Title: Boom
Summary: Everyone's lives become much more complicated than they were yesterday
In retrospect, this was probably the moment that he fell in love with her.
It was the second year of their partnership. They were on a stake out, set up in an abandoned building across the way from their targets. The hero and vigilante, in a room together for over twelve hours. Yeah, they got bored. More specifically, he got bored.
"So...why do you like horror movies?" All Might asked, after a solid twenty minutes of tense silence. Even as the subject left his mouth, he could tell it was a weak one. Still, not like he had a better one to bring up.
The Jade Mantis lowered her binoculars and turned to look at him. "...uh, why do you ask?"
"No reason, just making conversation."
There was another pause. "...it's kind of dumb."
"You say that to the man who unironically loves all of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies." Even though maybe half of them were any kind of quality.
The vigilante was quiet for another moment. "After…" she paused, taking a deep breath. "After I ran away from home," (and boy, didn't that get his attention) "I was scared for a long time. Scared of the cops, scared I would be forced to go back, scared I would be robbed or murdered if I didn't pick the right place to sleep for the night. I was basically one big ball of anxiety disguised as a high schooler," she gave a humorless laugh. "Then I found horror movies. I didn't like them at first, but they gave me something I couldn't get anywhere else-catharsis and something like relief, I guess? Probably sounds crazy, but it appealed to me."
He was a good enough bullshitter to have something pulled up on the fly. "Horror movies keep your attention by keeping up the ebb and flow of tension. Meanwhile you were tense basically all the time with no relief." Toshinori added, remembering his class on Film Studies.
Jade Mantis nodded, turning back to look through her binoculars. There was another long silence, and All Might just felt more awkward than ever, because what the heck do you say to something like that? Sorry to hear about that felt cheap and devoid of any real substance. So that meant he had to say something meaningful, a show of trust and support...
"I'm asexual." Is what popped out instead.
The vigilante blinked at him. "Okay, not sure where that came from…"
"It's just...uh…" This was a horrible idea. "...you revealed something super personal about yourself and I guess I wanted to be supportiveorsomethingbutIpanickedI'msorry." He mumbled off, suddenly very uncomfortable. Even though he had figured that aspect of himself out after awhile, he had never actually told anyone about that. After awhile, he sort of became afraid to.
Jade Mantis laid a hand on his shoulder, gently drawing him out of his swirling thoughts. "Thank you for feeling comfortable enough to tell me. It means a lot." She smiled, looking him in the eye. "Now...seriously? All four? Even the last one with the nonsensical plot and the nuclear guy?"
All Might blinked having a slight case of whiplash from the change in topic. "It's Nuclear Man and there's nothing wrong with a bit of camp." He informed, giving a bit of a cheeky grin.
Yeah...looking back, that was probably it.
If only the moment he realized he was in love with her was as peaceful. Or just generally less stressful.
When Toshinori actually got around to reading her letter, he nearly choked to death on his cereal.
Having a sufficient amount of sleep in him and feeling much more human, Yagi Toshinori made himself some breakfast and opened up the Jade Mantis' letter. He placed the mixtape off to the side before sitting down to read it.
Dear Toshinori, the letter started, which immediately confused him because how did she know his given name? Then he kept reading and there was something else that superseded that concern.
Namely, Jade Mantis confessing that she was in love with him. In a moment of shock, his breakfast suddenly went down the wrong pipe and Toshinori had to down his entire glass of milk to keep from choking. Well, at least physically choking.
He-She-That is-aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHH Went his train of thought for a few moments afterward. It was right then that a news alert on the TV grabbed his attention.
"Turning now to a new story breaking this morning, a cargo ship going up in flames last night. Eyewitness accounts describe the Jade Mantis being onboard and the sounds of gunfire before the explosion. Could the Number One Most Wanted Vigilante have been caught in the blaze? Details are still forthcoming-"
All Might was out the door before you could say 'terminal velocity'.
Last Night…
Vronskaya Sakura was awoken by a knock on her window. Years in her certain profession had made her a light sleeper by default, so she pulled the knife from underneath her pillow on pure instinct. Then she noticed the bird at her window, and felt a little silly.
She was about to go back to sleep when she noticed that there were actually three birds at her window, one of which had a piece of paper grasped between their beak. How strange, Mura-san usually wasn't the one to contact them.
She opened up the window, and the crow deposited the note in her hand. It took a second moment for her to read the message through. Another five for her to fully comprehend its meaning.
Less than ten minutes later, the Russian was out the door with a sleeping Kai over one shoulder, and the bug out bags over the other.
Toshinori touched down in one of Mustafa's many alleyways with a sigh. He knew better than to think that she would just be in a convenient hospital. Even under an assumed name. But the nurses guarded patient information even against pro heroes so no, they couldn't tell him if a young woman with dark green hair in her twenties had stopped in for treatment last night. Not without a warrant.
Still, it had been worth the effort to just try.
With the hospitals a no-go, the Symbol of Peace had sped all over Mustafa looking for a trace of the vigilante. No dice. So here All Might was, trying to figure out what his next move will be. Okay, okay, Jade Mantis was investigating some sort of illegal trading when the entire cargo ship went up in flames. If she was injured, she would be lying low with a trusted ally.
