulped. "And… and you're here, too, and… I would like you to stay. Can you stay?"

Stay with me, in my heart, where you're supposed to be.

"Mumm!" She nodded.

They heard someone clearing their throat behind them. The employee gestured to his watch. They'd forgotten the man was there for some time. The thought of him watching the exchange had the both blushing red.

"Uh… right…"

"So…"

"…oh! How about–?" Izuku reached for the heart shaped cookie cutter. It was simple, plain, the most generic shape in the bunch – normal. Most would call it boring, maybe, but then, what were they? They were nothing special. As far as they understood, they didn't stand out as people, and they didn't stand out as a couple either… they were ordinary, and they were happy to have it that way.

They were boring…

Boring

The word other classes kept describing them as.

The word they threw carelessly instead of love.

The word they saw instead of years of respect and stability.

The word Izuku and Ochaco disregarded, because the opinion of the rest of the world did not matter.

With green and pink markers, they drew their design on paper: a half green, half pink heart.

With everything picked out, they got to the good part, making the actual candy. They had to put on thicker gloves as the yellow candy was still in liquid form, hot and still dangerous to the touch, just off the pot. They'd seen how the candy was made just to give them an example before they could grab anything. They were still given instructions from a distance.

"Alright, careful." Izuku, clad in a heavier apron, heaved the container of vanilla flavored liquids over to the cooling table before slowly tilting it, careful not to get his hands anywhere near the liquid. He'd been warned not to get it over his skin while it was this hot. He'd never thought handling candy would be this difficult. He sighed after pouring every drop onto the table. Mimicking the examples they'd been shown before, Ochaco dripped the food coloring on each end; pink and green, and stirred the colors through. The employee had to step in when the liquid hardened and became stretchy, hard enough to cut with scissors and knead through a hook.

By the time they had to cut the molds, shape them, and place in the stick, and do that a few more times, they were told to open shop.

Ochaco and Izuku looked like deer on headlights.

The employee chuckled. "It's Showtime! Keep those designs on the table – we're makin' more back here. You two get in front. Hand over what you just made. Make some smiles!"

Kids. Kids everywhere. Izuku was ready to have a mini panic attack by how many there were. He was just glad there was a stand separating them. It wasn't just him and Ochaco on the front lines, his other classmates must've finished before them and were hurriedly bagging candy and handing them out like their lives depended on it. Kyoka was using her earphone jacks to hand over bags to kids that couldn't get to the stand at the far back.

Denki looked like an over worked mother and was ready to have a mental breakdown. "Okay – okay. I'll get to you in a sec. I said hold on – I only have two arms! Didn't I already give you a bag? Yeah, same exact kid, I'm sure of it! Jiro, help me! I'm dying here!"

"Help yourself! I'm busy here!"

"What did I do to deserve this?"

The employee clapped Izuku and Ochaco on the shoulders. "Well?" He glared down at them menacingly. "Are you going to work or what?"

"Yes sir!"

"That's what I like to hear!" He smirked. "And you over there!"

An angry Katsuki twitched an eyelid. He looked ready to strangle a kid or ten.

"I heard that. For the last time, no cussing!"

…

"Here!" Ochaco happily gave the only remaining kid possibly the last bag. As soon as the kid was out of sight, Ochaco sighed and wanted nothing but to flop back onto her bed. "That was so tiring…"

"Yeah…" Izuku took off his glove and shook his hand. "But it was nice. They all looked happy."

"Yeah... I wonder if they're that good. We never got to taste what we made. It's so silly."

"You can have some if ya like!" the employee yelled from the back.

"Really?" Ochaco though still tired, managed a bit of excitement in her voice. Taking two off the cooling table, she gave stuck one in her mouth and gave the other to Izuku.

"How is it?"

"Umnn Ishh noiishh." She didn't take it out of her mouth.

Izuku chuckled.

Notes:

- A Birthday fic for UpDownLeftRightHenloo

- Wanted a cooking theme to mirror Izuku's Bakery in a way... then I don't know what happened.

- The Izuocha heart design is by psychomaster1 and permission to use it in this fic has been granted by them.

- Pretty sure this has tones of mistakes but it's like 11:PM and I almost accidentally sent this to my professor... yay.