Title: Tick, Tick, Tick...

Notes: Chronology wise, this takes place shortly after chapter 15

In the mellow dip between lunch break and dinner rush, the Strekoza restaurant and bar sat empty. This was gladly taken advantage of by owner and bartender, who were using the time to have a relatively private conversation. The other Strekoza employees were either busy with their own individual chores, or simply minding their own business. Vronskaya Sakura was thankful for this, as it was obvious that her student was in need of a good talk.

Inko was lying face down on the bar, the picture of melodramatic despair. "Sensei, what the fuck did I do?"

"I think that expletive answered your own question." The Russian woman deadpanned.

"Ugh, not helping."

Sakura had an affectionate spark in her eye, even as she rolled them. "Not to be insensitive, Inchka, but I think you're making a bigger deal of this than it actually is. Sure, you had a bit of fun. Sure, you had sex with a man even though you're in love with someone else. But you and Yagi are not in a committed relationship. There's no inherent agreement or trust being broken. Unless of course the two of you already, well…" The bar owner wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, trying for a laugh.

The bartender didn't take the bait, just straightening up in her seat and resting her head in her hands. "No...he's asexual, actually."

Vronskaya blinked. "Oh? Is that…going to be an issue?"

The younger woman shrugged, unbothered. "I have a functioning right hand and a good imagination. I'll be fine." Inko then seemed to remember herself, a dower expression returning. "Of course, that's assuming that he even wants to date me."

Sakura gave Inko a look. "Inchka, he's the Symbol of Peace and a Pillar of Society, and yet he conveniently always makes time to meet up with you on a rooftop? Most of the time you're not even working on a case together!" She switched back to Japanese. "At the very least, that shows that he cares about you, very deeply."

"Well yeah, I know that," the greenette bit back, some of her spirit returning. "It's just…' energetic and affectionate' is basically that dork's default state, making it impossible for me to tell if he's possibly interested, or just being nice."

Sakura considered that. "As cliché as it is to say, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and tell someone how you feel."

She ran a hand through her hair. "I've tried! But every time I try to look at his stupid, earnest face I lose my nerve."

"Then how about a love letter? I know it's a bit middle school, but at least you can just get it out and over with."

Inko was silent for a long moment. "...but what if he...says no."

The Russian thought back to her own youth. "Well then, at the very least you won't have the regret of never saying anything."

Two Weeks Later.

The mixtape really was a cheesy idea. But Inko was in a cheesy mood when she made it. There even was this one song that she'd found—big brass band, smooth singer and saccharine lyrics that remind her of him. He'd love it. And it he didn't like the letter that she included with it…well, like Vronskaya said, at least they could get everything out in the open.

She hummed the tune under her breath as she made her way towards the docks. Nothing at all had changed in her life, but it would, just as soon as All Might came back.

Jade Mantis had been tracking a shipment that a certain Purple Hawks gang had been anticipating like kids the week before Christmas. Her main plan was to get in, take some photos, maybe get a few samples, then get out. After all, drug shipments were easy (and she wasn't feeling up to anything too stressful, as she'd recently picked up a stomach bug). The evidence would be in the hands of the Tokyo Police within 24 hours, no problem.

She'd been monitoring the Purple Hawks for weeks. In the months after knocking out their stronghold, she knew there would be a period of chaos and flailing. The leadership had been making noise, looking to try and make an alliance with some of the more established crime families in the surrounding neighborhoods. The main problem, as ever, was All Might. The Symbol of Peace's very existence was a huge deterrent to criminal behavior (though eradicating it completely would depend on a number of social reforms, and the increased economic and academic opportunities in Mustuafu were slowly chipping away at that from the bottom up). The only reason Orito Family was open to talks was because a certain Symbol of Peace was off in China. Well, that and this 'shipment' was apparently valuable enough to garner the old yakuza family's interest.

"Straight from Columbia, best quality goods I've seen for awhile." She'd overheard from one ot the lieutenants who had been sent to negotiate. Colombia was one of the top three producers of opium in the world. Burma and Afghanistan were the other two, and Kai had impressed her geography teacher by knowing where those countries were on the map. (Because who said vigilantism was detrimental to child-rearing?)

It was early December, and that guaranteed a cold welcome in the bay below should she get knocked overboard. That, and the 200 foot drop from the cargo deck made a quick swim to shore a non-viable escape plan. (250ft was the cutoff for when things got fatal, but Inko didn't trust herself enough as a diver to risk it). But there she was, working on the shipping container that was closest to the edge of the ship. She was eyeing the searchlight but was feeling prepared for anything that the drug runners could throw at her.