Perfect! He just had to find some of her contacts and get a message to her. Except...he had no idea about the identities or locations of any of the Jade Mantis' allies. (Besides himself, of course). Whatever little things she had let slip about herself and her life, she never revealed so much of a hint about who helped her.
Toshinori sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He was no slouch in the investigation department, but he knew sniffing out Jade Mantis was something he couldn't do alone. If he was to find her, he would have to follow in her example and enlist the help of people he trusted. Except...the people he knew who could help him find Jade Mantis without immediately trying to arrest her was a rather short one.
And one rather short hero was at the top of that list. Toshinori pulled out his cell phone, seriously considering the fact that he was about to do this. Do it for her, he told himself, and slapped his leg to try and keep it from shaking so bad. (It didn't work)
Gran Torino's phone rung for awhile. Toshinori was sure that it was about to go to voicemail- oh thank goodness I can just leave a message- when the older hero picked up the phone.
"Eh? Who's this?" A gruff, familiar voice answered on the other end of the line. Last chance to back out.
"It's me sir," The hero sighed, bracing himself for anything.
"Ah, Toshinori...you know it's been quite awhile since you called."
The Symbol of Peace could feel himself sweat drop. "Yes sir, it's just...well being a pro hero keeps me so busy…"
The old hero hummed in thought. "And yet not so busy that you can't run around Mustafa like it's your own personal jungle gym. What's with you this morning?"
"How did you-"
"For someone who's been the Symbol of Peace for a couple of years now, you still forget that people notice when you do things. Speaking of which, that Alley Cat kid from a few months ago-" Shit, I thought for sure Daiho managed to bury that. "-it's generally considered rude not to tell people you have kids."
"Sir-"
"I mean seriously, if I had known I would have told you straight away that patrol is no activity for a youngster. I bet you got a real tongue-lashing from Miss Most Wanted when you got back home. Which, by the way if she's the baby mama-"
"Sir, please!" He raised his voice, completely embarrassed. "I called you because it was serious."
That got the old troll's attention. "...is he -"
"No, no, not him -though I'm still on that I promise-It's actually about the Jade Mantis. You see, I saw the report about her getting caught in that explosion, and-well, I know you're retired, but please...keep an eye out for her."
There was silence. Silence and his teacher rarely meant something good was about to happen. "You're right," Toshinori stopped, surprised. "I am retired. But don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for your girlfriend for you."
"Thank you sir," he replied, honest and full of relief. Suddenly, he remembered her letter back at his apartment. An idea formed in the back of his mind.
Gran Torino was silent for a while, and Toshinori actually had to look to make sure the man hadn't hung up on him. "She must mean a lot to you, if you're willing to call me of all people."
"...yeah, she is." They hung up shortly afterward.
Jade Mantis...when I find you, I'll answer your feelings honestly.
Because I think I'm in love with you as well.
Inko did not wake up suddenly and sharply. One moment she was dragging herself onto the closest bit of shore she could see, trying to get there before the pain would become too great for her to even move. (Adrenaline was a wonderful, wonderful thing) The next, she was suddenly aware that she was staring at the inside of her own eyelids, with absolutely no sense of connection between before and after.
Time was feeling weird—in fact, everything was feeling weird. There were long sections of time where she wasn't even sure if she was conscious or not. Eventually, her senses started to return to her, like her brain was starting to reconnect with the rest of her body.
When Inko opened her eyes, she tried to assess the situation, all of her training and all that. But her brain felt too full of fuzz, and her thoughts were too much like water—unable to hold on to anything for any stretch of time. All she could really register was the pale walls in front of her. So she shut her eyes. After an indeterminable amount of time later, she awoke again to the same pale walls.
This time though, the door opened, and Inko's green eyes lazily drift over. A woman with red hair and blue scrubs entered the room, holding a clipboard. She greeted Inko in Russian, apparently glad that she was awake. Inko wanted to say something back, but she was still working to get through the fog. Then the carrot top stopped talking and said:
"Konichiwa, Midoriya-san," in broken and awkward Japanese. Inko belatedly realized that the woman might think that she didn't speak any Russian, due to her lack of response (the fog was just starting to get clearer, but still undoubtedly there)
"Privyet, tovarich." Inko greeted. The nurse smiled, almost…embarrassed?
"Ah, you speak Russian?" She nodded, well perhaps 'flopped' her head was more accurate. " Well then, I'm glad you don't have to suffer through my Japanese ." She was doing something then, something with the little…blinking machines. And everything went dark again.
Nedzu read over Vronskaya's message again. He already knew perfectly well what it said, but he still went over it, if only for his own feelings.
Nedzu,
With what happened last night, the family and I are taking a trip north. We are unsure of when we will return. But I will establish safe lines of communication in time.
Kai already misses you.
Regards,
Vronskaya Sakura
He knew that the family had connections with the Jade Mantis. Beyond just that of the vigilante helping to rescue Kai. Perhaps they helped her, perhaps they harbored her, Nedzu didn't really want to know. There was such a thing as 'reasonable doubt' and he would prefer to have that card to play if the time ever came. But that wasn't important, what was was that the Jade Mantis had made very powerful enemies, and the kind that wouldn't be satisfied with her head alone. If the vigilante was truly dead, it would be open season on her allies.
