(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Butterflies in the stomach.

-x-X-x-

Mandy, aka Blonde Blazer, hadn’t been sure what to expect when Momo called her into her office today. She had always considered her relationship with the owner of PDN to be a close one… after all, her, Momo, and Melissa liked to refer to themselves as the Three Musketeers. They had been in this together for years now, and they were all committed to the same thing… making the world a better place.

Melissa with her inventions, Momo with her family’s fortune, and Mandy with the power gifted to her by the late, great All Might. Not that Mandy thought she would ever be able to fill All Might’s shoes of course, especially not with a mere fraction of his power. However, she had strived to do her best all the same, attempting to live up to his ideals in every way she possibly could.

Which was why it was so damn upsetting when all of those vultures set out to try and ruin PDN’s reputation! Never mind that they seemed to consider Mandy untouchable, they were still dragging her friend and said friend’s business through the mud, tarring something good with a black brush to try to make it seem evil and vile in all the worst ways.

… Truth be told, part of Mandy had been afraid that when Momo called her in for a chat today, it would be more bad news about how their rivals and the Hero Commission were still trying to tear them down… and worst, succeeding. Or it would be even worse news, the kind of news that Mandy had been dreading for months now after they’d had conversations about her potentially breaking away from PDN and forming her own Hero Agency so that she could ‘rise above’ the muck raking going on.

She didn’t want that. She didn’t want to abandon Momo to the sharks, especially not when the other woman needed her most. And yet, with each passing week, it had felt like they were sinking deeper and deeper beneath the waves and that Momo would do the heroic self-sacrificing play of shoving Mandy back up above the surface at her own expense.

Fortunately, that wasn’t what today was about at least. Doubly fortunately, today was about something that was very close to Mandy’s heart! The only real issue was… she didn’t know this Izuku Midoriya Character one bit.

And that was a problem because even though Mandy was pretty sure she was hiding it fairly well, she couldn’t ignore the weird… connection she felt with Midoriya. Maybe it was the way he talked about being Quirkless. After all, Mandy herself was born Quirkless and only had her powers now because of All Might’s final sacrifice and Melissa’s hard work.

So yes, hearing another Quirkless Individual talk about what they could do even without a Quirk and showing his perspective of the world… Mandy would be lying if she said it didn’t resonate with her quite a bit. Even still, this felt like more than that. This felt like… w-well… this felt like a crush?

She’s keeping the heat away from her cheeks at least, but the truth is… Mandy doesn’t even know what a real crush would feel like. As she finds herself hanging off of Midoriya’s every word, listening to him explain what he wants out of this potential partnership and why he wants it that way, she wonders if maybe… maybe this is what its supposed to feel like. There’s a longing in her breast, a yearning that points her directly at this young man in a gorgeously tailored suit.

It’s not about his looks. It’s not about anything physical. It’s entirely cerebral… and all Mandy can do is suppress, suppress, suppress as she tries to stay professional and focused on the task at hand.

And yet, she would be lying if she said that her feelings weren’t influencing her, especially as Midoriya falls quiet and Momo and her exchange a long glance with one another. It’s obvious from Momo’s gaze that she’s putting the ball in Mandy’s court though. She’s not about to make a decision like this for Mandy, not when it’s about the Phoenix Program of all things.

Which leaves Mandy to decide. Is she willing to subordinate herself to a stranger she’s only just met, all to see her dream become reality? Is Izuku Midoriya on the up and up? Can she trust her senses that are telling him to believe in him, or is he just a charismatic slimeball and she’s being tricked?

… In the end, what it really boils down to… is choices. Saying they don’t have a choice here would be smallminded. There’s always a choice. However, in this case… PDN needs this. Not only do they need Midoriya’s money, an influx of financial capital that will help them get afloat again after sinking for months now, but they also need a win. A verifiable success, an actual victory that nobody can tarnish or tear down.

The Phoenix Program can be that win. Mandy is still certain of it. And so long as she can ignore her strange feelings for Midoriya and this weird pull she has towards him, everything will be fine. She just… she just needs to keep things professional.

With that in mind, Mandy makes sure her smile is polite and not at all flirtatious as she gives Izuku a nod.

