Thankfully, Rumie had made sure that the refreshments he'd had her order earlier, arrived at his office before his visitor did, and he barely looked up as she opened his office door, allowing one of the commissary staff to push in a small cart. They were quick to unload the pot of tea he'd asked for, as well as a selection of fresh cakes, biscuits and a bowl of locally sourced fruit, before quietly leaving.
"Thank you", he politely told the server, as they briefly dipped into a bow on their way out.
He had a few ideas why Momo Yaoyorozu had reached out and contacted his office to request a meeting with him personally, even if she had done it in the name of the Yaoyorozu Investment Network, or the YIN, as he knew a lot of the people involved in finance called it, but he had no actual concrete proof of what she was interested in him for.
As far as he was aware, the only connection that existed between himself and Miss Yaoyorozu, or any member of the Yaoyorozu Investment Network, for that matter, was the fact that the Yokohama Vigilante had saved the life of their son just a few short weeks ago.
And unless he'd screwed something up and given himself away already, ruining his career as a vigilante before it had ever really gotten started, Momo Yaoyorozu had no way of knowing that.
Had she contacted DEKU Enterprises for a meeting with Melissa, then he might have understood somewhat, given that Creati had been one of the Pro Hero students involved in the 'I-Island Incident', which had happened when Melissa had still been living there as a teenager, but he'd checked with the receptionist who had taken the call, and then, just to be absolutely certain, he had Rumie check too, and she'd been able to confirm that there was no mistake.
Momo Yaoyorozu had asked for a private meeting with Izuku Midoriya.
He'd been wondering why ever since.
Well, there was no point in worrying himself any further.
He was about to find out why.
"Good morning, Yaoyorozu-san", Rumie had left his office door open, and he could clearly hear her voice greeting his guest, as the elevator doors opened, and he could imagine the sight of her slightly awkward looking bow in his head quite clearly, "if you wouldn't mind moving this way, Midoriya-san is awaiting your arrival".
"I hope he hasn't been kept waiting long".
"No, not at all. We were alerted to your arrival when your driver signed in, so there's no need to worry".
"Oh, well that is good".
"It's just through here".
He rose from his desk, buttoning his suit jacket as he rose, as Rumie returned to his office, this time with his guest in tow, and he blinked twice, as Momo Yaoyorozu crossed the entrance into his office.
She was beautiful.
He'd known that much already, at least intellectually, even before her first foot stepped through his door. After all, he'd seen photos of her during his search for her son, and in the news coverage following his safe recovery. She'd been bruised and you could still see where she had been bandaged up, but even then, it had been clear to see that she was an attractive woman, objectively speaking, but honestly…
The cameras had not done her justice.
At all.
She was tall, particularly for a woman, (or at least, for a non-heteromorphic woman), looking to be as tall as he himself was. As he crossed the room and drew closer, he realised that while she was the same height as him, she was also wearing a pair of sensible heels, which gave her a slight advantage.
Her hair was pulled back into a professional ponytail, but the glossy black sheen of her styling and maintenance made her dark hair shine in the morning light. She wore a minimal amount of make-up, but even then, the pale peach lip gloss and thin mascara only served to highlight her own natural beauty.
She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
And she was now awkwardly sticking out her hand, while hunching her shoulders forwards. She was speaking to him, and he'd been so caught up in staring at her, that he hadn't noticed.
"-shouldn't have assumed. I know a lot of people prefer shaking over bowing these days-"
"Both are fine with me", he rushed to interrupt, hoping he didn't come off sounding as rude as he felt, "I'm so sorry", he tacked on, "I just wasn't expecting, that is to say, the ah, offer took me by surprise is all".
"Oh", she blinked, straightening up slightly, "well that's fine- oh", she blinked in surprise as he both shook her hand and bowed at the same time, "we're doing both".
"Well, now neither of us can be too upset", he said, offering her what he hoped was a disarming smile, and based on the way she relaxed, he was certain that it had worked the way he intended, "can I offer you a drink? Tea? Coffee? Sparkling water?"
"Tea would be lovely, please".