She'd timed the patrol routes, and knew that she had two minutes and twenty-nine seconds until the next guard came around. Getting the lock open, Jade Mantis slipped inside, feeling fine. Then she pried open one of the boxes, and everything was suddenly very, very not fine.

Because a whole new awareness of the situation dawned on the vigilante as she did not find cocaine, crack, or opium seeds in those wooden boxes. She saw weapons , and lots of them. Automatic rifles, explosives…weird glowy stuff that looked like something out of Kai's comic books. Based on what she found in just two of those boxes, there was probably enough in that shipment to outfit a small army. And all of them were headed straight to some of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Japan. Fuck. Fuck.

Jade Mantis then realized that she'd only have about twenty seconds until the next guard came into hearing range. While her quirk had improved greatly in the last few years, she wasn't skilled enough to pick the lock and get herself out if she locked herself in here. With no way she could get out of here and escape without notice, the vigilante hid in the space between the door and the wall of the shipping container as best she could, and readied herself for a fight.

Yagi Toshinori had landed in Japan about an hour ago and it felt so good to be back.

He yawned and stretched as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He'd managed to book a flight that would have him back in Tokyo by nightfall, so the hero's circadian rhythm wouldn't be too messed up by the international travel. He'd succeeded, but right now he was more hungry than tired, and decided that after getting something in his stomach the hero would go straight to bed.

While the instant ramen was warming up in the microwave, Toshinori noticed an envelope secured to his fridge with a magnet.

Read Me, it asked, with a stylized mantis head staring out.

He stared at it for a few moments, debating opening it. Then the microwave beeped. Toshinori decided that whatever Jade Mantis wanted would have to wait until his brain was less fuzzy.

The letter would stay unopened until the next morning.

Unsurprisingly, everything had gone to shit.

Jade Mantis had managed to ambush the first guard that came to investigate—slamming the metal door out against his face. But the noise had quickly alerted one of the other nearby guards, with a particular quirk that gave him long, prehensile hair that he could move like whips. He had managed to keep her corralled the area, stopping the Jade Mantis from being able to escape and sneak back towards the docks.

In a moment of genius, she managed to pull out her camera, turn up the flash—aiming right for the guard's face. That moment of confusion was all she needed, sending him down to the ground with a swift kick to the head.

And then—

"It's the Jade Mantis!"

She hauled ass, to say the least.

"Don't just stand there! Shoot!"

The vigilante managed to dive behind the door of the shipping container that she'd opened up. The reinforced steel kept the bullets from hitting her, not because it was thick enough for the projectiles to just sink in, but by deflecting them. And what happens to deflected bullets? They have a tendency to ricochet.

Say, off the open door and into the shipping container itself? You know, with all of the explosives? The explosives that were being kept in wooden boxes.

Jade Mantis realized this during the five seconds the guards were re-loading. "WAIT!" Miracle of Miracles, they seemed to pause. "Please tell me I'm the only one that hears ticking."

All attention suddenly swerved right towards the shipping container. Jade Mantis managed to get a five second head start before the whole thing blew to hell.

I'm so sorry Kai, I'm so sorry, was all she had time to think before the blast sent her over the edge of the boat. There was a cold slap of pain as she fell into the dark, cold ocean below.

Dear Toshinori , (the letter started)

It's a mixtape. I remember you mentioning that you liked American music even if you didn't get to hear it that often (for a rich guy you sure are weird about spending money on yourself). So I decided to make you this. It's got about an hour's worth of songs on it, and honestly most of it is just stuff that I think you'd like without any real rhyme or reason to it. In my defense, it's my first time making one of these!

The reason I left it in your apartment when I know that you'll be gone was so I didn't lose it or chicken out. Because I'd like to talk to you about something when you get back, and now you know that and you can hold me to it.

Actually, fuck it, here it goes: I'm kind of definitely in love with you. I'm so sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, and if you don't reciprocate at all I won't hold it against you. You're my best friend and the last thing in the world is to make you uncomfortable or disrespect your feelings. But I love you with every bit of my fucked-up, piece of shit heart and I know that you're too good of a person to ever toy with my feelings. There's nothing more cruel than letting a person hold onto false hope.

So just…enjoy the mixtape. We'll talk when you get back. It's probably going to be long, and awkward, but at the very least it'll be out of the way.

Can't wait to talk to you,

JM

Does the "I know you hate me" dance

And here we are! At basically one of the first scenes I had planned since starting this series! We are FINALLY HERE

As always, if you have some thoughts on this chapter, or just in general want to scream your feelings at me, comment below and let me know! And as always i am chess_blackfyre on tumblr!