With that in mind, it was only natural that the Midoriyas would flee as soon as they heard about the explosion. For the time being, Russia was much safer for them. While he would miss the young girl, the animal hero would be busy here, ensuring that it would be safe for Kai and her family's return.
It was almost strange, thinking about how attached he had become to the Midoriya family in the time since the MICAH incident. Even though he was getting more and more busy with his work at UA, he still made the time to try and share a cup of tea with them every now and them.
Just as he was starting to put together enough information on the Orito Family, Nedzu was surprised by a knock on the door. With the Midoriyas gone he honestly couldn't think of anyone to stop by for a social call, and he was up to date with his rent.
That surprise didn't lessen when the hero looked to see who was there."I am here! In need of assistance." The Number One Hero greeted, standing in the threshold of Nedzu's door.
"All Might," the animal hero said, hiding all signs of surprise. "Not that you're unwelcome, but what are you doing here?"
It was pretty hilarious, watching a man over seven feet tall try to lean down and whisper to him. "It's about Jade Mantis, can I come in?"
Checking to make sure that the hero hadn't been followed, Nedzu locked the door once the hero was inside.
All Might pulled out an envelope, with 'Read Me' written in green ink. "I found this in my apartment the night of the explosion. I...didn't open it until the following morning. But I believe that it might contain a hidden message from Jade Mantis."
The animal hero tilted his head. Jade Mantis did have a close working relationship with All Might. It was worth a look over, if nothing else. All Might placed the letter in his offered paw.
Nedzu looked at the letter, then at All Might. Then back at the letter. Well, it looks like a lot of people owe Daiho-san money, he couldn't help but think.
Just doing a quick scan of the letter, his genius brain couldn't pick up on any irregularities, patterns, or any indication of code. But Jade Mantis was always a crafty one...that is, well...
"I'll see what I can do,"
All Might gave a smile.
The next time Inko came back to consciousness, things were a lot more clear. Both her head and her back hurt like a bitch, and she was just on the right side of hungry to get even more irritable. However, before she could really do anything about it, a familiar head of white and blonde hair shot up and had her in their sights.
"Mom!" Kai called out, rushing to the edge of the bed. "You're finally awake!"
"Kai-?" Inko weakly called out, even as the nine year old practically tackled her into a hug. The mother grit her teeth to keep herself from voicing any pain.
"Vee-san enrolled me in an international school! I speak Russian almost all the time and I made friends and I get to learn a lot about Eurasian history and—"
"Alright little one, give your mother some space." Vronskaya was suddenly at her side, an indulgent smile on her face alongside some new worry lines. The greenette took the opportunity to look around and observe her surroundings-especially the clipboard at the foot of her bed
"Was it really necessary to take me all the way to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?" Inko asked. While she had wanted to see Russia someday, flying her out to receive treatment felt a bit extreme.
Vronskaya shrugged. "Cheaper than St Petersburg."
They were about to discuss it further, when there was a knock at the door.
"I am...Doctor Sakharovna. You speak Russian, Miss Midoriya?" She asked in stilted Japanese.
Inko nodded her head, even as she was rewarded with another sharp bite of pain. " Yes, but my head is still kind of fuzzy, so I may need you to go slow or repeat a few things ."
The doctor nodded back in understanding. " No problem at all. And don't be afraid to let me know when I'm going to fast. The first thing you should know is that you've been in and out of consciousness for the past week…." She continued, outlining Inko's various injuries as she came into the ER. The greenette was honestly surprised she was still alive. "...honestly, all injuries to be expected when a car explodes."
" I'm sorry...car bomb?" Inko blinked. From what snippets she could recall she was on a boat when a shipping container exploded.
" Don't worry, a couple of fuzzy memories are to be expected after injuries like those." Sakharovna informed with a reassuring smile. "From the police report, you and your family were walking downtown when some sort of accident caused a car to explode. So unlucky, especially as you're here on vacation."
" Vacation, right," Inko nodded.
" However, I do have some good news for you." The Russian doctor's face lit up into a smile. "Congratulations, you're pregnant!"
Inko blinked. "What?"
" Oh I'm sorry. You are pregnant ." The doctor repeated, going a bit slower this time.
Fuck.
Inko: Alright so, I'm the number one most wanted vigilante in Japan, my boss is a former Russian spy, my adopted daughter is kind of determined to be a vigilante and I'm in love with the Symbol of Peace. My life could not possibly get anymore complicated.
The Universe: Hold my beer
Ha ha ha! Yep, I only hurt them because I care. And before you ask why Kai wasn't the one to heal up Inko's injuries, the girl is nine years old, healing quirks have to be used in moderation, and how traumatic would it be for her to essentially have her mom's life in her hands. Vronskaya would NEVER put Kai in that kind of situation.
For those of you wondering, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city in Russia that is a part of a peninsula that is very close to Japan. Really, they only shifted about one timezone over.
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