Darkness draped itself all over his being, his eyes being the only source of light that pierced through the emptiness. His eyesight hazzily caught a frame of a vial on the desk near him as he snatched it away from its place.

In the vial, contained was the quirk exterminator, which acted as a deterrent to his volatile quirk from going haywire. Its effect permanent on the ordinary, yet obsolete in the face of his power.

A unique, yet cumbersome perk he had to carry since his young age.

Using a syringe to suck a decent portion of the drug, Tokoyami put the lid back on the vial afterwards.

Tokoyami grimaced as he administered the drug into himself, feeling it soothe the raging wave brimming internally. He let out an alleviated sigh as he slumped to his seat.

How long had it been since he last tasted the vibrant light of the sun? And how long would it be until he could claim that privilege for himself once again?

Putting aside the effects that the quirk would have on him, the world of the privileged wasn't hospitable to people like him. If he so much as take a single step on their threshold, all sorts of obscenities would be thrown at him, and lethal measures would be taken to ensure his demise.

And Genosha...

It wasn't a safe haven either. Located in the outskirts, Genosha was the place for hardened souls, humans who possess quirks that may be deemed volatile, or worse, villainous. Funded by their benefactor, LifeForAll, there wasn't much that they could do outside of their grasp.

A fundamental reason why Tokoyami couldn't act without their say-so. This was a compromise that Tokoyami had to make and tolerate, no matter how much it weighed down on his ego. But soon enough, Tokoyama would break free from their constricting grip. The people of Genosha would finally be independent one day, free from the corporate hold of that deluded madman, Shigaraki Tomura.

Then, he looked at one portrait of a certain hero. A hero that he had come to loathe with every fiber of his being.

The hero who was raised from the dead and returned as the vengeful spirit everyone dubbed as...

The Wolverine.

Sooner or later, Tokoyami would have to face him head-on.

And most of all..

The confrontation would have to take place on the surface above.

Remi, also known as the Gambit, scurried his way across the busy streets. His feet picked up the pace, jostling himself against the myriad of pedestrians walking about. Without so much as the courtesy to apologise, Remi persisted, passing through the district seamlessly.

When he reached his destination, Remi came to a full stop, his feet sliding across the pavement.

"Aha," Remi said to himself. He jumped over the fence and hastened to knock on the door.

No response was heard.

"Huh, I figured Aoi would be around at this time. Maybe she didn't want to make a schedule for me this time around?" Remi said to himself.

He knocked on the door again, to which he received virtually no response.

"Yoo-hoo, Aoi? C'mon now, don't gotta keep your prince charmin' waiting!" Remi knocked again. That was weird.

'She said she'd make time for me today. Welp, not gonna push it I guess. Could be a last second thing.'

Remi shrugged and contemplated to turn around. "Alright then, mon amour. I won't push you if you're not feeling okay at the moment."

As he was about to turn around, the sound of a door creaking was heard from behind him. Remi moved his gaze to the door only to see Aoi, her shriveled brown and white hair covering most of her face. "R...Remi.." she burped.

"Whoa," the Gambit instinctively tried to come to her aid.

Aoi lifted her hand up frantically. "Don't touch me!"

Remi suddenly remembered and stopped where he was.

"You idiot, you could've gotten yourself killed," Aoi said, her speech slightly slurred. "God...dammit, I think I injected too much into my blood stream.."

"Mon amour?" Remi questioned. "You didn't.."

"None of that," Aoi said with a sorrowful smile. "Come in darlin'. Gotcha a buncha liquor. Best of the best."

Remi hesitated for a moment. Then, he complied with her request, entering her house. Taking off his shoes, Remi sat on the couch while Aoi was pouring a bottle of alcohol into the glass on the table.

"Mon amour," Remi began with a sense of urgency. "Please tell me you didn't increase the dose.."

Aoi slumped to her seat, sighing absent-mindedly and staring at the ceiling. "Ahh, you don't gotta worry about that."

"And that's just bullshit," Remi retorted.

