Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        Esuha City in the morning was always a sight to see. The sunrise shines through the streets, the bright lights and signs of restaurants mixing with the warm rays of sunshine. The sun creeps its way over the horizon, Shining through the windows of many buildings, as if reminding the people that a new day has come. The gold rays of light reach a window of an apartment complex, crawling onto the bedroom of a sweet and familiar face, a girl named Rose.

           Rose slowly drifts back into consciousness as the rays of sunshine gleam over her eyelids. She groggily opens her eyes and yawns, stretching her arms backwards. Afterwards, she rubs her eyes, shaking the sleepiness out of her head. She opens her eyes and sits up to the similar sight of her bedroom. The band posters, fairy lights and dark greens and greys a comforting sight to see yet again. Rose leans against the headboard, picking up her phone from the nightstand, checking her emails and texts. She checks the time and realizes that she only has 10 minutes before shift starts. “Oh, shit-!” She almost immediately hops out of bed, going to her dresser. Pulling off her shirt, she decides to wear a nirvana shirt, and pulls on some baggy cargo pants. She slips on some bracelets of miscellaneous colors, pulls her black zip-up jacket up and onto her shoulders, slipping her arms through the armholes. She stops for a moment to look in the mirror and fix her hair, getting one last look at herself before leaving. Her honey blonde hair was shaped in a wolf cut that framed her face with messy waves and curls. Her cheeks were kissed with freckles, and her chubby cheeks only highlighted them. Her eyes were a mix of a light blue and grey, shining in the early morning light. Her baggy clothing partly hid her chubby figure, fixing her shirt hem before smiling to herself and running off to work.

   She rushes through her bedroom door, slipping her phone into her pocket. She quickly snatches some headphones from her night as well before slipping them around her neck. She runs into the kitchen, thinking for a moment before deciding against eating, knowing she’ll probably get distracted. Besides, there’s plenty of food where she works anyways.

She picks up her keys, and waltzes over to her front door, unlocking her door. She walks out of the comfort of her apartment, locking the door behind her. She rushes down the hallway to the elevator, jamming the button and she impatiently waits for the opening of the door. After an achingly long few seconds, a ding is heard, before the door opens. She rushes into the cramped space which is thankfully empty, presses the lobby button and pushes the ‘close door’ repeatedly, knowing she only has two minutes left. The door slowly shuts, and the elevator begins its descent. Tapping her foot, Rose thinks to herself;

   “God dammit! I’m gonna be late. At least the bakery’s next door…” The elevator dings happily as it reaches its destination, the doors opening. Rose squeezes through the crack of the doors, and prances out of the apartment building and sprints to the bakery which is next door. She reaches the bakery and halts to a stop, checking her phone. Right on time. An anxious sigh escapes her lips, opening the door.

The manager is behind the counter, waiting expectantly. “Rose! You’re finally here. C’mon, you need to make some cookies we’re nearly empty on.” She welcomes Rose in with a warm smile, gesturing for her to come over. One thing Rose always loved about her job at the local bakery was that she got to say hello to her manager, Simone. Her manager was always kind, with her ginger hair always up in space buns, and her stout figure. Rose walks behind the counter, saying hello to her other two colleagues as she reaches the kitchen in the back, Simone explains what needs to be done.

   “So basically, we need a new batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, so just follow the recipe and bake away!” She says with a warm smile. Rose chuckles softly, before heading to the ingredients which are already out.

   “You can count on me!” Rose says with her usual timid smile. Simone nods and heads back to the counter, waiting for the first customer of the day.

   Rose always loved the job she had. Just baking sweet treats, serving the nice customers, it was surprisingly serene, and calming. She pops on her headphones, playing some sappy love songs, and getting to work. She mixed the ingredients, tossed in the oatmeal and chocolate chips, and was following the recipe like always. As she mindlessly mixed the dough with her whisk, she looked out the doorway at the customers, mostly old couples or families, the sound of their dialogue drowned out by her music. She looks back down at her work, taking out a pan and sliding on a piece of a baking sheet. Rolling the dough into small spheres, she squishes them into the pan in a clean and neat grid. She puts the spare dough on another pan, slipping them both into the preheated oven. Closing the oven, she wipes the sweat off of her forehead. She walks over to the sink, washing her hands before she can hear a muffled voice calling her name. Sliding her headphones off, Rose looks up at Simone, who seems to be scared about something.

   “Hey, can you cover for me? My parents just got badly injured in a villain attack.” Roses eyes widen, a bead of sweat building up on her forehead yet again.

