Izuku is back in vigilante business baby! I would definitely say Midnight will be the MVP of this chapter. Love her! Of course, we also have some more, good ol' police corruption coming up, as well as our favorite group of officers gossiping at a pizza parlor. And oooh that ending will be spicy for sure. But who doesn't love some healthy competition? I know I do.
But also major TW for child abuse from "The familiarity of this scene" to "So instead". For context, Izuku thinks back to when his dad tried to strangle him. The first part of the chapter is a bit violent too since Izuku is fighting three drunk guys (technically two) but just stay safe while you read, please!
Enjoyyyyyyy!
The Fluidity Act of 2XXX by [ REDACTED, REDACTED ]
"Due to the rising crime rates in the city of Japan, it has been decided that each station within its individual precinct has the right to open and close crime investigations as they see fit.
Of course, severity and a proper risk assessment level(1) of said crime should be taken into account when making the decision to open or close a case, but these limits and parameters are also set by the individual stations as well.
This decision can be overturned only if enough evidence is presented to deem the crime a level six(2)."
(1)Risk Assessment Level. A system put in place to rank the levels of crime that exist in Japan. Numbers 1-3 are considered low grade, 4-5 are middle level, and 6-7 are high. While all levels should be treated with caution, should a level ever reach 7, a state of lockdown is considered to be appropriate for the entire country of Japan. Curfews are suggested at levels 4 and 5, but should not be discounted if deemed appropriate even at level 3.
(2)Level Six Crime. When it comes to the Risk Assessment Level in Japan, a level six crime is considered to be the highest tier. It encompasses specific parameters that separate crime from other levels. For example, serial killers who have avoided capture for more than six months or have killed more than ten people can be placed at a level 6. Other factors also determine this level. For more information, read the Full Crime Legality Handbook and see Chapter 15*.
At first, it was hard for Izuku to go back out and forget about Aizawa's harsh words. They were in his head all day and night, while he tossed and turned in bed and as he walked to and from his house after patrolling. But towards the end of the week, Izuku finally got his groove back.
He forgot the rush it felt to take a criminal down, to hear the sound of a police siren and know he had done a good job. Izuku almost missed seeing all the familiar faces from before.
Takeyama, Nishiya, Kamihara, Tatsuma, Takami.
Today was no different as Izuku tore through the streets and rushed after a speeding sports car. Its vibrant yellow exterior stuck out like a sore thumb in the night, music bumping from the inside and vibrating across the ground. But what stuck out even more than the roar of its fiery engine was the way it was zigzagging throughout the street, knocking over trash cans and destroying the displays in front of various stores.
It was almost as if the people inside knew Izuku was chasing them and wanted to make it harder for him to stop them.
Using my strategies against me. Annoying but clever I guess, Izuku furrowed his brow as he jumped over a bench with a bunch of shattered pots on the floor. His heart ached for the owner, some old guy with a fedora who always said hello to Izuku on his way to school, but he didn't stop running to pick it up. Not yet. The car was still zooming ahead of him.
Izuku narrowed his gaze at the pattern but it was hard to figure out. If he had to guess by the whooping and hollering coming from its tinted windows, the people inside were drunk. So instead, Izuku turned on his quirk and tried to assess if he could pull the car instead of blocking its path. He had never tried to do something like that and it had been a while since he used his Pull so he was a little nervous.
For a moment it felt like he wouldn't be able to do it, but almost instantly he gained control and was able to somehow jerk the car backward without it leaving the ground and harming the people inside. With one hand he held it in place, while Izuku fumbled with his bag with the other. While the tiny knife he carried wasn't the best when it came to fighting against people, it would be sharp enough to cut through the car's tires.
Perfect, Izuku thought with a slight nod as he sent the knife towards the car and began puncturing each of the wheels, watching as they deflated before him.
By now though, the people from inside had realized something was wrong and lowered their radio. One by one they stumbled out and turned to face Izuku. The last one was the driver, who slammed the door so hard it made Izuku jump.
The greenette immediately broke the connection between himself and the car, focusing on the three guys who circled him instead.
They had to be in their mid-twenties, maybe a little younger and were clearly trashed. The driver, despite being in the middle of the pack, was stumbling over himself and bumping into the other three.