Aoi then stared at Remi in the eyes. "Relax babe, I got it under control."

"Under control? You look like you're about to pass out any second now," Remi pointed out.

With seriousness in his eyes, Remi pleaded once again, "Please, whatever it is that's eating away at you, share it with me. Let me lessen your burden."

Aoi stared blankly at Remi, her figure unmoving. Then, after a few seconds of hesitation, she sighed and said, "I upped the ante."

Remi's eyes widened.

"Amplified the drug seven times the original dose, and it got me feelin' like an ox that didn't skip a leg day," Aoi bitterly chuckled. "And I still have this fuckin' quirk hauntin' me in my every waking moment."

"Mon amour.."

"I can't even touch anyone. Not even you!" Aoi yelled, her fists clenched. "I don't even know how you feel like. I don't know how it feels to be cradled under your arms, to be wrapped tightly underneath your warmth, I don't...I can't..."

Remi tried to reach out for her, but stopped midway, knowing what ramifications would follow if he continued.

"I'm sorry if I can't provide that warmth for you either," Aoi added with a small voice. "I'm a.. I'm a fuckin-"

"Don't you dare finish that," Remi interrupted with a tone of finality.

Aoi stopped herself. Then, she found herself smiling. "You're...not gonna leave me, are you?"

"What?" Remi raised his brow at that absurd question.

"You can't touch me. You can't do anything with me. I can imagine how that would feel less intimate with you," Aoi admitted. "An' I'm sorry for that. I wish I could. I really do-"

"Mon amour, stop it," Remi interrupted once again. "I don't care if I can't touch you. I love you just the same."

Aoi looked at him with an expression of awe. She looked as if she was ready to break into tears at any given moment.

"Is that why you've increased the dose?" Remi asked, his expression softened. "For me?"

Aoi was silent, but it was enough to convey the message. It was a resounding 'yes'.

"Mon amour, look at me," Remi said in a soft voice. Aoi did as told, her eyes baring into his. "I don't care about any of that. People in your past may did, but I don't. Even if we don't get to do what other couples do, I won't leave you. Not over something so trivial."

Aoi looked at him thoughtfully. Over time, her form relaxed as she slumped against the back of the couch.

Remi smiled as he added, "And 'sides, I can't really complain about this seeing how I'm in the same boat as you are."

Aoi softly nodded, her face conveying the gratitude that she felt for his reassurance. "Sorry, I just...fuck. Things have been rough lately."

"What happened?"

Aoi chuckled bitterly as she replied, "The higher-ups and their fuckin' politics. It's bad enough that they want me to publicly slander the people who live above, but they also want me to go to the field myself and observe them? I know I'm a journalist, but this shit is giving us a bad rep."

"You could always quit," Remi suggested. "The Genosha News Outlet has always been a red flag for me. Even as they are, Tokoyami hardly tolerates them."

"And what, join your band of misfits?" Aoi flashed a teasing smirk.

Remi shrugged. "I dunno, just a suggestion."

Aoi's smile faltered as she sighed. "I'm practically stuck there, so no can do."

"What do you mean you're stuck?"

"The News Outlet is a subsidiary of LifeForAll, I thought you knew that already," Aoi replied snidely. "If I quit, they'll hold back the Quirk Exterminator shipments."

Remi frowned. "What do they even gain out of this?"

"I don't know. Knowing them, it's probably a ploy to plant a discord between the world above and below," Aoi said melancholically.

Remi gripped her by her shoulder. "I'll get you out of this."

"Remi, you can't," Aoi shook her head. "I'm the best they got. If I quit, the entire underground will pay for it."

"I-" Before Remi could say anything further, the device on his wrist flashed an alert.

It was a beacon call.

"Fuck!" Remi clenched his fists. "Already?!"

Aoi nudged her boyfriend gently. "Chin up. You'll get to see more of me tonight."

"This discussion isn't over, mon amour," Remi warned. "Please be safe."

Aoi nodded. "I will! Safe trips, my prince charmin'!"