   “O-oh, um, sure.. Go and take as long as you need, I can cover for you.” Simone sighs in relief, patting Rose's shoulder gratefully.

   “Thank you so much! I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, the longest is the rest of my shift..” Rose nods, walking up to the counter as Simone clumsily grabs her items before leaving waving to Rose behind her.

   “Good luck!!” She calls out before she leaves, Rose waving to her before she’s out of sight. Well, great. At least she has her two colleagues to make the rest of the pastries that are low in stock.

   All of a sudden, a huge, tall figure can be seen walking into the bakery. The small bell above rings happily as the door opens. A stout, chubby man steps in. It takes a minute before Rose recognizes him. It’s Fatgum, the BMI hero! Rose’s eyes light up, Fatgum’s her favorite hero. She always felt comforted by his supportive role and fighting stance, and his quirk was always really fascinating to her. He's probably here from that villain attack that hurt Simone's parents.. He walks up to the counter, looking down at Rose due to the huge height difference.

  “Heya there! I haven’t been here before, thought I’d give this place a try.” He speaks in his usual kind and playful manner, his wide toothy grin plastered on his face. Rose takes a minute to calm down, realizing that she’s finally talking to her idol. She realizes she’s staring and looks away, training her composure before looking back up at him.

  “Oh! I’m glad you decided to, our pastries won’t disappoint.” She smiles warmly, and the man’s grin widens, if even possible.

  “Good. Now, since I don’t know whatcha got, can you give me some recommendations?” He asks as he looks down at the selection, the pastries waiting patiently on pans under the illuminating lights.

   “Sure! A customer favorite is our chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and my recommendation, I’d say..” Rose trails off, looking through the glass at the range of choices. “I’d say I recommend the chocolate croissant.” She waits in anticipation for his reply, not noticing the burning sensation in her cheeks. Fatgum looks at the recommended items, the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are of onerous size, and look perfect. The chocolate croissants look delicious, the chocolate filling visible as it puffs up the shape of the croissant, powdered sugar dusted thickly over the flaky dough. He smiles, speaking up again.

   “Sure thing, darlin', I’ll get a dozen of the cookies, and four of the chocolate croissants. And, can I get a slice of chocolate cake with that? Thank you.” He asks for an impressive amount, but Rose doesn’t question it. The nickname runs off his tongue fluidly, almost naturally. She gets right to work, slipping the croissants, cookies, and a slice of cake into a decent-sized box. She puts the box on the counter top, smiling.

  “Here you are, that’ll be 1500¥.” The man nods and opens his wallet, passing her 2000¥. “Keep the change.” He says with a smile. Rose is caught off guard, smiling.

  “Thank you. Oh, by the way.. I-I just wanted to say you’re my favorite hero.” She looks away, gathering her thoughts and words before looking back up at him “Thank you for your hard work.” Fatgum smiles wide, not having expected her to have said that.

  “Oh, thank you, sweetheart. It’s my pleasure to keep the cities safe.” He says with a wide grin, almost too wide. Before he can leave, she leans to the side, picking up a small white bowl of fortune cookies and holding it up to him.

  “Here! Have one. My treat.” The man happily obliges, gingerly taking a fortune cookie and slipping it into the box of goodies.

  “Thank you! Have a nice day.” He waves, picking up the heavy box with ease and walking out. Rose waves back, smiling wide, before noticing the pink blush that somehow found its way onto her cheeks. The chubby man walks back out onto the streets, the bell ringing again, as if announcing his departure. As Fatgum walks down the sidewalk to his agency building, he grows curious as to what his fortune is. He opens the box as he walks, taking out the fortune cookie and closing the box. Tearing the wrapper open with his teeth, he cracks open the cookie and pulls his fortune out from the crunchy cage it was trapped in. He looks closely, reading the fortune. What he reads causes his breath to hitch in his throat.

              “Your lover has found their way into your life."

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Chapter Text

The next day, Rose was rushed awake by the sudden blast of a gunshot. ‘A gunshot? What’s going on..?’ Rose turns over in bed, looking to see it’s 08:25. “Come onnn.. Can’t they commit crimes later in the day..?” She murmurs groggily, sighing. She sits up and rubs her eyes, looking out the window to see chaos.

There were criminals filling the streets, and they didn’t even try to use their quirks. They just used weapons. It made Rose sick to see people resorting to violence with weapons, especially firearms. But she immediately noticed a large man in a yellow hoodie. She smiled when she realized it was FatGum, but her smile faded when she saw his expression. He was tired, and he had cuts all over his face, arms, and stomach. Rose’s stomach dropped when she saw that all of the heroes fighting were beaten up and sluggish. The villains were winning. Rose always tended to let the heroes fix things, but this time, things were different. Innocent people were being shot left and right, and the heroes could only protect so many people. Rose felt a surge of confidence, and she knew she had to do something.