“I think… I think we can make something work here. I don’t need to be fully in charge of the Phoenix Program. I just want to be involved and make sure it’s done right. So long as you can do that… then I’m more than happy to have you as my secret boss. Though… are you sure you won’t be stretched too thin by taking on the role of dispatcher too?”

Izuku smiles and Mandy fights down the rising heat in her cheeks as her heart beats harder in her chest.

“That won’t be a problem Ms. Blazer. I’m more than up for the challenge… and frankly, I don’t have anything better to do with my time since inheriting this frankly ludicrous amount of wealth. Besides… running a team of ex-villains is going to be difficult for anyone… I feel like nobody else would get it right.”

Momo makes a noise in the back of her throat at that and Mandy glances over to see that her friend is just as caught off guard by Izuku’s confidence as she is. Not in a bad way necessarily… it’s kind of hot isn’t it? Or maybe that’s just Mandy being weird. Either way, she sees an easy transition into the next topic of conversation.

“Speaking of running a team of ex-villains… who exactly are we going to recruit to the Phoenix Program’s first team? Did you have anyone in mind? Because I have some names I would like to put forward if you’re willing to listen…”

They were more than just names, admittedly. Mandy hadn’t been pushing for the Phoenix Program solely out of the kindness of her heart. She’d been a bit selfish when she first came up with the idea… and it had been crushing on a more personal level than Momo even knew when the program had ultimately been shelved all these months.

Tilting his head to the side now, Izuku hums.

“I have some individuals in mind, certainly. And I would be happy to hear your ideas as well, Blazer. We’re going to be working together after all, so whatever you might think… I’ll value your suggestions and advice quite highly. That said, I do have one more request to make of PDN in regard to my leading the Phoenix Program.”

He turns to Momo at that, causing her to straighten up in her chair and arch a brow questioningly.

“Yes?”

“… I want to bring in my own Support Item Specialist. Mei Hatsume. She’s not made much of a name for herself admittedly but-!”

“Actually, I do recognize that name.”

Momo’s brow is furrowed slightly as she cuts Midoriya off. Mandy looks between the two of them while Izuku just makes a curious ‘hum’ sound. Nodding after a moment of thought, Momo elaborates.

“Mei Hatsume… I’m pretty sure we attended UA together. She was always quite enthusiastic over her… inventions. However, after UA she dropped off the grid a bit, didn’t she? Where did you even find her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Smiling lopsidedly, Izuku shakes his head.

“Apologies… but its not quite my story to tell. Suffice to say, events in Mei’s personal life prevented her from fulfilling her dream of starting a company based on her Support Items right after graduation. However, that’s in the past now… and she hasn’t lost a single bit of her genius in the intervening years. She’s more than ready to pick up where she left off… starting with some experience in a place like PDN, where her talent and genius will be appreciated rather than squandered.”

Momo puffs up a bit at that and Mandy can’t help but grin a little. Obviously Izuku is being overly flattering on purpose and obviously Momo knows that… but just because its obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t going to work all the same. Of course, there’s just one issue with all of that… and after a moment, Momo’s shoulders slump a bit.

“While I appreciate both the praise and the offer… I’m not sure it will be possible to hire on Mei Hatsume at the rates she deserves, Mister Midoriya. Especially since PDN already has a contract with Melissa Shield out of I-Island.”

Far from being deterred, however, Izuku just nods along.

“I’m well aware of PDN’s arrangement with Ms. Shield, Ms. Yaoyorozu. I do not believe that there needs to be a conflict here. Ms. Shield can continue to supply the rest of the Pro Hero Defense Network’s heroes, while Mei can become the singular supplier for all members of the Phoenix Program. We can pay her using a portion of the extremely large investment I’m about to make in your business.”

Momo hesitates… but Mandy can tell she wants to agree. It’s only her solid business sense as well as her sense of fair play that has her covering all of her bases.

“I’m not against that idea… but I do find myself wondering why you don’t just hire her outside of PDN’s structure for yourself, Mister Midoriya. While you are tying yourself to us through this deal, you’re far from wedding yourself to our cause or anything like that. If you wanted to privately employ Mei Hatsume to supply the Phoenix Program, it would give you another lever by which to keep us honest and prevent us from potentially reneging on our side of the deal.”

