Zero - A Vigilante Deku Story

Chapter 33 - The root of all evil

POV Dabi

Dabi sat at the bar while drinking a whiskey and watching Kurogiri polish glasses. The last few weeks had been quiet in the League, which was good considering they had been quite upsetting for himself.

Not only had Keigo outed him to Eraserhead, but he had also confirmed that Null was still alive and now living with said underground hero. His partner had sent him a picture of the boy. Until he had seen it, Dabi had not been entirely convinced of his survival. Part of him had doubted and considered a mix-up.

He had looked at the picture for a few minutes and then deleted it, just as he did with Keigo's messages. Some members of the League were terribly curious and weren't afraid to steal a comrade's phone out of boredom and snoop around in it.

As if his thoughts had conjured it up, he felt a vibration in his pocket. Outwardly, he appeared unimpressed. Not many people had his number and those who did never texted him just to chat. Dabi pulled his phone out of his back pocket and glanced at the screen.

At least Keigo had written to him and not his contact at the commission.

Hot Wings: Hey, I hope everything is going smoothly for you. The insomniac got in touch with me. Apparently there was an incident with the green one and the symbol. Do you know how that could have happened?

He frowned. He didn't have to think long about who Keigo was referring to. Why would there be problems with those two?

Burned Nugget: So far, everything's the same. What happened between them?

Hot Wings: I don't know anything for sure yet. The insomniac sounded very upset and insists on meeting you again. Something has happened. I've never seen him like this before, must have been bad.

Burned Nugget: Before his liquidation, they wanted him to bring the protective pillars of society to a final fall. They made him train to the bone every day for that. However, the trial run I told you about failed. I don't know anything else.

Hot Wings: What about the symbol?

Burned Nugget: The gaming addict despises it with a fiery passion and throws a tantrum every time he sees it on TV. Destroying the symbol is the top priority of Sensei's plan before society is plunged into chaos.

Hot Wings: How did the little one react to the symbol?

Burned Nugget: Not differently to anything else. He was impassive. Whatever was going through his mind when he was in the bar and the TV was on, he didn't let it show.

Hot Wings: So no uncontrolled behavior?

Burned Nugget: How is the green one?

Hot Wings: I don't know exactly. RG was needed, but it wasn't enough. That's all I've got at the moment. The insomniac has promised to tell us more as soon as we meet him.

Dabi let out an annoyed breath. He wanted to know what had happened right away, not tomorrow. Patience was not his strong point, never had been, and one of the reasons why he had been doing the Commission's dirty work for so long. But he understood why Keigo didn't tell him anything specific, considering that their phones could well be bugged.

Burned Nugget: Meet me here tomorrow: *sends coordinates*. Same time as last time. I'll see what else I can find out by then.

Hot Wings: You're the best, Tou! See you tomorrow!

Dabi put the phone in the back pocket of his black jeans. He wasn't Touya here, he was Dabi - a fact he kept reminding himself of. On days when everything was shit, he indulged in imagining what it would be like to be a real villain and simply burn down everything that got in his way.