Rose leaped out of bed and didn’t bother with her clothes. She brushed her hair, taming the knotted mess. She pulled on a frayed, old hoodie, and zipped out the room. She rushed to the kitchen, taking out several protein bars, and immediately opened one and hungrily chomped it down. Her nose wrinkled at the taste, but she had to persist. The protein bars weren’t the kind that tasted good. No, these were the ones that were so jam-packed with protein and vitamins that you could taste the attempt of a good flavor made out of artificial flavoring. It was supposed to be chocolate, but instead, it tasted like coffee, and not the good kind.

She scarfed down the second bar, swallowing it down. She didn’t waste time in leaving, snatching a first aid kit in a nearby cupboard, before clutching her phone, keys, and a protein drink. She pocketed the items into her hoodie and rushed out of the building.

Once she opened the front door of the apartment complex, her eyes squinted shut as the sun blazed down. The sun was out, but the weather was cold. It wasn’t the best, especially since it was mid-fall, so it’s only going to get colder. She shaked the thoughts out of her head, focusing back onto the task at hand. She ran across the street to the crime scene, rushing over to the heroes side. FatGum noticed a small person running up, expecting it was someone who didn’t need to be here.

“Ay, miss, step back, you’ll get hurt.” He extended an arm in front of Rose, protecting her from the eyes and threat of the villains. Rose sighed, speaking up in a yell so she could be heard over the sirens and gunshots. “FatGum! I-It’s me!” FatGum looked down to see Rose, and his eyes widened. His expression twisted into a snarl, but not an angry one, but more of a warning glare.

“Miss?! You gotta get outta here! It’s too dangerous for a gal like you.” His voice was a deep booming as his words vibrated through his chest. Rose sighed, before tugging at the fabric of his hoodie arm to catch his attention again.

“I wanna help! I have a healing quirk, I can heal the injured heroes and citizens.” Rose pleaded, her voice soft but urgent.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” FatGum’s wide mouth tugged upwards into a grin, before hoisting her up and placing her on his shoulder with ease. Rose squeaked, her cheeks flushing pink from the random touch and sudden action.

“C’mon, Imma take you over to the medics. I can’t believe Miss Baker was a healer.” He speaks with a teasing lilt, his voice playful despite the high-tension situation. Rose smiled wide, laughing softly at his gentle ribbing.

Fatgum picked Rose back up by the under arms and dropped her gingerly onto the ground. There were several ambulances in front of them, with nurses and doctors tending to several injured citizens inside the back of the vehicles and on cots around the cars. Rose’s heart melted at the sight of so many people unconscious or scared, with gun wounds in their bodies. She walked over to one of the people, a young boy and started tending to his wounds. She wrapped gauze around his treated gun wound after the bullet was pulled out, before gently taking a hold of his arm, tenderly splaying her fingers over the bandages. She started humming a gentle melody, and a golden light emanated from her hand and seeped into the bandages, causing his injury to glow and heal almost immediately. FatGum watched the scene unfold, his mouth dropping in amazement. He walked over, looming over Rose’s shoulder with his impressive height. “What’s your quirk, if ya don’t mind me askin’?” He spoke up, his accent drawling out. Rose finished humming and pulled away from the kid’s injury, before sitting down on the floor of a nearby ambulance. She held her hands up, looking down at them as the gold light shines and swirls over her palm.

‘Well, my quirk’s called ‘Healing Light’. Basically, whenever I need to heal someone, I can manifest light in my hands that can heal wounds, more or less depending on the severity of the injury. The only down side is that the more I use it, the more tired I am. Along with that, I have to have a good amount of vitamin D in my system to use it, since it’s like sunlight. But apparently Vitmin D is like a type of protein, so if I eat protein-rich foods, I gain more power. That is, other than just being outside in the sun, of course.”