She let him guide her over to the small meeting area he had set up, taking his proffered chair and unbuttoning her blazer as she sat down opposite him. He knew that the bright fabric was the same shade of red as her Pro Hero costume, and he found that it complemented her white blouse and black skirt perfectly.
She crossed one leg over the other as she sat down, accepting the cup of green tea he offered her with a soft smile, and he forced himself not to stare at the thick pair of black tights that clung to her legs, leading down to a pair of glossy black heels.
As a teenager travelling the world, he'd sadly put himself into a bad situation more than once because of his hormones, but he also felt that hadn't been an issue since the incident in the cave. Ever since then, a part of him just hadn't seen women as something to be distracted by.
But now?
He couldn't help but feel distracted.
=== === === === ===
"-and of course, if the final numbers are what worry you, there is some room for some increase, but truthfully, the Yaoyorozu Investment Network isn't looking to spend more than what's offered here".
With that said, Momo finished her miniature presentation, taking a sip of her tea to wet her throat, as she gave Midoriya a few moments to think her offer over. She wasn't expecting much in the way of a response, not initially, but hopefully her speech would plant the seeds in his mind, which would soon blossom into her father's latest goal.
The acquisition of DEKU Enterprises.
Her father liked to tell her that - having spent his entire life with his hands covered up, unable to touch anything without suffering from the effects of his Quirk - he had worked to forge his mind into the most valuable tool in his arsenal. When she'd been a girl, wide-eyed and far more naïve than she felt comfortable remembering, she'd nodded with all of the seriousness a child could muster, in an attempt to convince her father that she was taking him seriously, despite largely having no idea what he meant.
Now, a Pro Hero and businesswoman in her own right, she understood him far better.
Her father had no particular physical talent of his own, but his Quirk, which he called Understanding, was capable of granting her father knowledge about the exact make-up of whatever object he was using his hands to physically touch. it could be useful, she knew, in certain circumstances, but mostly, all it did was overload his mind, leaving him suffering from intense headaches. He got around it by constantly wearing the same pair of leather gloves, having gotten so used to their presence that they helped to dull the sensation.
Setting about forging his mind into his most valuable asset, Sen Yaoyorozu had learned to read stock tables with the same ease most children read their comic books. He spotted talent long before other people even realised that it was present, and he had made himself an expert in choosing the right time to invest and then to cash out. There were tips and tricks that had helped to make him successful that existed solely within his mind, and now, she was doing her best to learn all of them from him.
She was so confident in her father's ability to choose the right moments, that when he had told her to set up a meeting with the CEO of DEKU Enterprises and convince them to bring their business under their company's banner, she hadn't hesitated and had simply arranged to set-up the meeting.
She'd written a variation on her usual investor's speech, made sure to dress appropriately, (Izuku Midoriya wouldn't have been the first man she'd come across that would have written her abilities off without bothering to listen to her, simply on account of being a woman), and arrived fifteen minutes early, in order to ensure that he knew that the YIN were serious about the offer they were about to present to him.
And with all of that, she felt certain that she would accomplish her father's goal.
Which was why she couldn't quite believe her ears.
"-and please don't misunderstand, while I am grateful for such a generous offer, neither my partner nor I are interested in selling any part of DEKU Enterprises to a third party, let alone what would amount to a controlling interest. Working together, we built this company ourselves from the ground up, and while we would've been grateful for a serious offer of investment ten years ago, now we can say that we're doing just fine".
"Perhaps", she began, not wanting to cause any kind of offence, "I should also speak with your business partner".
Midoriya just smiled, "Melissa's plane touched down an hour ago. Give her a few days to settle in, and I'm sure she'd be amenable to meeting with you. As I understand, you met a few years ago, did you not? When I mentioned this meeting to her, she told me that you were one of the U.A. students present at the I-Island Incident ten years ago".
"I was, yes", the memory tasted bitter on her tongue, made even worse by the almost immediately subsequent death of All Might, "though we've not kept in touch, it would be nice to see her again".
"Then by all means, set something up for the two of you, though I should warn you about one thing".
"What's that?"
"The company, DEKU, it's not an equal split between us".
She blinked, having not known that, but assuming from everything she'd seen, heard and read about them, that the two of them were equal partners, "It's not?"
