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Izuku viewed his favorite foods like a well-worn blanket: always there when you needed it, it came without surprises, and comforting by nature. Especially his mother’s cooking - and that was where it began.
When he was little, and he had a particularly bad day, his mother would cheer him up by making him his favorite foods - whether it be katsudon, a plate of curry, tamagoyaki, or a warm bowl of okayu when he was sick, his mother always had something on the menu that was sure to make him feel better. All of her cooking was the best, he believed, and he never had any reason to doubt that. He’d never eaten anywhere that had his mother’s home cooking beat in any category.
As he got older, he learned to cook a lot of her recipes himself, and was more than happy to help around the kitchen. Anything to get his mind off of a bad school day, and any chance to spend more time with his mom, was an opportunity he’d happily take. The way to a person’s heart, his mom often said, was through the stomach, so it only made sense to have food when you wanted to feel better.
He recalled many evenings spent listening to his mom’s collection of enka music and dancing in the kitchen as they prepared dinner together. It was some of his most cherished memories.
Perhaps it should not have been a surprise when food, for Izuku, became something special. It became more than just sustenance: it became warmth, comfort, stability, love. Maybe it was cheesy to think of it that way, but he couldn’t help it! Food was always at the forefront of the best times he had growing up. He’d happily tell anybody who asked about his favorite foods, because there were so many charms to each of them.
And yet, it surprised him anyway, when people other than his mother began to express how they felt through food as well.
The first time it happened, it was a sunny summer Tuesday on Dagobah beach, just before he got into U.A. All Might was grinning as he stood on the sea wall, waving for Izuku to come over now that he’d finished his training. The man was holding out what looked like a lunchbox, wrapped neatly in a cartoonish, All Might-themed cloth. He seemed a little sheepish, which was strange to think about in relation to All Might of all people, but he was clearly happy to show it off despite that.
“Young Midoriya! I have a surprise for you!”
Izuku was surprised for a moment before he ran up to his mentor enthusiastically. He looked at the lunchbox with curiosity, wondering if it was exactly what it seemed to be. “A surprise? For me? What for?”
All Might pressed the lunch box into Izuku’s hands, his grin only getting wider. “Well, you hit a personal record yesterday! I’m very proud of the progress you’re making, my boy, and I recall you mentioning you enjoyed katsudon quite a bit, so I thought it would be nice to celebrate a little! It’s not katsudon, but I hope a katsu sandwich will suffice - it keeps much better in a lunch box.”
Izuku’s eyes went wide with surprise - of all the things he expected, it wasn’t this, that was for sure. “Did… did you make this yourself, All Might?”
“I did! I’m no cook, but I gave it my best shot. It felt right to celebrate your progress with some effort of my own rather than simply going and buying you something,” All Might chuckled and patted him on the back. Then, even more surprising, he pulled out a second lunchbox from his bag and sat down, hanging his legs over the side of the seawall and looking at the water through the small section of beach Izuku had cleared thus far. “Well? Care to join me, or are you going to make an old man eat by himself?”
Though he’d been staring at the wrapped lunchbox with awe, Izuku quickly scrambled to get sitting beside the man. He had a wobbly, budding smile on his face now, as he unwrapped the box. “S-Sorry! It’s just… I don’t think anybody besides my mom has made food just for me in a long time. A-And you’re not old, All- er, well, just… I mean it, you’re not old!”
All Might just laughed heartily as Izuku opened his lunchbox, staring at the food inside like it was sacred treasure rather than a simple sandwich and some sides to go with it. Though to Izuku, as he took his first bite, it might as well have been.
“If you say so, my boy, then I suppose I must not be old after all,” All Might shook his head with unbridled fondness in his eyes. He reached over to ruffle Izuku’s hair before digging into his own lunchbox. When he finished his first bite, he hummed thoughtfully. “Hm… not half bad, for a first attempt, I think.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the best,” Izuku grinned from ear to ear. And to him, in that moment, it really was.
All Might laughed again. “You think so? It’s a little dry.”