The more she spoke, the more FatGum's face grew into a wide, toothy grin. He puts his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow as he speaks. “You could save a lot of people with a quirk like that." Rose sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I know, just being a part-time baker felt easier." She admitted with a slow shrug. She always wanted to be a hero, ever since she was a little kid, but after she graduated University she realized that it was unrealistic. FatGum noticed the flicker of self hatred in her eyes, the way she looked down at the ground, picking at the sleve of her faded hoodie. It hurt him to see such a beautiful face twisted in regret and self pity. That's when a brilliant idea bubbled to the surface. He brightened up as he crouched down to Rose's level. "Say, I got an idea. Why don't'cha stop by my agency sometime? It would be a pleasure to show ya around, maybe even have ya tag along on missions if ya like." Rose's body stuttered, a small sputter of incoherent mumbles escaping her lips. "I- Huh?" FatGum snickered, his low voice shuddering with his laughter. "It's just a thought. I thought it would be nice to have a healer on the team, but since they're so uncommon, that never happened. But now that you're here, I can't take up this opportunity. Here, take this--" He plunged into his pant pocket, before pulling out a small white card. Holding it out, he added with a soft murmur, "An' I bet my interns would love to meetcha." Rose hesitated, but the warm light in his eyes and soft, welcoming smile got to her. She reached out slowly and plucked the card from his hand, her fingers brushing against the smooth leather of his gloves as she did so. She suppressed a shiver, before maundering absentmindedly. "Thanks, I-I'll think on it." FatGum huffed victoriously, before hauling himself back up on his feet. His voice returned to his usual cheerful tone, his eyes looking down at Rose with a hint of respect. "Alright. I got work to do, so I'd best be off. I'll see you around, yeah?" And just like that, he turned on his heel and head off, walking back to the aftermath of the shootout strewn over the streets. Rose looked down at the card in her hand, finally coming to her senses. It was a business card, with the word 'FATGUM' stretched out to look like his iconic smile, his mask and golden eyes resting above in a cartoony style. Beneath the logo was a phone number. Rose's eyes widened, the situation just now registering. Working with FatGum? Finally getting away from that lousy old bakery? It sounded like a dream come true. As Rose walked back to her apartment to get ready for work, she pinched herself, making sure she was in fact awake. ~♡♡♡~

Chapter Text

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[Time Skip: 1 week]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rose couldn’t believe this was real. Her idol, FatGum, just offered a job at his agency??? It felt like a dream! But as the days passed, Rose’s mind broke down the responsibility of this job. She was a simple baker, how could she save lives next to FatGum and call herself a hero?

Well, she had the sufficient training, she graduated from the same high school as FatGum, and took a hero major in college. She had potential, but the thought of it still scared her. ‘What if I’m not good enough? What if I’m replaced? What if FatGum doesn't like me?’ The questions swirled in ROse’s mind, her heart pounding in her chest as her hands trembled at her sides. She paced around her bedroom, looking down at the business card in her hands. Would this really be worth it? Sure, she’s always wanted to be a hero, and FatGum is her favorite, but what if she didn’t meet the expectations..?

Rose stomped her foot, deciding that she wouldn’t ever know if she didn’t try. She took her phone from the pocket and called the number on the card, waiting nervously until FatGum’s voice spoke from the other end of the line.

“Yello! This is FatGum agency, what can I do for ya?”

Rose’s breath hitched, waves of self doubt hitting her like a tidal wave. “Um, hi.. This is the baker, I wanted to know if I could stop by sometime soon?”

There’s a small pause before FatGum speaks again, this time his voice has an obvious smile to it.

“Ah, great! I don’ have any plans today, so just stop on by whenever ya can!” His voice boomed through the phone into Rose’s ear, his words a gentle reassurance against her doubts.

Rose let out a sigh, accepting his offer and wishing him farewell before hanging up. Rose flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun endlessly. She couldn’t back out now. She had to follow through. So, with a heavy sigh and all of her courage, she rolled back up onto her feet and changed into nicer clothes. Pulling on a tube top and a cardigan, she slips into some baggy cargo jeans and heads out to the living room. Grabbing her bag and pocketing some protein bars, she headed out the front door and started her way to Fatgum’s agency.

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Standing before the front door of the agency, she felt her nerves getting the better of her. Goosebumps prickling over her arms, her body wracked with shivers and shudders. Get yourself together, Rose. This is a new opportunity, a fresh start.

And with that she took a deep breath in, and pushed the door open.
Rose was met with a waiting room, with a reception desk against the back wall. A woman sat behind it, her eyes shifting to Rose. Rose walked up to the desk and asked timidly, “Hello, um, I was here to visit FatGum.”

The receptionist nodded and gestured to the door behind her to the right, adding in a monotone voice. “He’s in his office.”

Rose nodded and walked up to the door, reaching up with a shaky hand to knock on the door, to hear his voice muffled through the door. “Come in!”

Rose turned the knob and gingerly pushed the door open, coming to see FatGum sitting behind his desk in uniform, eating a large tray of takoyaki. He looked up to see her face, immediately lighting up and speaking cheerfully.