"No", he smiled, it was small, but very genuine, and she couldn't help but notice how it served to make him look so much younger than he usually appeared, "it's a fifty-one to forty-nine split, and just in case you were wondering", he leant back in his chair, and she already knew what he was about to say, "I'm the majority owner".
=== === === === ===
"Are we going after him tonight? Are we? Can we?" Himiko was practically vibrating from where she was lounging on the bed, "I want to see how pretty he looks when he's covered in blood", she stretched out the last word, moaning and kicking her feet into the air, as thoughts of the Yokohama Vigilante coloured crimson plagued her thoughts.
"Calm yourself", Chizome told her, as he exited the bathroom of the empty apartment, they were making use of, the previous tenant having been all too happy to follow a teenage girl in distress into the dark alleyway for a reward. He'd been given the shock of his life when Carmine's disguise had melted away, before she claimed his life's blood for her own.
Unconcerned with his nakedness being covered only by a towel, he settled himself on the edge of the sole bed, "The boy, this Ghost, this Wraith, this Bat, must first be tested, before we take any further action".
"But we already tested him!"
"No", he shook his head, not having bothered to reach for his shirt just yet, as Himiko scrambled to settle herself aside his lap, "we set up a single scenario. Plain. Simple. He defeated them without issue", he grunted as Himiko slid her arms around his neck, before plunging her teeth into his shoulder, biting down, "no… if we wish to see the resolve of this new vigilante, we must take action ourselves, to create something worthy of his time. To see if he is prepared to do what is necessary, we must place him in the position to force him to make such a choice".
"Oh", she moaned with a mouthful of blood, "okay… fine", she pouted, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, "but then can we play with him?"
"Should he prove himself unworthy of his titles", he used his thumb to wipe away a few loose droplets of blood that dripped from the corner of Himiko's mouth, and she instantly wrapped her tongue around it, licking him clean, "then yes, you can take from him what you wish".
"Hmm", her tongue flickered into the gap between his fingernail and skin, causing him to huff, before she moved back to the bite on his neck, lapping at the mark she had made, like a kitten, until she was satisfied that it was clean, "Stainy's the best".
"Rest now, Toga", he said, pushing himself up onto the bed properly, pulling her along with him, "for tonight, our work begins".
=== === === === ===
"Why?"
"Why what?"
Momo cleared her throat, "I don't wish to seem rude, but… why aren't you interested in our offer? I thought the terms we laid out were rather generous".
"I don't know if I'd say generous… reasonable, perhaps", Izuku offered instead, before he shrugged, "but honestly, it doesn't matter. Even if you doubled, hell, even if you tripled the offer, my answer would be the same. I'm just not interested in selling".
"Not even a smaller share?"
"No".
"Forgive me, but I just don't understand why?"
He took a moment to consider his words, picking his teacup back up and taking a soft sip, while Yaoyorozu patiently waited for him to speak, "What was U.A. like?"
She startled for a moment, having not expected that to be his follow up, "I'm sorry?"
"Humour me for a moment", he smiled, "what was it like for you, when you started at U.A. in your first year?"
"Well", she took a sip of her own tea, "I suppose difficult would be a good place to start. Demanding too. I'd always enjoyed schooling, but U.A. was a definite step up in terms of the challenge it posed. U.A. moves quickly and their heroics course doubly so".
"But you enjoyed it?"
"Oh, immensely. It was the first time I ever remember feeling like I was where I belonged, rather than just the place I was supposed to be".
"I'm glad", he told her honestly, enjoying seeing the delight that spread across her features, "everyone should be able to find the place that does that for them, but that feeling you just described? The first time I ever felt like that was when I rented my first studio".
"I see", she murmured, "and once you have that feeling…"
"You'd never willingly give it up, no".
Yaoyorozu nodded to herself, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly, before she asked, "And Miss Shield?"
"I won't speak for Melissa, not directly", he told her, "but I daresay she feels the same way", he smiled, "there's a reason we founded the company together, after all".
The heiress nodded to herself again, "Then I seem to have wasted your time, and for nothing at that".
