Aaaannnd back to the plot we go (:
Check out some art from last chapter on tumblr tsipasce and let me know what y'all think when you get the chance. As always, thanks for reading and sticking with this story!
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The sound of footsteps pacing back and forth echoed through the house. Nanami's eyes indignantly tracked white tennis shoes, wishing they would stay put. Her wish was granted as they stopped, now pointed in her direction.
"Something on your mind?"
"…"
"I know I haven't been the best example of this, but leering is not a proper response."
Sighing she answered after a moment," It's nothing. I just find this all very… unnecessary." She gestured vaguely at the air.
His brows raised in surprise and she cringed to herself at the comment. It wasn't necessarily a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth either. Sensing the real answer had yet to be revealed, he prodded further, "So, you find resolving the bounty on your head to be 'unnecessary'?"
"You know that's not what I mean. I just don't think it makes a whole lot of sense to potentially massacre an entire group of people over my one head."
"And you would be wrong. In the underworld, if you allow someone to attack one of you without retaliation, it's a sign of weakness. From your encounter with their ill-equipped henchmen, you can guess as to where weakness leaves you."
"For sure, dead. But wouldn't that be the same outcome as going to 'war' with these guys?"
He shifted his weight, crossing his arms over his chest, "First it was a 'massacre' and now it's a 'war'. You don't think we're strong enough to win?"
"No, it's not that, I just don't see why you'd wanna take this gamble."
"One, it's not a gamble if you're certain. And two, I've already told you one of the reasons. Why are you opposing this now?"
"I just don't want to have to heal you again if some asshole decides to take another cheap shot." She tried to say nonchalantly while meeting his gaze but faltered just long enough for him to notice.
"So you doubt my abilities?"
"No, that's not what I'm sayi—"
"Then what are you saying?" He asked accusingly though there was a sliver of hurt in his voice that stung her ears. "I am capable and whether you believe that is up to you."
A moment of clarity struck her as she made sense of his response. Had anyone ever been worried about him before? Had they ever outwardly shown it to him? How is he supposed to recognize something he hasn't experienced before? Of course, he just thinks I'm doubting him... Her temper now-thoroughly deflated, she strode over, looking up to him with a small smile. There was a bit of sadness as she realized this might be one of the first times anyone has ever shown they were truly concerned about him.
His father and Kurono obviously cared for him deeply, but how many moments of softness or kindness would his position ever truly allow for? For this relationship to work, she knew she'd have to be especially clear when it came to anything emotional. Chisaki was by far one of the most intelligent people she had ever met, but when it came to the realm of personal feelings he was out of his depth. Being able to manipulate the emotions of others seemed to have come at the cost of recognizing his own. Putting out her palms to him expectantly, his eyes narrowed in confusion. After a beat, his jaw clenched slightly in realization of what she was silently asking. Cautiously he lifted his hands to hers as she grasped them firmly to reassure him as warm thumbs ran over his knuckles, "I believe in you, and I know it's your whole job, but I don't think I'll ever like seeing you in situations where you could get hurt. You're more capable than anyone I know; I'd be worried about you no matter what. Worrying about you and doubting you are not the same thing… Does that make sense?"
"No." He deadpanned.
"I'm trying to say I care about you, you ass."
His eyes widened in surprise before softening and looking away, hoping she wouldn't notice the flustered hue creeping onto his face. "I see." Giving her hands a gentle squeeze before letting go, "I'll do my best to make sure this is handled quickly then. Thank you." The last words of gratitude he uttered barely above a whisper though he meant them the most.
"Of course. Now go get 'em tiger!"
"…Nanami." He said with a familiar disappointment.
"Sorry, sport."
A single black car pulled to a stop in front of an inconspicuous warehouse as the last of the civilian employees took their leave. Knowing better than to stray longer than needed after dark, the workers peeled off leaving the parking lot near-barren. The three men exited the vehicle, walking calmly some way until they entered the lobby of the building. The woman at the front desk finished typing upon hearing footsteps come to a stop before her desk.
"Hello, how may I hel—," She began before lifting her head from the screen to see Overhaul, Chronostasis and Nemoto. Her demeanor shifted, making it obvious she recognized them as the "special guests" her boss had mentioned earlier. Clearing her throat, she shakily continued, "R-right this way, please."
Without a word, they followed the young woman down a series of halls before arriving at what seemed to be the office breakroom. Moving to a very specific blank spot on the wall, she removed the glove from her hand revealing a key-like fingertip on her index. Trembling she placed her finger to the wall which transfigured into a door. Opening it, she stood back motioning them to go inside. Overhaul gave her a grave once-over as she kept her head low, obviously afraid. Glancing at Nemoto, he gave him a subtle nod before entering the door she had created. There was a single hallway behind it with large doors at the end, light streaming out from underneath. The makeshift door closed behind them as the woman hurriedly walked in front of them to get the second set of doors. She knocked politely, earning a much less affable response in return.