Remi quickly rushed to the exit door, brandishing his bō staff as he leapt up the doormat, landing on the lamppost as he used them to speed his way to the headquarters.

'What could be so important that that bird had to interrupt my zen time with my girl?!'

Well, no time to mop about this. Remi had to be quick.

In the distance, a man with glasses was seen observing the entire exchange.

Shigaraki was a bit irritated. One, he had to attend a meeting with a couple of unhinged, shady morons from a Yakuza organisation. If word got out, this would not look good on his part. Two, the fact that his master of all people advocated for this.

Brushing it aside, Shigaraki focused on addressing the elephant in the room.

Clasping his hands, he spoke to the leader who was sitting on the other end. "Chisaki Kai. I must say, your proposal to collaborate with us piqued my interest. Not that I particularly care about your petty attempts at securing some of our drugs for your own benefits. After all, it's all water under the bridge, is it not?"

Chisaki's face remained stiff as he replied, "It was not under my orders that your shipments were unfairly sabotaged. Rather, it was my elite henchmen who acted on their own and inconvenienced you, to whom I want to deeply extend my apology."

Shigaraki held the urge to snarl; he said, "As I've said, it's all in the past. Your contribution to our cause is all that matters now. You said that you might have something that could let us use our drugs in a more efficient manner?"

"Indeed," Chisaki gestured for his men to come forward.

Then, one of his men opened a compartment containing a tiny oval-shaped device inside. Chisaki grabbed the device, standing up as he said, "What you see here is a device containing your drug which we have compressed into gas form."

Shigaraki's eyes perked up in interest.

"Care for a demonstration?" Chisaki asked.

"By all means," Shigaraki nodded.

Chisaki gripped the device tightly as tiny amount of gas leaked out of the gaps. Then, much to the shock of the others in the room, Chisaki shoved the device inside of his man's nostrils.

After a few seconds, his veins began to bulge out of his skin. With every passing moment, his head started to disproportionately blob in every direction. Not long after that, his head burst out in a rain of blood, tainting the very ground they were standing on.

Shigaraki watched the scene unfold with shock, though he preferred not to express it outwardly. He cleared his throat, maintaining his composure as he said, "A remarkable demonstration. And you said you can make it so the gas can unfurl to a larger distance?"

"With enough time, fund, and resources? It will most certainly be difficult. Time-consuming. Risky. Not quite impossible," Chisaki said, wiping the bloodstains on his gloves with the towel on his shoulder. "My apologies for the mess. It seems I got ahead of myself for a moment."

"None of that," Shigaraki stood up. "I've seen enough to assess that you might be of some use to our company, but we'll postpone your acceptance."

"Why?" Chisaki raised his brow.

"There is one little problem you see," Shigaraki crossed his arms as he continued, "Some of your overtly defiant elites have decided that it was a good idea to stick their noses on a matter where they don't belong. A matter pertaining to two individuals who I've been hunting for the past two months."

"What did they do?" Chisaki inquired.

Shigaraki gritted his teeth, elaborating, "Your men blackmailed the mercenary known as 'Deadpool', causing him, along with my other subject, to lay low and disappear from our radar. I tried to get information from his mother, but his house was under the surveillance of other extremely dangerous mercenaries. I couldn't risk it."

Chisaki growled as he said, "I thought I was under the impression that the mercenary died in an unfortunate accident."

"And you were duped into believing it?" Shigaraki laughed dauntingly. "Mr. Chisaki, you should be glad that I haven't discarded you from my presence yet for your utterly frustrating inneptitude at discerning information."

"I had my suspicions," Chisaki admitted. "Who did this?"

Shigaraki's finger moved to point at a certain muscular man standing besides Chisaki. "That one."

The muscular man whose name was Rappa immediately went tense. "What?"

Chisaki's eyes tilted to meet Rappa's gaze. "You told me that he was dead."

Rappa was silent.

"You lied," Chisaki began again. "I had a good grip on that mercenary. I was about to turn him over to our side, but your jealousy got the best of you, didn't it?"