"Not at all. If nothing else, you've proven to me that we're being looked at seriously, as a lifestyle support company, and that's very welcome news".
Despite her bad fortune this morning, Momo found that she managed to smile, taking a bite of one of the pastries that had been provided, as Midoriya momentarily busied himself slicing up an apple, before popping a piece of it into his mouth.
"I have to admit, I'm surprised that you don't already feel that your company's being taken seriously", she told him, dabbing at her mouth with a paper napkin, "given that we're sitting in your top floor office, inside of your brand-new skyscraper with your company's logo emblazoned on the side, I would've felt that your success and reputation were well-established".
He swallowed a second apple slice, "In some circles, yes, I'd agree wholeheartedly, but when we established DEKU Enterprises as a lifestyle support company, Melissa and I made the decision to refuse to make support equipment for Pro Heroes. Because of that, a lot of people think of us as 'small time'. If you're not in the Pro Hero business, then you're simply not worth being in business".
"If you don't mind me asking…"
"Why not enter the Pro Hero business?"
"Well… yes".
"I don't blame you for wondering - especially with Melissa's family history - and I'm sure you've heard of Detnerat, and how they've managed to grow since they made the decision to venture into heroics support gear".
She nodded, knowing that her father owned a large share of their business, "I have".
"The problem I have with it, the problem I introduced Melissa to, is that they're no longer viable as a lifestyle support company, which is how they started".
She frowned, she had never been involved with them personally, but Detnerat was more profitable than ever, "I don't understand".
"Simply put, you stand to make more money quickly when you're involved in the Pro Hero business. Good for profits, good for investors, but as a downside, the time that needs to be spent on creating your non-hero support equipment suddenly becomes more valuable, because you could be using it to make that more profitable Pro Hero support gear. The average cost of lifestyle support by Detnerat has increased by over six hundred percent, since they entered the hero industry a decade ago".
"My word… I knew that Detnerat was valuable. My father invested with them years ago and he still deals with them personally, but to think they've outpriced their original customer base by so much…", she shook her head, "it's a tad mind boggling".
"And that's why I don't want investors involved. I put up every cent of the company's start-up money. Since then, every bit of money that went into expanding the company came directly out of the profits, which meant we went the first five years without really making anything. When Melissa agreed to join me, we split the company, but she insisted that I keep that extra percentage, just in case", he smiled, before quickly eating another slice of apple, "right now, the only person I ever need to convince of anything is Melissa, and technically, I can just override her, if I ever feel I need to. Technically, I'm her boss, but if we start trading stock and taking on investors, then-"
"Then you answer to shareholders and will lose your ability to guarantee your company's direction", she finished for him, seemingly understanding exactly what he was trying to say.
"I've never met him, but I'm sure that your father's a lovely man", he said, as they both rose to their feet, each aware that their meeting was over, "but I'm just not interested in bring him on board".
"I'm not sure how he'll take that", she told him truthfully, "he can be very relaxed or become that bit more determined when he doesn't get his way", she smiled, "I daresay he may even want me to return with a better offer".
"Okay then, how about we save each other some time?"
"What do you mean?"
"Miss Yaoyorozu, would you care to join me for dinner? Shall we say next Friday, at eight?"
=== === === === ===
"You just up and asked her out?"
"Yep".
"Wow".
Izuku frowned, "What do you mean, 'wow'? What kind of response is that?"
"It's just…", he glanced across the room, "Help me out here?"
Melissa shook her head, a smile on her lips, "Oh, no. I want to hear you explain this one".
"But you know what I mean!"
"Yeah, but watching you try to explain it will be far more entertaining than helping you try and talk your way out of it".
Rody pouted, "You're so mean".
"Aww… you'll live".
"So", Izuku cleared his throat, "if we could get back to the whole 'wow' thing for a minute?"
Pino winced, and moved to hide in Rody's breast pocket, while the man himself bit his knuckle for a moment, while he collected his thoughts, "To be honest - and Melissa agrees with me", he rushed to add on, determined to see her go down with him, if it came down to it, "you haven't really been yourself since you finished up your work in Otheon".
"What's that supposed to mean?" He bit out.