“Maybe, but it’s still the best,” Izuku said, happily eating the sandwich. He could tell when he ate the patty where it was less uniform, thicker in some places and thinner in others - he could tell that was where All Might must’ve flattened the pork by hand, unsure how much force to use. The cabbage was chopped roughly and unevenly, and as All Might said, it was indeed a little dry.
But none of that mattered to Izuku. It was food that was made for him, by his mentor, who was celebrating something. His mentor who was proud of him. That pride, that care, all came through in something as simple as a sandwich, and it made him feel full of joy.
The two of them sat there, eating their slightly-dry sandwiches, laughing without a care in the world, and Izuku thought it was one of the best days he’d had in a long time.
The second time it happened came not long after the sports festival.
Izuku was in the U.A cafeteria, trying to decide what he wanted to order today. It was always tough, given Lunch Rush’s ability to make just about anything… But before he could think about it, a figure stepped in front of him - to his surprise, it was Todoroki.
“O-Oh! Todoroki-kun!” Izuku startled at his sudden appearance, and was surprised again to see two lunch boxes in his hands. “Can I help you…?”
He’d never known the other boy to eat with anybody else; Todoroki usually ate at a quiet, secluded table on his own, looking icily at anybody who tried to sit with him. Izuku wanted to talk to him after the sports festival, given everything that went on, but… every time he looked over there, Todoroki seemed deep in thought, and he wanted to give the other boy room to sort out things in his head before talking about it all.
Perhaps Todoroki was done thinking about things, and was now in the mood to talk?
“I made lunch,” Todoroki said flatly, holding out one of the lunch boxes to him. “Come eat with me.”
Izuku blinked owlishly, surprised all over again. Todoroki… made lunch? And wanted to eat with him? Well, he supposed that solved his problem of being unable to decide what he wanted to eat… Wordlessly, Todoroki turned and began to walk away, probably expecting Izuku to follow. So, hurriedly, Izuku did follow along - all the way to the table… where his friends, Uraraka, Iida and Tsu, were already eating their own lunches? Did he want to join them at their usual table?
“Hey, Deku-kun!” Uraraka waved when she saw him, then seemed equally surprised to see Todoroki. “Oh, Todoroki-kun, you’re going to eat with us today?”
Todoroki just nodded. “I made lunch for Midoriya.”
“You made him lunch-kero?” Tsu repeated, head tilted with curiosity. She watched the two of them as they sat down, intrigued by the boy’s sudden appearance. “Why?”
“I… wanted to thank him,” Todoroki said, looking a little lost. This sort of scenario - eating lunch with others, doing something like making lunch for somebody - was probably a little foreign to him, given what Izuku knew about him now. “For the Sports Festival. He… said something that meant a lot to me.”
“Todoroki-kun… you didn’t have to thank me. It was just the right thing to do,” Izuku said, trying to find the words. He wanted to help Todoroki overcome his aversion to his own fire - detach himself from that cold way of thinking. It was his duty as a classmate, he felt like, that’s all there was to it. Even so, it clearly mattered a great deal to Todoroki himself, for him to go out of his way like this.
“I do have to thank you. I wasn’t sure what to do, but… My brother told me I should try making you food, since I interrupted your lunch break during the sports festival and all. He helped me make everything since I’ve never cooked before, but… I hope it’s enough,” Todoroki murmured. Aside from their fight during the sports festival, this was the most emotion Izuku had seen from the other boy.
Izuku felt strangely touched by the gesture. He looked as uncomfortable in social situations as Izuku felt at the beginning of the year, which was saying something, and yet he still overcame that just to say thank you in such a direct, personal way.
“I also wasn’t sure what you like, so… I hope you like cold soba…”
Izuku saw Todoroki open one of the lunch boxes to reveal, as he said, a pile of cold soba and side dishes to accompany it, all put together with experience and care. Izuku’s eyebrows rose - it looked immaculate, quite frankly. Izuku couldn’t remember the last time he had cold soba, it wasn’t particularly on his list of favorite foods, but… the fact that Todoroki went out of his way to make it for him just to say thanks…
Izuku thought of that day on the beach with All Might, eating those sandwiches, and found himself smiling that wobbly little smile again.