Rappa clenched his fists as he said, "What do you need him for anyway? He botched the job. He was a liability and couldn't be trusted! What does it matter anyway?! I got you your drugs, and we were accepted by Mr. Shigaraki because of my efforts alone."

"Did you miss the part," Chisaki stomped forward. "Where he said that our acceptance was post-poned? You almost put our diplomatic attempt to align our interests in jeopardy!"

"Alright! You want me to write a fucking apology letter to him?! So be it."

"No," Chisaki stopped him. "If you use that brain of yours, you would know that a direct apology from the person who blackmailed him to begin with would seem suspicious; hence, he will have more reasons to remain in hiding."

Rappa raised his brow sceptically. "What do you have in mind?"

Chisaki's lips contorted upwards eerily. "Retribution."

Before Rappa could even react, a cloud of gas entered his nostrils.

Then, everything went out in a blast.

Izuku couldn't believe his luck. His plan worked like charm! Not that Bakugo would ever admit it, but he did get them both out of that situation seamlessly. The mercenary eyed Bakugo and said, "I'm expecting a 'thank you' any minute now."

Bakugo was silent.

That was rude.

"Why the long face, peanut? I got us out of that situation. That's all that matters," Izuku fished for his reaction to no avail.

Bakugo closed his eyes as he sighed. "You know what? Fuck this. Fine. Thank you. Thank you so much for almost getting us killed."

"We can't die," Izuku added.

Bakugo yelled back, "That's besides the point, you dumb fuck!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who suggested to tag along with that weird doppelgänger of mine, was I?" Izuku spat back.

Bakugo took a deep breath, his anger subsiding as he said, "Don't pull that shit next time."

"Unless we've got no other choice. 'Sides, I took the opportunity to get rid of that asshole, so it's a plus on our part," Izuku replied.

Izuku then muttered under his breath, "A 'thank you' would've been nice, though."

Bakugo didn't seem to hear that.

Bakugo's eyes were still focused on the road as he inquired, "Why do you hate that guy anyway?"

"Lots of reasons, and lots of details that I don't feel like getting into, but long story short," Izuku opened his mask. "He was the primary reason why I look like a leech-infested beehive. At least, one of the main reasons."

Bakugo replied, "And he's the son of a dead pro-hero, you said?"

"Yep. Endeavour. Real pain in the ass when he was still alive, I'll tell ya. At least his 'successor' isn't that much of an ass despite taking the number two spot in his stead," Izuku explained.

Izuku then looked at Bakugo and asked, "You planning on getting yourself at the top of the hero billboard chart again any time soon?"

"When I get my memories back, I'll decide," Bakugo simply said.

Izuku shrugged and said, "Or you could just turn a new leaf. Start over instead of dwelling in the past."

Bakugo hissed, "That's not really a fuckin option. Even now, I'm still trying to get to the bottom of this whole 'One for All' and 'All for One' bullshit."

Izuku frowned at that. "Yeah. Right."

This guy couldn't even take the time off to just let himself go, even if it was only for a fleeting moment.

"You know, I just wish.."

Bakugo looked at Izuku, anticipating for his next words.

"That night," Izuku began. "You were there, at Weasel's bar. You were drinking yourself to death, and if I hadn't stopped you, you would've ended up on the ICU."

"Oh, that," Bakugo said, his tone softening.

"I can't really ask you this, and I know it doesn't make sense, but why didn't you...I don't know, confide in me or something?" Izuku asked. "Anything but drinking yourself to death. It's a bad coping mechanism."

Bakugo stayed silent for a few moments. Then, he said, "You're one to talk about coping mechanism, what with the stupid jokes and all."

"At least it isn't self-destructive," Izuku muttered to himself.

Bakugo retorted, "Yeah, but it's destructive to other people. For example, me."

"How?" Izuku inquired.

"By giving me an aneurysm due to how fucking annoying you are," Bakugo shot back.