"You know what it means", Melissa told him, interjecting herself between them, sensing his temper rising, "ever since she-"
"I remember what happened quite well", he snapped, "I don't need a reminder".
"Yeah, well ever since then, you haven't been looking at people", Rody held his hands up in surrender, "if you know what I mean".
It took a moment for Izuku to register what had been said, before he felt his face heat up, "You think I've been a bit off, because I haven't had sex?"
"Dude, I'm just saying, it's clearly been a while".
"Excuse you?"
"Oh, for the love of god", Melissa took off her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose, "you've been short-tempered when things weren't going perfectly. You've been impatient and most importantly, you've been careless".
He did his best not to scowl, "I haven't been careless-"
"Pencil to the leg", she said, which he didn't have a counterargument for, leaving him to clench his jaw in frustration, "honestly, we were getting a little worried about you".
"And you're a little less worried now, because I have a date".
"It's more that you finally asked someone out", she smirked, "any progress is good progress".
"It helps that she's hot".
"Rody", he warned.
"How hot?"
"Mel".
"Like seriously hot. I walked past her in the lobby, and let me just say she has-"
"Rody!"
"To put it delicately, she has a lot to work with, and believe me, I saw her with my own eyes, it's all good".
"Seriously?" Melissa slipped her phone from her pocket, immediately beginning to tap away at her keypad, and Izuku didn't have to be able to see her screen to know that she was pulling up everything she could find on Momo Yaoyorozu, "oh, oh no, Rody was definitely right earlier".
"I was?"
"He was?"
"Yeah, because I have to say, 'wow' is definitely the word I would use to describe her", she seemingly flicked through a handful of photographs, "and that costume! Now wearing that takes confidence… huh, you know, I think I might be a little jealous".
Rody chuckled, giving her long look over, "Don't be".
"Down boy, besides, we both know I'm not your type".
"Doesn't make you any less nice to look at".
She laughed, "See, this is why we're friends".
"Because you're hot and I don't mind telling you?"
"Among other things", she flicked her way through more photographs, "hey, do you know that she has a kid?"
Rody snorted, "Oh, he knows. He already met the kid. The kid adores him already".
"You did?!"
He sighed, "No, I didn't. The kid doesn't know me".
"Are you sure about that, Mister Bat-Man?"
"Mister Bat-Man?"
Izuku bit back the groan he was feeling.
He needed to find better friends.
=== === === === ===
When he descended into the cave, mentally groaning about the fact that Melissa's nickname had already lodged itself into his head, he found the woman in question already sat in her chair, working away on her supercomputer, and even from the level above her, he recognised the screen she was using well enough.
When he and Melissa had started working together as partners in vigilantism, (later to be aided by a semi-reluctant Rody), they had quickly discovered that Underground Heroes were reasonably likely to tolerate vigilantes, unlike the more mainstream Pro Heroes who were more likely to try and have them arrested.
Over their first few weeks, Izuku had met and interacted with a dozen Underground Heroes and other vigilantes, and then come up with the idea of designing a system that would allow them to discretely communicate with each other, without drawing the attention of either the mainstream Pro Heroes, or the various government agencies that they were supposed to represent.
And it was from there, that the Operational Meta-Ability Communications System had been born.
It was referred to as, 'OMAC', for short, but it had quickly become the go-to system for discrete communications, in every country that it had spread to; be it by Izuku and Melissa's own hands, or at the hands of those who had travelled and taken it with them.
OMAC had started out as a simple database. When Izuku had made the decision to walk the path of the vigilante, he had begun the process of transferring the data he'd collated in his Hero Analysis notebooks into a series of online files, which had quickly become the database that he'd shown to Melissa.
In the years since, that database had grown, including new entries on heroes and villains from around the world, while also incorporating a secure messaging system to encourage those who would usually not communicate, to reach out and either accept assistance, or at least help them in their planning.
As the all-seeing Oracle, Melissa was the one person in the world who had complete access to OMAC. She could see everything and everyone, at any moment. Every user, every message and every profile was open to her. She facilitated partnerships, provided information, acquired information that she didn't already have, and helped to arrange for assistance, even if those involved felt they didn't need it.
