*There is a sequel which takes place in Current time*
Summary: Nana Shimura as the holder of One for All was ready for a great many things.
But few can ever be prepared to meet a certain Bruce Wayne.
Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mha-worlds-finest-bnhaxbatman-complete.868273/
Word count:44k(COMPLETE)
Chapters:14
Chapter 1:
Nana Shimura could recall the day she met him in vivid detail.
Given how he liked to operate at night, she knew now how strange it was to have her first meeting with him during the day; but that's when it had happened.
There'd been a robbery, some kind of shoplifter with a quirk that could make anyone he wanted forget about him for five to ten seconds.
That's it. That's all the quirk did.
She'd nearly lost the guy before she thought fast and scribbled a note on a lil notepad and clutched it in her fingers.
Every time she forgot she'd look at the notepad and remember, and resume the chase. Gran Torino had zoomed in to catch him, only to forget what he was doing mid burst and just kept on going. Who knew where he was by now.
The guy obviously hadn't thought this little escape through, he likely thought his quirk was enough to get everyone that might give chase the slip by just erasing the memory of him for a few seconds while he rounded the corner.
It should have worked.
But she was stubborn, and he had thoroughly pissed her off.
She floated above the air, avoiding pedestrians and keeping one eye locked on the bad guy and the other locked on her notepad. Gritting her teeth every time her mind blanked out.
Now this guy was just constantly spamming his quirk cutting off every thought.
That was just rude!
People pointed and wondered, some looked confused at the running man and her floaty, angry looking self but no one really moved to interfere.
At least not til he did.
He stepped out of an alley, dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a heavy green jacket. He had a dark beard and blue eyes, so different from the usual clean look she knew now that he favored, but a week on the streets would do that.
And before she could even blink, the guy held out his arm, and the oblivious, panicking villain got clotheslined so hard it made her wince; a feeling of pity briefly rose above her frustration.
The guy flipped end over end, choking before crunching down into the pavement face first.
Mr. Beard reached down and picked up the stolen goods.
Nana drifted closer as she saw the criminal moving to get to his feet.
Then she saw the knife.
She moved fast, One for All surging beneath her flesh as she closed the distance in an eyeblink.
She didn't need to bother.
The guy shoved the knife at Mr. Beard.
And his wrist was caught, twisted and damn near broken before Nana could blink hand held out half way to intercept.
Mr. Beard held out the stolen goods with his free hand, not saying a word as his victim screamed and tried to pull free.
She looked at Mr. Beard, a bit confused and kind of impressed. Did he have a mental quirk of some kind? Or just a lot of practice. She smiled as she grabbed the stolen goods, jewels, wallets, credit cards and some cash. All here. "Well thanks for the help. It was getting a little annoying."
Mr. Beard didn't answer, and now that she was this close she could spy a few things.
One, he was definitely not Japanese. Westerner. Maybe American, so he might not speak the language. And underneath the beard his cheeks look sunken, there were bags under his eyes, she got the impression that he was homeless.
Sorahiko rushed in, air pressure boots hitting the ground with a sigh. "I was halfway to Nanjo before I remembered." He growled. "Glad you caught him."
Nana smiled. "Mr. Beard did the heavy lifting! Didn'-cha big guy!"
Silence again and Sorahiko raised an eyebrow. "Foreigner. Maybe he doesn't speak the langua-"
"I speak it fine."
His voice was a shock, rough, almost a growl, like he hadn't used it in a while.
Then he smiled a bit, just a quick quirk of the lips. "It is however, the first time anyone has called me 'Mr. Beard' So it took me a moment." His accent wasn't as horrible as others she'd heard but it was present.
"Well what's your name big guy? Otherwise Mr. Beard it is!" She smiled cheekily.
The man looked at her, amused.
"Bruce. Bruce Wayne."
(X)(X)(X)
She offered to buy him some food at a nearby corner stand. Seemed like a nice thing to do for a good samaritan homeless guy that helped take down a rather annoying villain.
It became more than a little obvious shortly afterwards that while Bruce was as hungry as a homeless person might be, he wasn't homeless, or at the very least, he hadn't been homeless long.
For one thing, he didn't order the most expensive thing on the menu, he didn't slouch overmuch when he sat or when he walked. When he did walk he moved like he owned the street, the food stand and the buildings everywhere around him. It was... just this self assuredness in his body language.