Okay, that was a bit MORE blunt than Mandy was expecting truth be told. It went a little beyond simply covering their bases, didn’t it? And yet, Izuku just chuckles, seemingly unconcerned.

“I’m not worried about you reneging on your side of the deal, Ms. Yaoyorozu. In fact, I fully believe this is the start of a fruitful, healthy, and long relationship. As for why I believe Mei should be employed directly by PDN… it’s because when she becomes as well known as Melissa Shield, the face of all of the Phoenix Program’s support items… it will only help to propel PDN’s reputation higher in the public consciousness.”

Mandy’s eyes dart back and forth between Momo and Izuku as they talk business. Though frankly, she’s not used to businesspeople being quite so… open and honest about their intentions and why they’re doing the things they’re doing. There’s something to be said about the bluntness with which both Momo and Izuku are speaking.

The two seem to agree, because Momo offers Izuku a properly honest smile after a moment and Izuku returns it with a toothy grin of his own. For a moment, Mandy almost wonders if Momo might be getting the hots for the wealthy young man, same as her… but then the moment passes and the sexual tension in the air dies down.

“Well then, I’d say we have a deal. We just need to get the paperwork together, finalize the contracts, and figure out who will be part of the Phoenix Program’s first roster. Once that’s done… we can prepare for the program’s launch.”

Izuku nods in agreement… while Mandy sees an opportunity to escape. Clearing her throat, she rises from her chair.

“That sounds like an awful lot of stuff I’m not at all equipped to help with. If you don’t need me for anything else…”

The pleading look she sends Momo makes it clear she hopes for a specific answer. In the end, Momo just smirks and waves a hand through the air.

“You’re dismissed, Blonde Blazer. I’m sure you and Midoriya will have plenty to talk about later though, so I’ll be giving him your number.”

O-Oh. The hunky young man she might or might not have a crush on was going to have her personal phone number. That was… w-well, if it was for work, that was fine. Totally, perfectly fine.

“Y-Yep! That’s fine! Look forward to talking again with you soon, Mister Midoriya!”

“You too, Ms. Blazer.”

With that, she escapes from Momo’s office, powerwalking away down the hall the moment she’s out of their line of sight. Only once she’s sure she’s far enough away and safely ensconced in the building’s stairwell does Mandy plant her hands on her knees and let out several explosive breaths.

“H-Holy…”

It takes her a bit to regain her composure… but god, there was just something about spending any amount of time in Izuku Midoriya’s presence that had her feeling a certain sort of way. Now that they were apart again, she could think straight once more… but still, it was a little… well, it was a little intense.

Finally straightening back up, Mandy reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. Then, she places a call and brings it to her ear.

After ringing for a second, the person on the other end picks up.

“Yo! You got Invisibitch! What’s the sitch?”

Groaning and rubbing the bridge of her nose with her free hand, Mandy shakes her head.

“Courtney… we’ve talked about the name. Please stop calling yourself Invisibitch.”

“Oh, Mandy… ugh, you know I gotta. It’s a street cred thing. No one on the streets is going to take me seriously with a name like “Invisigal”. I can’t even take myself seriously!”

Pursing her lips, Mandy… goes for broke.

“That’s just because you’re a villain though… right? Invisigal… Invisigal would be a great hero name.”

There’s a pause on the other end before Courtney, Mandy’s childhood best friend and current roommate (as well as a small time petty villain with a few arrests on her record, but they ignored that fact) just snorts.

“Sure but last I checked your little redemption idea got stalled by the fuckers who refused to accept any changes to their precious status quo. Soooo…”

Mandy nervously shifts from foot to foot for a moment, making for quite the ridiculous sight given how powerfully built she is. Luckily, nobody is watching or listening as she speaks quietly into the phone.

“Yeah? And what if I said the stalling was over? What if I told you… the Phoenix Program is all but a done deal? What then, Court?”

“…”

The silence on the other end of the phone speaks volumes. Mandy can practically feel Courtney’s quiet yearning through the call. A slow smile spreads across her face as she whispers to the other woman.

“You’re gonna be a hero, Courtney. You and me, heroes together… like we always said.”

-x-X-x-

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