Some people, Izuku knew, had abandoned their use of the system when they'd discovered the presence of OMAC's ever-present Oracle, but by and large, most people seemed to be grateful for her presence, and he also got to see just how much it meant to Melissa, when she got to act as someone's hero.
Being the Oracle was what she was meant to do.
"You're staring".
"Sorry", he said, chuckling, as he moved closer towards her, "it's just nice seeing you in your element".
"Yeah, about that, I had an idea".
"I'm listening".
"I'm the Oracle. That one time you took Rody into the field, you just called him 'The Reaper', the entire time-"
"The codename was intended to make any who heard it think that it couldn't be him, because he wouldn't use anything that sounded like it was a play on his actual name".
"-that's nice, but if we take those two, and add in the dark one who lives underground, surrounded by creatures of the night-"
"I don't like where this is going".
"-then you're totally Hades. That could be your codename".
"No".
"Pluto?"
"No".
"Anubis?"
"Still no".
"Lucifer?"
"Definitely not".
"Well, I thought it sounded fitting".
"I'm not naming myself after a deity. It's just… tacky".
"Hades is tacky, but you're fine with wearing that bat-suit- ooh! We're definitely calling it the Batsuit from now on".
Melissa beamed to herself, even as Izuku sighed, "Do you have anything for me tonight?"
She sobered up, her excitement fading instantly, replaced by utter seriousness, "Nothing so far. The Barriss break-in seems to have been a one-off for the area. I've pulled up a patrol route for you and loaded it into the car's systems, but so far, it looks like you'll be in for a quiet night".
"In that case, maybe we'll do a quick patrol and call it an early night".
"Rody will be pleased".
"Alright then", patting the back of her chair, he walked off towards the level below, "it's time to go to work".
=== === === === ===
"It's quiet".
"I already told you it would be".
"No… it's too quiet".
"Now you're just looking for problems".
"No, it's not that", he shook his head, even though she couldn't see him do that through the comms, "there's nothing. The streets are too empty. Something's wrong. I just don't know what".
"Nothing's been tripped", Oracle told him, and he had no doubt that she was reading her equipment correctly, "no alarms, silent or otherwise have gone. No emergency calls that would benefit from your presence. Even the few bits of chatter that I'm seeing don't have anything noteworthy. You sure it's not just a quiet night?"
"One hundred percent? No, but the first piece of advice I was given by my master was 'trust your instincts', and right now? They're screaming that something here is wrong".
"Okay, I trust you. How do you want to play this?"
"I'm taking to the rooftops", he said, as he moved to hide the car down the nearest alleyway, activating its security features, "let's see how things look with a bird's eye view".
"I think you mean a bat's eye view".
"Must you?"
"Yes".
=== === === === ===
"He's coming! He's almost here! I can practically taste him".
"You know the rules, Carmine. Remain here and watch. Analyse him. Tell me of his strengths, his weaknesses, but stay put. The battle is mine, and mine alone".
"Uh huh", his protégé and partner busied herself with polishing her favourite cutting knife, "and when he fails your test?"
"Should that happen, my dear Bloodletter", Stain reached behind him, and drew his swords from their sheaths, "then his life is forfeit and the blood that runs through his veins belongs to you, but until I have made that decision…"
The Bloodletter: Carmine smiled, her fangs on full display, "Until then, he's all yours".
=== === === === ===
Author's Notes:
I realised that despite letting you all know that the Earth that plays home to The Batman and his team of accomplices is Earth-5127, I haven't let you all know the numerical meaning, like I have with the others. This Earth is named for the planet, Coruscant, from Star Wars, which had become completely industrialised, with a total of 5,127 levels. The 5,127th level is reserved for the planet's wealthiest and most elite members.
Also, I know I'm the writer here, but I like to leave gaps that get filled in naturally as I go, and I get the feeling that Melissa's just going to keep on naming things, isn't she?
If only there was an appropriate bat-themed nickname she could give him. Like maybe one that had already, sort of, been bestowed on him by his first fan. Hmm…
What do you guys think - missing the obvious or wilful ignorance?