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“So, I just whisk it?”
Satou looks up to find Midoriya peering dubiously at the ingredients in the steel saucepot in front of him.
They’re in the Heights Alliance kitchen on a lazy November afternoon. A few days after Midoriya borrowed red food coloring from him during the Culture Festival, the other teen had come to him with wide, pleading green eyes and a recipe on his phone.
Now, one shopping trip later, a scrounge through the kitchen for the proper utensils, and a short lecture on kitchen safety, they’re immersed in making gummies.
Satou takes a quick look into the pot to confirm the contents, then slaps Midoriya’s back in encouragement.
“You got it. Start whisking! I’ll turn on the heat, so watch yourself.”
Midoriya leans out of the way so Satou can get to the stove knobs. A few clicks later and heat is flowing under the pot.
“You don’t have to stir that hard,” Satou says after a moment of watching Midoriya whisk the sugar, sorbitol, and glucose syrup mixture with a fierceness he’s only seen in combat training.
“Oh,” Midoriya says, instantly sheepish. He slows down, drawing a lazy figure-8 through the mixture like Satou had demonstrated earlier, careful to keep an eye on the candy thermometer clipped to the pot.
“That’s better. So, you said this was for that little girl staying with Mr. Aizawa?”
“Yup!” Midoriya says happily, focus still intent on the pot. “Eri really hasn’t had a lot of sweets, so I want to give her a ton of different stuff to try. And I was looking through recipes because homemade is usually better and…”
“And you came to me because I bake.”
“And because you’re awesome at it!”
Satou feels his cheeks pink up at the praise, but takes the compliment in stride.
“Well, I just like experimenting, that’s all.” He resists the urge to scratch the back of his neck, conscious of having to wash his hands again. “Oh! Time to add the gelatin we mixed up earlier.”
Satou fetches the bowl of gelatin and uses a spatula to scoop it into Midoriya’s pot in five big chunks.
“Alright, now just mix it in slowly until it’s all mixed together. Did we end up picking a flavor?”
“Ummmmmmmmmm.”
Satou laughs.
“We can make more than one. I just figured it would be easier to do a single flavor batch at first, rather than trying to divide this one out.”
“That makes total sense! I just knew you’d be the best one to ask about this! Let’s dooooooo…cherry! That’s sort of a traditional gummy bear flavor, right?”
“Yup. And we bought cherry extract, so we’re all good to go.”
Satou grabs the little extract bottle with the cartoon cherry on the front, along with a set of measuring spoons.
“We’ll wait until all the gelatin chunks are dissolved, then we’ll take it off the heat. After that, I’ll mix in the flavorings, and you’ll get the molds ready to go. They’re non-stick, but a little dusting of cornstarch won’t hurt to make sure they pop out easy.” He notices the looks Midoriya is giving him, one eerily similar to the ones he gives All Might. “What?”
“You should lead mission briefings! You’re so great at giving clear instructions. Seriously, Satou, you should know it already since you made it into UA, but you’re going to be a great hero!”
And if Satou’s cheeks were pink before at the praise for his culinary skills, they’re bright flaming red now. He abandons the flavoring extract in favor of burying his face in his hands.
“You’re something else, Midoriya,” he says without moving his hands. “Anyone ever tell you that?”
“Kacchan. Oh, and All Might! I think Mr. Aizawa might have said something like that too.”
“Well, add me to the list. You’re going to be an amazing hero.”
“Thanks, Satou!” Midoriya says, and Satou can picture a brilliant sunny day just from hearing those two words. Although maybe there are a few clouds, because Midoriya then says, “Uh, should it be turning black like this?”
One ruined batch, four successful batches, and several hours of the gummies setting up later, Midoriya is picking through the bears to find the ones with the cutest, least squashed faces and Satou is cleaning up.
“You really don’t have to do the dishes! This was all my idea!”
“Then you can pay me back by letting me deliver the gummies with you,” Satou says easily. “After all, if Eri has a lifetime’s worth of sweets to make up for, I want to know what she’d like to try next.”
There’s a long pause, and Satou turns, worried he’s offended Midoriya somehow. Instead, he’s confronted with figurative “heart eyes” which are rapidly filling with tears.
“Would you? You’re the best, Satou! I’m sure Eri would love to meet you. Just let me clear it with Mr. Aizawa first. Do you want to go over now? Do you have time? Oh man, she’s going to love you!”
And Satou, wondering if his cheeks will stay permanently pink, just nods.
Turns out helping Midoriya was the best possible use of what could have been a perfectly ordinary afternoon. But that’s what Midoriya did, Satou mused to himself. He looked at the world with hero’s eyes and did what heroes do: made even little things, like making candy for a little girl, extraordinary.