"Don't just sit around outside, get them in here." A gruff voice bellowed mockingly.
Upon entering smoke hit their faces, both Nemoto and Chronostasis now-grateful Overhaul had chosen plague masks as their calling card. Surveying the room, the occupants were dressed in suits, the sounds of their side conversations filling the room as much as the smoke. The space itself resembled an opulent, old-school board room; the dozen or so chair chairs were wood with fine upholstery, the table a slab of ebony adorned with metallic accents, and the walls lined with various books, the likes of which the other occupants of the room had probably never read, if Overhaul had to guess by looking at them. His eyes went to the secretary who was now making her way over to the large man at the head of the table. Though she was closer to her boss, she seemed to be even less at ease as she tried to retrieve his empty glass for him, only to earn an unwanted grope in return. "You're dismissed… until later, that is," her boss intoned, giving her rear a smack as she walked with her head hung even lower towards the door where they still stood.
Before she was able to exit, Nemoto grasped her by the arm and spoke something inaudible in her ear, to which she uttered an adamant "No, I would never!"
"Hey, we'll pass around hors d'oeuvres later, right now we're here to talk business," drawled one of the other men sitting at the table, referring to the secretary.
Nemoto let her go and she scurried away, closing the door behind her with her quirk.
The Okamura clan head shifted his eyes from the door to his guests, a condescending smile creeping across his face. He was called the Brass Badger, a class C villian. In his heyday, he was known for being a formidable brawler as his quirk gave him badger-like abilities and his knuckles had protrusions akin to the popular weapon from which his namesake was taken. Nowadays, he owned a slew of construction companies and material supply chains through which he laundered money from various nefarious activities. "Let's begin, shall we?" he spoke as he ashed his cigar in a crystal tray, motioning them to sit across from them.
Taking their seats, Overhaul locked eyes with him, folding his hands on the tabletop, "Let's."
"So, where is she?" Brass Badger inquired, looking around as he gestured casually, "My associate and I've got the money ready to be wired as soon as you hand her over."
"She won't be joining us today."
"Oh?"
"Yes, we came to provide some alternative propositions," Overhaul replied calmly.
"'Alternatives' you say? I can't imagine what might be better than a simple tradeoff; her for the cash. This is one hell of a bounty, you could retire far ahead of schedule with even a fraction of this," he chuckled to himself.
"That's the beauty of alternatives, they're usually better than the original offer."
"Well, isn't that a shame," the Badger spoke off-handedly as he scrolled through the file in front of him with pictures of Nanami taken from their earlier surveillance of her. "Though I can see why you'd want to consider options that don't involve handing her over. Everyone is buzzing about Nanami Watanabe's head, but I for one couldn't stop looking at her tight ass." A small rustling could be heard in the background, but the room continued to train their eyes on Brass Badger as he prattled on. "How about this 'alternative', when you're done using her, just pass her over to me—no strings attached. I've paid some crazy prices for whores before, but I can't imagine what a bounty like hers would get me. Oh, you'd probably know, how many miles does she have on he—"
A hush fell over the room as Overhaul's palm lay flat against the table, its metal embellishments now making their homes elsewhere. The tablet the Badger had been thumbing through fell to the floor, as did the glasses and cigars of his men seated at the table. Chronostasis cleared his throat with an "ahem" snapping Overhaul out of his trance as the blood was beginning to seep into the expensive carpet below. "That's a Heriz rug, we might want to make haste or else the stains will be troublesome to get out later."
"You're right, let's get on with this." Overhaul sighed, rising from the table, straightening his tie as he strode over to the Badger, the only sounds in the room being his footsteps and Brass Badger's labored breathing. Carefully stepping over the pools of blood, he neatly disintegrated the man at the Badger's side, dusting off his chair before he sat. "Now, what were you saying about Dr. Watanabe?" the question rang sadistic as Overhaul knew he would have trouble getting a proper answer considering what he'd done seconds earlier. The moment his hand touched the table, the metal embellishments became spikes, impaling the men seated around it. Some were fortunate, the spike having gone directly through their skulls, killing them instantly. And some were less fortunate, like the Brass Badger who now sat unwillingly at the table, the spike having only gone through his bottom jaw, holding him in place. He seethed, trying to move, only to wince in agony at the motion.
Realizing he was trapped, he reached under his desk for a panic button, slamming it in haste. Overhaul blinked, unimpressed, as he seemingly allowed the action. The Badger looked confused, so Nemoto graciously began to explain, "If you're calling for the young woman at the front, I'm afraid she's left for good. I asked her earlier with Confession if she would ever speak about this if we killed you here tonight and she said no, as we all heard, so I wouldn't count on her assistance."