Izuku held his arms up in mock-surrender. "Can't argue with you there, peanut."

Izuku let out a sigh as he leaned against the back of the car seat. "Cat's out of the bag, I guess. Now you know I'm an annoying one-trick phony."

"What the fuck do you mean by that?" Bakugo asked.

"I haven't done anything to help you in the slightest," Izuku replied. "All I've done this time is annoy you, pester you about wearing a fucking suit, and make a few innuendos at your expense."

"You said it, not me," Bakugo agreed.

Ow. Izuku knew Bakugo agreeing was warranted, but it still stung like a bitch.

Until Bakugo said something, "But if it's any consolation to you.."

Izuku's head turned to Bakugo.

"So far, you've been the only one who sticks to my side, and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world," Bakugo said earnestly.

Izuku felt his heart stir uncontrollably at the proclamation. On one hand, he was glad that Bakugo thought so profoundly of him, but on the other, it scared him. The prospect of them being so close again terrified him to no end. Izuku didn't want everything to just come to a screeching halt just because he was incompetent enough to keep something as fickle as this afloat.

Just like how it was before, when the doctor diagnosed his quirklessness.

Where everything changed.

After a few moments, Izuku found it pointless to ponder about this. They had a lot of shit to uncover.

"You good?" Bakugo cut his train of thought. "You've been dozing off for a couple of minutes now."

Izuku put his mask back on as he said, "Nothing, Kacchan, err, thanks."

"For what?"

"Nothing," Izuku shrugged.

Bakugo's eyes squinted; his brow furrowed. "You're such an oddity."

As they stopped in front of Weasel's house, Izuku stretched his hands, saying, "You might wanna clean the blood off. Weasel's known for being a bit of a germaphobic."

"You don't have to tell me twice, bub," but before Bakugo could get out of his car, he noticed something strange.

The door to the house was opened.

"Hey, you don't think that's strange?" Bakugo asked.

"Probably just Weasel. Come on, get the car inside the garage," Izuku said as he exited the car.

When all was said and done, Izuku and Bakugo entered the house through the entrance door in the garage. What they didn't expect was the sight of a familiar face sitting on the living room.

It wasn't Weasel.

"You didn't tell me this asshole was coming over?" Bakugo glared at Izuku.

"He didn't know," Sir Nighteye stood up.

Izuku rolled his eyes, saying, "Oh look, Harry Potter on wish decided to appear after ghosting me for like..four weeks now? You still haven't returned my calls, four-eyes."

Izuku glossed over the fact that four-eyes here somehow knew where he lived and his identity to boot.

Sir Nighteye's expression remained neutral. "Is that what we're calling it now? 'Ghosting'?"

"And this falls under the 'trespassing' category, dipshit. Get outta my lawn," Izuku said.

Bakugo corrected, "It's Weasel's house though."

"Shut the fuck up, peanut," Izuku hissed.

Sir Nighteye adjusted his glass as he set the cup of coffee down. "Oh, don't worry too much about it. In fact, your friend Azure was quite the polite host."

"He's home already?" Izuku asked.

Sir Nighteye nodded. "But he ran into some problems. Something about a cat going missing."

Izuku was silent for a few moments, then he groaned. "Aw, fuck! C'mon! That doppelgänger piece of shit!"

Bakugo grinned slightly. "I guess it was never meant to be."

"You're buying me a new cat after this, I swear to God!" Izuku pointed at Bakugo in an accusing way.

Bakugo's expression dropped. "How the fuck is this my fault now?"

"You orchestrated it! Somehow I can just feel that little side of you conspiring against me!" Izuku accused him again.

Clearing his throat, Sir Nighteye cut through their bickering like a slick blade. "Ahem, ahem, gentlemen. Let's focus on the matter at hand, shall we?"

Izuku then looked at him. "And you're not welcome in this establishment, sir."

"I have welcomed myself if that's the case then," Sir Nighteye said. "Now, are you going to be seated and let us discuss this properly?"

