"Patience when teased

is often transformed into rage."

-Proverb

"You..!"

He grit his teeth so hard he thought they would snap, but it did nothing to stop the irritation swimming in his veins.

He was this close to turning into an old, brittle skeleton, and needless to say, the actual shot most definitely hurt. Not as much if he, say, got hit in the abdomen or limbs, but the wound on his face was deep enough to probably require stitches. He had just gotten out of that dreaded hospital, for god's sake. At least it wouldn't impede him like the stab wound from those fuckers at the Cafe, but that didn't dismiss it either. Just that thought of his flesh being gouged open for any bad bacteria to have a party as they pleased made him nauseous.

He was starting to wonder if all of those associated with that fucking Cafe were batshit insane or something.

What else could you be when your first instinct in negotiation was to pull out your sword/gun and hurt the guy six ways to Sunday?

"Now, now, there's no need to look so mad," He drew the gun up to his lips and blew softly, the smoke trail dissipating. "You lived, didn't you?"

His brow twitched.

"It was a damn close one, you bastard. I can't even-... Why the hell do you go up to your employer and shoot them?!"

His laugh rang like little silver bells.

It was a surprisingly... feminine laugh for someone of his psychique and stature, but it fit, in a weird, inexplicable way.

"I needed to see if you were still interesting enough, of course," The gun in his hand spun around on his finger, still close and near to the trigger as it spun lazy circles in the air. Deku was half convinced the man was insane; the gun was still loaded and the safety was off. He was tempted to leave it at that and abandon this meeting after hurting him. It was a shame that his quirk was absolutely necessary to kill All for One, or he would have-! "It would be boring if you had become a little ol' machine that knew nothing but vengeance and killing. Can't trust my back to 'people' like that, regardless. You get me, man?"

Deku didn't quite know what to say to that.

(Partly because the man had a point, but also because he was still a tad bit dumbfounded. Yes, he got it, but wasn't it a bit much to shoot the person in question..? Like. What the hell.)

"Is... Is that so..."

He nodded, all happy and giggly.

Deku had to physically stop his hands from reaching up and gouging out an eye. Or two. He wasn't picky; just irritated.

"Oh, and besides, seeing as you technically are my apprentice..."He smiled, teeth sharp and pointy. "It wouldn't do for you to be incompetent, yah? I'd rather have a dead apprentice than a boring one. You got a few points docked off for being distracted, by the way."

Deku blinked.

It was so incomprehensible that he didn't even feel anger at this point, he just felt tired.

"...I don't care for your judgment, Zero, seeing as you shot me a few seconds ago," He ignored the faint interruption of 'You got the points back by surviving, don't pout~' and continued on talking. "And also, you only taught me for a few hours. That doesn't equate to a master-student relationship, for chrissakes. In fact, I really don't like you as a person. Not back then, and not now. No offense, of course."

It was just a simple fact, and it wouldn't impede their business relationship, so there was really nothing wrong with it, or how he had said it so bluntly.

The older man seemed tempted to fall back into his playful mood, but he disregarded it with a sigh, although a smile still fitted his face.

"None taken, Deku-chan. I could see that already from that scary little creature hissing at me."

He turned his head, and indeed, Gray was looking at the man with pure hatred, with a rather scary look in her eyes. They had both admittedly been taken off guard by the sudden bullet, and she was unable to help him there in any way. But where he really felt grateful to her was the fact that she didn't take any further action. She knew, just as well as him or perhaps even more, just how much they needed this man for their plan to kill All for One, and despite not being happy about it, she wouldn't take that opportunity away from him. So despite her best instincts and her own feelings, she put it aside for him.

He had a weird feeling in his chest, one almost akin to heart pain, but he didn't give it any more thought because he had already seen and felt what happened when you let your mind drift and escape from reality (even if that was the one thing he wanted more than anything to do).

It was good he was paying attention too because Zero's voice and posture suddenly turned as sharp as a knife's edge.

"So, Deku, you were telling the truth about the job and All for One, correct?"

"Naturally. I wouldn't lie about something like this, nor would I seek your help if it weren't for that quirk of yours. You can, most definitely, kill All for One with it."

There was such a look of sheer frustration on his face that Deku was almost taken aback by it.

He had never seen the man exhibit that much pure emotion before.

"You think that my quirk is the magical solution to this? I hate that man, no, that beast so much that he haunts all of my nights! Drawbacks be damned, if I could, I would have torn out his greasy little heart a long time ago! If that's your only plan, then-!"

He stared him down in indifference, and the older man seemed to choke on his own words before he stopped entirely.

With a sigh, he forcefully released the tension in his body, although his eyes still screamed bloody murder.

Deku waited for a few aimless seconds before he began to talk again

"That's the thing, Zero. That isn't all that the plan is composed of. Of course, just busting in there with your quirk isn't going to work. We can discuss that later, but for now... Are you in or out?"

"If you have a plan that'll work, I'm naturally in. Although despite the fact that I revealed my... uhh shall we say, hatred, I still won't do this without being paid."

His brow twitched again at the elder man's brows, and he wondered absentmindedly if he was going to develop a chronic problem, seeing as the twitching has plenty of ammunition to build off on.

"Not everyone is as much of a miser as you are, you know..." He sighed. "I only care for money as much as it takes to get what I want. If you do your job well, I'll naturally pay you, seeing as the death of All for One is one of my very few wants."

He only hummed underneath his breath and chanted airly.

"As long as you do, as long as you do~"

{Dumbass miser.}

'...Indeed. Unfortunately, he's powerful and necessary for our plan.'

He began to skip and jump in place, frothing at the mouth with delusions of grandeur and green paper.

Deku's and Gray's minds were silent for a moment.

{Still a dumbass miser.}

'...Yep.'

"Okay, kid, since Deku-san included you in on this plan of his for some reason I can't quite fathom, you're going to have to do something of worth."

Bakugo paid no real attention to the taunts, his attention only catching on one certain part in particular.

It had always felt like it was sheering his ears off whenever he heard it.

"...That name. Don't use it."

Dabi peered down at the, comparatively, short Bakugo.

"Deku-san? That's his name, why wouldn't I use it, shortie?"

Bakugo felt a vein throb on his temple, but he did his best not to rise to the taunt.

Instead, his irritation bled into his next few words.

"You don't know anything, do you?"

"..."

Dabi said nothing in particular, but his gaze had a way of screaming 'Tell me. Now.'

Crankily, Bakugo did just that.

"That name... No one starts off as invincible, and you could say that for him too. That name was a nickname, no, a slur just towards him. That was the favorite torture tool of the bullies."

Of me went unspoken.

Unexpectedly, Dabi didn't react with pity, although you could tell he was a little surprised.

No, he reacted in a way that Bakugo hadn't been expecting at all.

"So you knew him then..? So this is what he wished us to spread around, as well as your purpose in this whole thing."

No, Bakugo hadn't been expecting that at all, so when he started to walk away, he didn't think to follow.

Dabi noticed, but didn't say anything.

But, as he was close to the edge of Bakugo's hearing, he hear something he didn't think he was supposed to hear.

"...to think I called him that name..."

Bakugo did nothing for a few seconds, but with a little smirk, he reached Dabi a few seconds later and spoke.

"Izuku. Call him that from now on."

'And don't do what I did.'