Brass Badger's face contorted in anger as he tried again to speak with renewed vigor. Curiosity won out and Overhaul pressed his palm once again to the table. In an instant, the spike from his jaw was retracted and two more took its place in the Badger's palms, curling to fuse back into the table, forming a particularly gruesome form of handcuffs. "Now, please repeat what you were trying to say."
"You cocky little bastard. You think this is all it takes to defeat the Okamura?"
"Absolutely not."
"My men will come out of the woodwork and so far up your as—wait what?"
"I said no. I do not think this" he said gesturing to the room filled with the now-indisposed heads of the Okamura clan," is all it takes. Which is why only three of us are here now at your headquarters." He began as he reached over, picking up the man's phone and placing it into a plastic bag for safe keeping. "I don't usually enjoy the cliché 'evil villain explains their grand plan' bit, but since everything should be completed by now and you're undoubtedly filth, I think I might indulge just this once." He rose, casually taking stock of the books that lined the walls, making mental notes of which ones he'd read first after the place was cleaned as he spoke, "In an organization with more than even two people, there will always be dissenters. Once we sussed out the parties willing to sell you out for a bigger cut than you provided—some of whom are seated at this table—it was quite easy. We come here and wipe out your poor excuse for leadership, as well as the dissenters as they are by nature traitorous and cannot be trusted, the rest of our forces are out taking care of what remains of your clan and seizing its assets."
Brass Badger began to quake in anger, his head hung low in defeat as he tried to ball up his pinned palms into fists.
"In regard to Dr. Watanabe, you spoke earlier as if you might get paid a bounty for turning her in yourself. So, tell me, if you're not the one paying it, then who is?"
"Eat shit."
A look of boredom same across Overhaul's face as he turned to the disgraced head, "You're really going to make me do this?" Taking a few steps, he placed a hand on the shoulder of the head, relieving the Badger of his arm and replacing it with a grotesque patchwork of bent flesh. There was a moment of silence, followed by a guttural scream, the look of boredom never leaving Overhaul's face, "Are you done now? I'd like my very simple questions answered and we'll all be on our way."
The man sniffled indignantly as he seemed to accept the imminence of his defeat, "I… I couldn't tell you." Unsatisfied with the answer, he began to reach for the Bagder's other arm, "Wait, wait I mean I don't know! He never gave me his actual name!"
"Nemoto, your services are needed over here."
"Of course," He replied, walking over to the head of the table and pulling out the chair from underneath one of the unfortunate guests. Looking into the man's eyes, he began the questioning, "Who posted the bounty for Dr. Watanabe?"
"I don't know, we only spoke over the phone and he never gave his proper name," Brass Badger answered in a drone-like tone.
"Hm. No 'proper name'? What do you mean by that?"
"He only gave the name Dr. M or Dr. F. I had my men look it up and it was just a moniker he pulled from some foreign legend; Dr. Faust and Mephistopheles."
"What else could you tell us about this man?"
"He's an eccentric. Had a huge fixation on Nanami Watanabe, saying he wanted her back like he owned her or something. Kept mentioning that 'the time had come' to make good on some pact or something."
"How did you get in contact with him?"
"We didn't. He contacted us, only used encrypted numbers so we could never trace or call ba—" Brass Badger's phone began to ring in an odd tone from Overhaul's pocket and his face turned into that of surprise, "It's him."
Overhaul gave him a warning look before taking out the phone and answering it, putting it to the Badger's ear so the Dr.F wouldn't suspect he was being investigated. A low, annoyed voice came from the other side," Give the phone back to the boy you buffoon."
"But Doc, look I—"
"I'm done talking to you. You have played your part well enough, now die."
"Wha—" Brass Badger began to speak but was cut off by his own gurgling, a familiar foam spilling out of his mouth as he convulsed and did as he was told.
"Chisaki~" the voice sang on the other end. Looking between an equally confused Chronostasis and Nemoto, he cautiously placed the phone down on the table, putting it on speaker.
"Who is this." The question came out as more of a demand, Overhaul now thoroughly annoyed that he was being toyed with.
"Oh, don't be so cold, don't you remember me?"
"No, and I don't enjoy games. Speak plainly."
"Oh well, no matter, we can catch up when you bring the doctor. What do you say, you and Dr. Watanabe join me for a lovely Valentine's Day brunch? Say 11 a.m.? Perfect, I'll see you two then. Oh! And don't worry, I'll send for you when the time comes. Until we meet then, my dear boy—Ciao!"
A hush fell over the room as the line clicked before Overhaul could respond, the three of them with varying looks of confusion under their masks. After a beat more silence, Nemoto spoke what they had all been thinking and would for next three months to come, "What the fuck was that?"