“I love it, Todoroki-kun. This is a wonderful gift. Thank you so much for the food!” Izuku said, happily digging in to the meal he’d been given. He could sort of see Todoroki watching him from the corner of his eye as he ate, and seeing how happy with it Izuku was, a small wisp of a smile appeared on Todoroki’s own face. It was barely there - just a slight upturn at one corner of his mouth - but it was more than Izuku had seen before, and it made his own smile all the bigger.
He really did love food… especially when it came packaged with the feelings of the person who made it.
The third surprise came accompanied by Uraraka’s cheery exclamation, “Deku-kun! You’re just in time - come here, come here!”
They’d moved into the dorms not too long ago, and they were still getting used to seeing each other even outside of school hours. His friends made it a little easier, of course, as he enjoyed every moment spent with them. Looking around now, he could see a few people milling about in the commons - Sero, Kirishima and Kaminari were playing a game on the communal TV, Yaoyorozu and Jiro were trying to get some studying done, and Uraraka herself was setting some a bowl onto the communal dining table. It was hot and fresh, if the steam wafting from it was any indication.
Izuku saw the food on the table and his stomach grumbled instinctively in response. It smelled amazing and he couldn’t even see what it was, yet. Still, he sat at the table - if one of his friends wanted his attention, they’d get it, no questions asked.
“Hi, Uraraka-san! Just in time for what?”
“Well… I tried making dinner for you!” She said, looking shy despite her cheeriness. Her cheeks were pinker than usual, and she couldn’t quite look him in the eyes. “I-I mean, I saw how tired you were after training today, and I know how much you love your food, so I thought I’d try to make you something to pick you up… because I want you to feel your best!”
Izuku’s entire face turned red as he approached the table to see a steaming bowl of gyudon. The beef and onions looked like they’d been cooked well and the egg on top was glistening and fresh. Izuku’s mouth was watering just looking at it. The care Uraraka had put into it on his behalf, the desire to see him at his best, was evident in the way she’d taken great pains just to make the food look as nice as it did.
“Wow, this looks incredible! A-And it’s for me…?” Izuku asked, now shy himself. Uraraka nodded quickly, pushing the bowl towards him.
“Try it! My parents and I make gyudon at home whenever we celebrate stuff, and I thought I might cheer you on by making you the same,” she said, turning away slightly as Izuku eagerly went to take his first bite.
The explanation made him pause, though. Just like he held good memories when it came to his mother and food, she too had some of her own. And she was choosing to share them with him… He took the bite slower now, savoring the flavor as if to treat Uraraka’s memories with greater respect. It was just as delicious as it looked, honestly, and… dare he say it… better than even his mom’s cooking. He quickly began to eat the rest - he just couldn’t stop himself! It was too good!
Seeing the enthusiasm with which Izuku ate made Uraraka smile, her previous embarrassment totally gone.
“You like it?” she asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
Izuku nodded just as enthusiastically. “It’s so good! I can’t believe you made this just for me… did you make yourself any? I’d feel bad eating all your hard work if you didn’t get to have some yourself!”
“Oh, that’s okay! I only had enough to buy stuff for the one serving…” Uraraka admitted sheepishly. “I mean, we have plenty of food at the dorms! I just wanted to make this specifically, so I had to go get the stuff, and, um, you know…”
Izuku quickly stood from his chair and wordlessly ran to the kitchen, returning with a small bowl. If she’d used the little money she could spare just to make him this…
“We can share, then!”
“Are you sure? Will you get enough to eat that way?” Uraraka asked, eyes wide.
“I’m sure,” Izuku smiled, already busy scooping some into the separate bowl for her. “I’d really like to share with you.”
It seemed as if it were Uraraka’s turn to redden a few shades, but she accepted the share of food with a smile on her face and ate with him. Izuku decided then and there that he loved food, yes, but the company was becoming his favorite part. All the people around him, people he loved - his mom, his mentor, his friends - they shared their love back through food, just because they knew he liked it.
A mother’s love, pride, thankfulness, support - all of those were things he could cherish with each bite he took from the food people made him. Izuku wouldn’t trade that full feeling in his stomach - and in his heart - for anything in the world.
His mother was right - the way to the heart really was through food.