Bakugo was the first to ask, "Does this have anything to do with the drugs? Because I'm not sitting through another pointless discussion with you otherwise."

Sir Nighteye bared his disdainful eyes into Bakugo's. "Worry not, Dynamight," when he said the name, the venom lacing his voice was amplified. "we may not see eye-to-eye, but I'm willing to put aside our differences for now, so please, be seated."

Both of them did as told, although Izuku wasn't having any of this. He was too bummed about the cat. Fuck, and it was adorable too!

All of that changed when Sir Nighteye tossed two vials to the table. "Here."

Both Izuku and Bakugo's eyes were widened when they saw what the vials were labelled as.

"These are.." Bakugo muttered.

"The quirk exterminator?!" Izuku finished. "Where did you get these?"

Sir Nighteye replied, "I have my ways. Without getting too much into the gritty details, I infiltrated the underground city of Genosha with the help of the number two hero, Shoto. As it turns out, LifeForAll has been shipping them these drugs as a show of mutual relationship. These drugs are used to regulate their volatile powers from bursting out uncontrollably."

"Mutual relationship?" Izuku raised his brow.

"A few decades ago, LifeForAll arranged a construction of an underground city reserved for mutants and people with, for a lack of a better word, villainous quirks, and in return, some of their best warriors are to be handed over as their subsidiaries. You've met two of them. Muscular and the Gambit," Sir Nighteye explained.

Izuku nodded. "They've been no-show for the last couple of years, come to think of it."

"Of course, this information is not public domain. Only a few key individuals are made to be aware of this fact," Sir Nighteye added.

"Why are you telling us this?" Bakugo interrupted the whole conversation. "This information is worth jackshit to the both of us."

Sir Nighteye was quick to correct him. "On the contrary, it is quite crucial to the application of this drug to your systems."

"How is that so?" Bakugo asked curtly.

"The quirk exterminator is quite deadly. So much so that even the slightest exposure would cause your body to implode. It is why the dose has to be taken into account. But you two seem to be a special case, as it stands," Sir Nighteye leaned forward and spoke again.

Izuku raised his brow. "Um, can you be less cryptic please?"

"Mutants are highly resistant to this drug," Sir Nighteye explained. "No matter how much dose they take, they will still retain their quirk. But on the other hand, similar to strong beverages, excessive consumption will lead to a state of drunkenness."

"Aaaand how does this correlate to us?" Izuku fished.

Sir Nighteye cleared his throat as he prepared to reveal the truth. "From my assessment, what you told me about your quirks and how they work, I can simply conclude that you two are mutants."

Both Izuku and Bakugo stayed silent for a few blissful, yet tense moments. Mutants? Did that mean..

"So the drugs won't-"

Izuku was interrupted when Sir Nighteye held his hand up. "I wouldn't be hasty to come to that conclusion."

"So what is it then? Are we mutants or not?" Bakugo pressed into the matter more.

"Yes, you both are. However, there's a catch here," Sir Nighteye began to explain. "You both were made a mutant, not a naturally born one. This is especially evident by your quirks not spiralling out of control without the quirk exterminators neutralising them. "

"So there's still hope?" Izuku asked again.

Sir Nighteye shook his head. "I don't know."

Izuku's eyes twitched. "What the fuck do you mean 'you don't know'?!"

"It means," Sir Nighteye gripped the vials and pushed it to the end of the table; "you'll have to try for yourselves."

Izuku looked at the vials. "So there's no guarantee as to what will happen to us once we have that thing on our systems."

Sir Nighteye nodded. "Precisely."

Bakugo quickly snatched the vial from the table. "Where's the fucking syringe?"

Sir Nighteye put the 1 mL syringe down on the table. "The recommended dose for this drug is below 1 mL, be mindful."

"Yeah, yeah, got it four-eyes," Bakugo said curtly.

"Hold on peanut, didn't you hear what he just said?" Izuku interjected. "We have no idea what this will do to us."