He also had impeccable table manners.
Like, better than her and she was a native Japanese girl. For a foreigner to make her feel inadequate while using chopsticks was almost insulting really.
"So where are you from Wayne-san?" She asked, popping a Dango into her mouth.
"America." He answered.
Nana rolled her eyes and had to stop herself from flicking the Dango stick at his head. "I know that. Be specific."
He smiled. "Not a place you've heard of, Gotham,"
She nodded sagely. "You're right. Never heard of it."
She thought he looked a little sad for a moment, but it was gone in a flash.
"What about you?" He asked blowing lightly to cool the fried eel and rice. "Where are you from.
"Native born girl, raised right here." Her eyes crinkled in her smile. "Been coming to this food stand as long as I can remember."
He nodded. "I don't blame you. It's rather good food.
They kept eating for a little bit longer. She talked. A lot. Him not so much. But he did pay attention, she could tell.
Finally after almost an hour of chatter long after they'd both finished their respective orders, he seemed comfortable enough to breach a subject of his own accord. "You're a… Hero. As a profession?"
She raised an eyebrow. Was that so strange to him? Heroes were everywhere, of course they were paid. Otherwise no one would do it. Like cops. It was hard enough as it was.
Maybe things were different in America?
"Of course." She scoffed then winced a bit at her own tactlessness.
He nodded again, "I see. How long have you been doing it?"
Ohhh, about twelve… some odd years now. Shit that makes me sound old. Do I look old? I hope not!" She was dismayed. "Were you trying to ask me my age!?"
He smiled again. "You seem to be doing well no matter what age you are."
Her smile turned wolfish. It'd been a while since anyone had the balls to flirt with her
"Careful big boy. Don't start anything you can't finish."
"I never do."
She choked on her drink with the laugh that tried to escape her windpipe, sputtering and coughing before eyeing him outta the corner of her eye.
"And here you looked like the serious and silent type was more your game. You're a shameless flirt."
"Not completely shameless." He defended as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, still sporting a hint of a smile under the beard.
Finally he turned, looking to the sun in the sky, just beginning its descent into inevitable sunset.
Bruce stood. Bowing at the waist, just enough to be polite, but not so far as to seem grovelling. "Thank you for the meal, but I should leave before the shelter is filled."
She waved him off. "Thanks for the help." Then the latter half of his sentence caught up with her brain. "You're staying in the shelter?"
"It is what homeless bearded men do while homeless and bearded, I believe." He smiled.
She eyed him and he seemed embarrassed at his lack of money as she saw him almost reach for a wallet that wasn't in his pants pocket. The smile vanished, replaced with a clear grimace of distaste and wounded pride.
Her smile grew a bit.
"Tell ya what-" She hedged. "Come with me. I'll let ya crash at my place for a week or two."
He turned to her, eyebrow rising high to search for real estate near his hairline. "Why would you do that?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. I like to think I'mma decent judge of character, believe it or not. An I got a good feelin bout ya." Came her easy reply. "So, crash at my place for a bit, get a job, get back on your feet." She closed one eye hand rising to point at him. "Don't think this is a free ride though. I see you tryin to freeload and not actually trying, I'll kick your ass to the curb three ways to sunday."
He shrugged. "If you ever get that impression, you have my permission to proceed with the ass kicking."
She chuckled. "I think we're gonna get along just fine Mr. Wayne.
(X)(X)(X)
Sorahiko grumbled and muttered and frowned in that oh so disapproving way of his and warned and heckled and did all those pesky "worry" things Sorahiko does, like telling her that 'She was being an idiot' and that 'You don't even know the guy' but in the end, he did give her a few clothes of his for Bruce to wear. They were almost of a similar height and build, though Bruce was a little taller and a bit more broad shouldered.
Oh, and a Razor, she'd gotten him a razor too.
So now, after a rather extensive shower, Bruce walked out of the bathroom looking like a whole new man, and Nana felt her own eyebrow hiking a little high now.
"You clean up nice Mr. Wayne."
"I try." He smiled, and yup. She was positive the guy had not been homeless long. Clean-shaven with a physique that coulda been cut outa marble, if he was homeless she was the queen of Japan.
She gestured towards the couch behind her. "Whelp, its all done up nice for ya. One rule though, the apple juice in the fridge is mine."
