Chapter Text
His tongue clacked thick saliva across the roof of his mouth. The salt and grease sticking to every nook and cranny the #58 hero had in his giant orifice. Having felt a bit peckish out on his patrol, Fatgum had stopped at a small food stand to purchase a portion of Takoyaki; now regretting his decision as it lay heavy in his mouth and stomach.
He won’t be taking his custom there again.
A giant hand rubbed the thick fat of his gut, seeking to soothe the greasy beast now wreaking havoc on his insides. Maybe something sweet would help counteract all the salt he had ingested? And as if on cue the giant hero sniffed up, catching whiff of what was undoubtedly baked goods. Chocolate? Was someone baking with chocolate? The hero didn’t take much time to think about it as his feet had already begun to move his body towards the sweet scent.
He was stopped in front of a small store, windows and door open wide to vent out the smell he had chased around the corner. There were a variety of brightly coloured cakes situated in the window for display, all of them clearly made by a professional. He licked his lips at the sight of one in particular; a British scone. Stepping in for a closer look he could see it had been made with white chocolate and cranberries. The cream inside had been whipped to perfection, spiraled with pink food colouring to catch the eye and topped off with icing sugar.
He had found his salty counteract.
A big grin crossed the hero’s face as he stepped into the small store, his tall and wide frame barely fitting through the doorway. The store itself was decorated in a soft pink, making it look like a doll house; which it may as well have been for the 8ft man. More cakes were kept behind glass casings at the counter, just as beautiful as the ones in the window. He could tell every morsel had been made with love and care; a delicate intricacy woven into each pattern. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on them all.
“Can I help you?”
Golden eyes shifted from the dark emerald matcha cheesecake to stare down the heavily accented voice that addressed him. A small foreign woman no taller then 4’10 stood behind the counter, professional a smile pasted on her pale, pierced lips and emerald eyes staring into his own. Her hair was dual coloured; like that Todoroki kid Kirishima went to school with, the left side painted black whilst the right was a venomous green like her irises. The hero couldn't help but wonder if it was natural or dyed. A slim eyebrow rose at the hero in his silence, her pierced lips moving once more to repeat her question.
Fatgum shifted from foot to foot at being caught out in his blatant staring, eyes shifting around the baked goods once more before pointing out the scone he had been eyeballing in the window in defense.
“I’d like half a dozen of those and also that matcha cake… oh, give me a batch of that taiyaki too.”
His face shifted dangerously close to the glass case holding the fish shaped pastries, thick fingers pressing against the glass as his smile widened enough to breathe a thick fog on the protective glass.
“Um, I’m sorry sir, but that’s the last scone.”
Golden eyes shifted back to the dual haired woman at the sound of a hidden tongue bar clicking between her teeth in anxiousness. Her crestfallen expression creasing her brows for a moment before the Gothic female realised the giant man was watching her and returned to her professional smile. Fatgum knew this look...
“If you want some making then I’d be more then happy to-”
“Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll just take what I ordered other than the scones then.”
The hero waved off her tempting offer as the much smaller woman shifted in her position for a second before apologizing once more and moving swiftly to gather his order. Tattooed fingers deftly packed mass amounts of taiyaki and the matcha cake he had requested into baby pink boxes. Golden eyes watched her movements as he took in her heavily tattooed arms, bright colouring dancing across his iris’s as she moved from cake to packaging. There didn’t look to be an inch of skin not covered by the artwork.
Once his order was completed, green orbs turned to stare at the lonely scone the hero had been eyeballing earlier, her small body moving towards the window where the foreign treat lay. Fatgum followed her gaze; but wasn’t fast enough to speak as the female had already taken the delicacy from the window, wrapping it in a square of pink grease proof paper and gently placing it in a box that mimicked the others. She held out the little box to the much larger man, a splitting grin gracing her features.
“For you. It’s on me.”
The BMI hero was taken aback for a second. The words of the small female filtering in his head before she laughed lightly, snapping him out of his daze.
“Look, if you don’t take it then it will probably be thrown away at the end of the day.”
Fatgum stared down the treat he had been offered, salty tongue lapping the roof of his mouth as the scent of the sweet package entered his nostrils. This was the reason he came into the shop in the first place. But, would it be right to just take it for nothing? The dual haired woman watched the hero, her tongue clicking in anxiety as she scooted the package closer to herself under his scrutiny.
“But… if you don’t want it then I guess I can’t make you...sorry...I didn't mean to sound pushy..."
Pierced tongue ran across her teeth in a fashion the hero could hear clearly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he noticed just how anxious she had become seconds after her confident sale. She was just like Tamaki; in a way. The hero couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out and taking hold of the box held protectively against the female.
“Thank you for the gift. But are you sure?”
The females smile returned as if nothing had ever happened, her grip relinquishing possession of the box as the hero pulled it towards his own body.
“I’m sure. I’m just really happy that someone wants so many of my cakes.”
She gestured towards the mountain of baked goods as she shimmied back behind the counter, her fingers working the till as his mouth fell slightly open at the Goth's statement.
“You made all these?”
He fished in his pocket for a moment, fingering the money into his large palm before plopping it on the counter, picking up the rest of his purchase as the female nodded her head lightly.
“Yep, everything here. Ma always said I was a good baker and should open a shop. So I did.”
Now this really surprised the hero. He had thought the female just worked here, not owned it. She caught his look as a smirk crossed her lips, picking up the money from the counter and ringing it into the till.
“I know what you’re thinking. ‘How come a shop like this is owned by a girl like that?’”
A nervous laugh left Fatgum’s throat, a large finger scratching his cheek at being called out on his thoughts.
“Ah, you got me. Sorry, I guess that was rude.”
The girl giggled, holding out a few coins that was the hero’s change as her head lolled to the side slightly. She eyed the baby pink walls with a smile, cute designs of emoted cupcake stickers dancing across the store smiling back.
“It wasn’t rude, a lot of people think that. But to tell you the truth I didn’t design it, it was my younger sisters. They’re only 8 and wanted to be involved but they can’t work here obviously. So I let them decide the interior and I can’t say I’ve ever regretted it, even if people think I just work the counter.”
The hero tilted his head, a soft smile on his face at the heartfelt story. Now understanding why he thought it looked like a doll house. It was designed by children.
“That’s real sweet of you. Most people wouldn’t let kids do that.”
“Well, I like to think my pastries make up for Barbie’s dream house.”
The woman gestured around the room with her free hand, earning a laugh from the hero. If her food tasted half as good as it looked then her comment would prove right. He waved the female off before turning on his heel, making his way towards the door as a small sound escaped the woman’s lips.
“H-hey, you forgot your change!”
He grinned brightly to himself, plopping his free hand atop the smaller box holding the scone.
“Don’t worry! Keep the change.”
The woman smiled softly before shaking her head and dropping the money into the tip box. Emerald eyes drifting over to the now empty space where the scone once lay. She’d have to remember to make more in the morning.
Once the hero exited the store, he tore into the box that held the scone. The scent of chocolate and cranberries filling his nostrils as his mouth salivated. Using his forefinger and thumb he twisted off the lid, taking a huge helping of colourful cream with it before stuffing it into his mouth. The texture was light and fluffy, the chocolate melting on his tongue instantly. A hum of approval left the giants lips, his tongue reaching out to lap away the cream resting in the corner of his mouth.
It tasted heavenly.
He spotted Tamaki and Kirishima waiting for him at their meeting point, the red headed newbie tapping his foot impatiently.
“You’re late. What were you doing Fat?”
“Just stopped off at my new regular.”