“Heya miss! I’m guessin’ yer interested in helping the agency?” Rose shrugged indifferently, causing him to chuckle low in his chest. He stood up and walked over to her, stopping a foot away from her. She just now realized how tall he was, being a looming 8’2” while she was barely 5’3”.

He thought for a moment before speaking up with a chortle. “I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m FatGum, though you probably already know my name. Nice to meetcha, miss..?” He left his hand out for her to shake, his words trailing off with curiosity. Rose stuttered before reaching out and grabbing his hand, shaking it firmly but gently.

"Rose, Rose Woodbury. Nice to meet you."

Fatgum repeated her name, a breathless whisper on his lips. “Rose.. that’s a pretty name. Well, welcome to the team! Now, before we can do anything, I gotta ask ya a few questions, if that’s fine with ya.” Rose nodded, a mumbled ‘sure’ slipping her lips. Fatgum gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, speaking with his iconic toothy grin. “C’mon, have a seat. I was just having some takoyaki, ya want some?”

Rose sits down in her chair, happily taking one of the takoyaki and popping it into her mouth. FatGum smiled at the look of contentment on her face, happy that she was enjoying the food. He slipped into his chair before taking out a sidekick employment form and a pen, brushing the crumbs off from the table before laying down the paper.

“Alright, first question, Do you have an education in hero work?”

Rose thought for a second, swallowing her food before speaking up softly. “Yeah, I do. I graduated from Shiketsu high, and was a hero major in college.”

FatGum beamed at this, writing down her words on the paper. “Well, that makes this much easier. Say, you said you went to Shiketsu high? So did I! What year did you graduate?” He asked with curiosity as he filled in other parts of the form.

“Oh, I graduated in 2007. I think I’d seen you around the school before, you were one year above me, right?”

FatGum thought for a moment, before nodding happily. “Why, I believe so. Uh, next question- have you had any prior jobs besides being a baker?”

Rose pondered for a couple seconds before speaking up once more, murmuring timidly. “I used to work as a lifeguard, but other than that, no.” FatGum nodded, writing that down.

“Alrightie. Would you say you’d make a good hero or sidekick?” He raised an eyebrow quizzingly, patiently drumming his fingertips against the wood as Rose hesitated. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking away from his golden gaze as she tried to think of a good answer.

“Well, I think I would make a decent sidekick. I don’t really like being in charge, I’m bad at making quick decisions, and I’m not a great fighter. But I can run fast and heal well, so I’d say I’m good for finding backup and support.”

FatGum took her words into consideration, noticing the way her words were tinted with self judgement. His lips twisted down into a small frown, before speaking up in a reassuring tone.
“Well, that’s perfect! Don’t underestimate yourself, though. I bet you’re great out there.” He smiled softly, jotting down her positive traits into the paper. “Alright, the rest of the paper work I can do on my own. All ya gotta do is sign here. Although, are you sure you want to do this?”

His question hung heavy, making sure this was what she wanted. Rose’s self-deprecating thoughts from earlier filled her mind, her heart pounding in her ribcage. She knew if she kept thinking about it, she would make herself stay in that bakery. But this was her chance. And she couldn’t give it up. Not like this. So Rose nodded jerkily, to which FatGum handed her the pen in his hand and watched tentatively as she signed the paper with a shaky hand. Once she finished, he smiled and clapped his hands together.

“Great! Now, do you have a hero suit that fits you? If not, I can take you to visit mine, she can make somethin’ for ya.”

Rose’s body stiffened. She paused, before realizing that the only hero suit she had was from college, and didn’t fit her now, not since she gained weight from working at the bakery. She nodded at his offer, stumbling over her words.

“Why, I don’t think I have one that fits me anymore. Do you know a time we could go that works with your schedule?”

FatGum smiled and wave his hand dismissively at her question, chuckling with his words. “I don’t have anythin’ to do today, we can head out in an hour or two. Until then, though, do you wanna get a look around the agency building?” He offered with a goofy grin, tilting his head to the side. “Think of it as a.. a grand tour!” He added enthusiastically.

Rose chuckled softly, before nodding and gingerly reaching for another piece of takoyaki. She paused halfway, murmuring diffidently. “Oh- um, you don’t mind, do you? I didn’t have any breakfast.”

FatGum just smiled wider, nodding slightly. “Of course, have as much as ya like! Besides, I’m not hungry anymore anyway.” He lied. He just wanted to see Rose happy, picking up on the fact she was hard on herself.

Rose smiled and popped one more into her mouth. Today seemed like it was going to be a good one.