"And?" Bakugo eyed the mercenary. "I'm not gonna wait any longer. I've got shit to fix, and my memories are the only thing that can give me a few pointers."

Izuku stared at Bakugo worriedly. Shit. This guy was fucking stubborn. Sighing, he said, "Alright, I'm gonna do it too anyway." he took his share of the vials. "No idea if this is gonna fix my face, but if it does, I owe you big time, Nighty."

Sir Nighteye didn't seem so opposed to that pet name. He remained silent as both of them took their share of the drug and injected it on themselves.

A few seconds passed...

Nothing happened.

Izuku was the first go speak, "I don't feel any different."

Bakugo gruffed. "Me neither."

"Maybe the effects aren't instantaneous?" Izuku asked himself, attempting to be at least a bit hopeful.

"Nope. This shit is useless," Bakugo threw the syringe at the wall, breaking it in half.

Sir Nighteye deadpanned. "That cost me 1500 yen."

"So embarrassing!" Izuku whispered to the Pomeranian.

Sir Nighteye crossed his arms. "Well, I've done my job for the day. Since you still have a great deal of dose left, remember to take it at least once a day, see if it'll do anything. Keep me appraised, especially if there's a perceived progress."

"Wait," Izuku inquired again; "aren't you going to tell us more?"

Sir Nighteye raised his brow. "I've said all the things that needed to be said. What more do you need?"

"I dunno, LifeForAll stuff and shit? You did say something about a potential world-ending threat after all," Izuku said.

Sir Nighteye shook his head. "As I have said, you two need not to meddle. You'll make things worse than it is."

"I'm hurt that you have such a little faith in us," Izuku remarked.

"You are a two-bit, dishonourable mercenary. And I've said my piece when it comes to Dynamight," Sir Nighteye's gloomy eyes landed on Bakugo. "Now if you're done pestering me about petty things like this, it is time that I bid my farewell."

And with that, Sir Nighteye was out of their sight.

Izuku's arms slumped downwards, groaning as he said, "Can't this day get any shittier? Now we're not even sure if this drug works."

"Let's just bid our time and see what will happen for the next couple of days," Bakugo suggested.

"Yeah, says the guy who broke the fucking syringe in half," Izuku bit back.

Bakugo grunted. "I'm heading to bed."

"Already? Jesus you're a fucking heavy sleeper, ain't ya?"

Before Bakugo could say anything, a loud 'thud' was heard in front of the house. It was Weasel, and he was holding a briefcase in his hands.

"And the prodigal asshole returns," Izuku remarked.

Weasel said, "I lost your cat. Sorry about that."

"Bygones be bygones," Izuku brushed him off. "I'll get a new one anyway."

Weasel then continued, "That's not all. Some fucker visited my bar and dropped off a briefcase with a note attached to it. He said it was for you."

Izuku raised his brow. "Wait, what?"

"Go see for yourself," he dropped the briefcase near the mercenary.

Izuku looked at the note.

'Dear Deadpool,

My apologies for the abrupt message. I am Chisaki Kai, your former employer. I apologise if there were any perceived mean-spirited threats directed towards you, but I assure you, they were not acting under my orders. I believe the one who threatened you was...Rappa, wasn't it? Yes. It was him. Rest assured, your problem has been dealt with, and once again, I must insist to extend my deepest apologies for any inconveniences my organisation has indirectly or directly caused you. Perhaps you could consider working for us again, if you will? Come by the bar if you're interested. Oh, and take a look inside the briefcase for me, will you?

Best regards,

Chisaki Kai'

Izuku's eyes were glued to the note, taking in every word.

"What did it say?" Bakugo asked, curious. He took a peek, and looked a bit infuriated. "Just when we got the quirk exterminator, he decided to send this? A little too late, don't ya think?"

Izuku crouched to open the briefcase, intrigued as to what kind of 'gifts' did that bird fucker decided to send his way.

He didn't expect to see the nauseating sight of Rappa's mangled corpse with every limbs neatly placed on top of each other.

Not long after that, Izuku threw up on the floor.