ooooh, maybe #15 for the ask game? :D
#15 - night wind carrying the scent of freshly baked bread
Toshinori hadn't tried his hand at baking yet. Cooking felt more within his range of abilities somehow. It didn't matter if a measurement was off or if he felt the need to swap one ingredient for another when cooking. The meal usually came out serviceable anyway, and even when it hadn't, he had enough practice at making bentos by that point to not worry about it.
Besides, having a hungry, growing, and grateful teen to feed did wonders for both Toshinori's motivation and his confidence.
He couldn't say when he decided to venture into baking. It was probably all the talk of burgers. Izuku asked him one day what he used to eat when training, and Toshinori's mouth watered at the memory of the cheeseburgers he'd inhale after training sessions in America. When he mentioned that, Izuku's eyes grew with curiosity and hunger, and that's when Toshinori knew. Even if he couldn't eat a burger anymore, he sure would make one for his boy.
And if he was going to do it, he'd go all out.
Most of the burger was simple enough: meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion, not to mention the ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Toshinori had even found some dill pickles to slice up if Izuku wanted to try that.
The buns, however, were a different story.
Toshinori found an American recipe to make sure they tasted just right. He had some trouble with the conversions at first, but fortunately, he had the sense to test run it. He didn't sleep well anyway, and cooking (or in this case, baking) proved a calming way to pass the late night hours.
He meant to keep it a secret, a surprise for Izuku's next bento. He should have known, though, that his plans would be thwarted by Izuku's equally strange sleep schedule. Once the buns were done around four in the morning, Toshinori had opened the window so the cool night air would balance out the heat of the oven. By 4:30 am, there was a knock on his door.
"Izuku! What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I was going for a run, but then I smelled something in the wind that seemed like it was coming from here..." Before Toshinori could even properly invite him in, Izuku was already stepping inside. His nose twitched as he sniffed, his eyes widened in examination. Toshinori couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well, it was going to be a surprise," Toshinori said as he closed the door, "but since you're already here..." He stepped into the kitchen where he saw Izuku practically drooling at the sight of the buns as he held his stomach. Toshinori would have accused him of doing so for dramatic effect, but he heard the hungry growl as he stepped next to him. "I guess this will be a surprise breakfast instead of a surprise bento then."
So, Toshinori made Izuku a classic, All-American cheeseburger for the first time. He smiled as the boy wolfed it down, pleased at yet another successful meal. Izuku went to reach for another when Toshinori stopped him.
"Hey, don't eat too fast. There will be plenty more where that came from."
And true to his word, Toshinori added American cheeseburgers to Izuku's bento rotation. Other baked goods started to make their way into Toshinori's kitchen, too -- cakes and tarts and other kinds of buns -- but his favorite always remained the American hamburger buns that Izuku seemed to relish so much.
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