He nodded, "As the kind lady who took me in demands, so it shall be."
"You learn quick." She quipped. Then yawned. "Well, I dunno about you but its been a bit of a day, I'm gonna head to bed. Watch TV, use the computer or whatever just make it quiet, Gotta get up early."
Bruce turned, looking at the clock. "Not a night person?" He asked.
"Not really. I like sunshine. Makes me smile…" She paused, then- "At least when its not insanely hot." She added as an afterthought.
Then at another thought her wicked smile returned and she eyed him up and down again. "I get the feelin you're the kinda guy that'll say he can go all night."
He chuckled, the twinkle in his eye saying he'd caught the joke.
"Something like that."
(X)(X)(X)
Over the next few days they fell into something of a rhythm.
Nana would head out, do some work on the streets, make her patrols and sometimes Bruce would be out when she got back, sometimes he wasn't. On the days he was still in the apartment, on the days he was there…
Well…
She could very easily forgive his not being out still job hunting on those days.
First time he did it, he cleaned her apartment.
Top to bottom.
Only place he didn't touch was her room because he didn't think she'd appreciate the invasion of privacy.
He was right… but her room really was a mess damnit.
Second time he was in the apartment, He cleaned and refitted some of her neglected support gear.
It was neglected because she hardly used it anymore, what with One for All having made a lot of her old items rather obsolete; but still, it was the thought that counts.
He'd done a damn good job too. Some of the pieces worked even better than she remembered when she just got them.
She distinctly remembered that grapple hook not having the strength to lift her full on weight. She had a quirk to float after all. The motor was only supposed to help her move a little faster when she needed to, not full on lift her, now though, it could lift her, even without her quirk being active.
She didn't know what the hell he'd done before he clotheslined that thief, but he was damn good at it.
The third time she caught him in the apartment, he'd made dinner using a recipe he'd learned from someone he just called 'Alfred'
It was delicious.
Bruce said Alfred cooked it ten times better than anything he could do, no matter how much he tried to get it perfectly.
If that was true;
She didn't know who Alfred was.
But she wanted to marry him.
And possibly have his children.
But Bruce didn't spend all his time at her apartment, he frequently went out job hunting and at the moment had secured himself some employment at a temp agency of some kind. He got a signature and a record of his arrival and departure, every day he was there and showed it to her, every time, without fail.
She tried to tell him it wasn't necessary but she understood his diligence. She had given him a condition for his stay after all.
He returned with money sometimes, not much, but what he did get he forwarded to her to help with the rent and groceries.
"Right now though, she was so grateful he was in the apartment and the smell of cooking food was wafting through the air. It had been a long day.
Apparently, either the sound of her heavy footsteps or perhaps he could telepathically feel her exhaustion because he didn't even look up from where he was chopping onions when he spoke.
"Long day?"
She huffed out a breath as she plopped herself down on a booth by the kitchen island.
"You can say that again."
Smoothly sliding a glass across the countertop and pouring a generous helping of her favorite wine, Nana could kiss the man right now.
"Tell me all about it." He smirked.
"There's been some vigilante going around recently." She groused. "Might be a mutation quirk or something, lotta the bad guys he beat up are complaining about a bat.
"Sure its not the baseball kind?" He snarked.
"Nope. Full on blood sucking rat with wings." She shook her head taking another sip of wine.
"Very few of them actually suck blood you know."
She shrugged. "Ehh- anyway. Police chief wants him taken down. You know how quirk laws are."
"So why not take him down? What's the issue?"
"He's a pain in the ass to track down that's the issue!"
"For you?" Bruce's smile was downright teasing. "Maybe you should write yourself a note."
"Oh-ha ha." Her mild irritation was forgotten as her housemate pulled out a steaming hot confection of cheese and meat from the oven. A true blue "Alfred Lasagna special" as he'd called it.
By the smell alone, it was official.
She was finding Alfred.
And she was marrying him.
"Any idea what he's after?" Bruce asked, sliding the full to the brim oven pan onto the countertop to start cutting. "It might help you get ahead of him."
The suggestion wasn't a bad one. She shrugged. "I'll ask Gran Torino tomorrow. He always had a better head for this kinda stuff than me."
"Good luck then." He smiled as he served her. "Let me know if I can help."
Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mha-worlds-finest-bnhaxbatman-complete.868273/