Izuku relaxed a little when he noticed that, but he still remained on high alert, attempting to assess any kinds of patterns that might make the fight easier.
The hardest enemy is the one that's unpredictable, Aizawa's words rang throughout his head. He was glad it wasn't the other stuff he had told him. Somehow that's all Izuku had managed to hear each time he took down a bad guy.
It's not realistic.
"What hell? Someone slashed m' tires," the third guy fumbled with his words, as he leaned against the back of the car and stared at it longingly. Izuku figured he had to be the youngest, his rosy cheeks glowing under the moonlight, brow slicked with sweat, and his dark brown hair stuck to his neck.
The tallest one whacked him upside the head but didn't say anything, while the one in the middle continued glaring at Izuku despite his swaying form.
"Was that kid over there," he pointed with a shaky hand. Izuku thought he saw a flash of gold around his pinky and noticed he was wearing various sets of expensive rings. All three seemed to be dressed to impress in fur coats and ridiculously oversized jackets, pointy shoes with funky pattern pants adorning their legs.
"Seriously, Kaito? I don't… I don't see no damn kids anywhere," the guy with the shaved head grumbled before taking a swig from the foggy brown bottle in his hand.
Kaito, apparently, kept glaring at Izuku who gave a little wave.
"Hello!" He called out from his side of the street where he was picking up all the plants that had fallen from the shop. "Sorry, I'll be with you in a second, I just have to—" his eyes settled on the bottle and he immediately yanked it from the guy's hand. "—there."
His eyes widened as Izuku let out a loud sigh and stood up, stretching slightly. The waves of nausea from his quirk were finally subsidizing and he felt like himself again.
"H-hey what the fuck was… was that?" The same guy asked, staring at Izuku and then at Kaito who was watching the broken bottle with a fixed stare.
"F-first you slash out tires, then you take our booze? You're gonna," Kaito hiccuped, "you're gonna regret that so hard."
Before he approached, however, the guy still leaning against the car bent over and threw up before passing out on the floor.
Izuku groaned and pulled the mask up higher on his face hoping he wouldn't be able to smell it, but the odor was inescapable as he got closer and closer to the car.
At least it was now a two against one fight.
Not that Izuku was nervous or anything.
Even when Kaito took out his knife, Izuku simply pulled it away.
The greenette was just being cautious, and while he definitely could've used anything in the surrounding area to knock both guys out, he wanted to try a little combat without relying on his quirk.
So far, Izuku had only fought Aizawa twice and both times the officer was sober. Not that he didn't expect him to be, but those lessons were fixed. Izuku knew what to expect. Aizawa wouldn't hurt him because he was his teacher.
But these guys… Izuku narrowed his gaze at Kaito who still seemed to be recovering over the loss of his knife. A fight with these guys could be interesting.
"Make me regret it," Izuku pulled down his mask a little bit to show off his grin and that seemed to do the trick.
Kaito immediately sobered up a little and charged, at the same time as his friend who after various screams and shouts, Izuku learned was named Shion.
The first swing was surprisingly fast as Izuku stepped backward and dodged it. Kaito's fist barely scraped his mask but the force was enough to make him jump back a few paces. Shion didn't hesitate to attack second, seeing an opening and stumbling forward to try and punch Izuku too, but the greenette sidestepped in time and even landed a hit of his own.
Izuku jabbed his elbow into Shion's side and used his quirk just a little to shove him to the floor. He was the bulkier of the two and would take some extra force to go down to the floor, and even then he didn't say down for long as he immediately tried to attack again after he recovered.
Left or right? Izuku's eyes followed every stumble, every change in direction that seemed to synchronize with the beating of his own heart.
Left or right? Shion didn't seem to have a specific pattern of movement but his body kept swaying so much it was hard to say which side he would attempt to strike.
Left or right? Finally, they were feet apart and Shion seemed to have chosen left. But Aizawa's words echoed throughout Izuku's head then again.
If you're not sure, wait. Even if it seems counterproductive. You can react late, but you can still react. But if they knock you out, it's over.
Izuku didn't get it at the time and found himself lying on the floor in frustration as Aizawa towered over him, a gentle smirk on his face. But now he did.
It didn't matter whether or not Shion chose left or chose right or completely obliterated that pattern and settled on a new one. Izuku had to be prepared either way.
The greenette lifted up his hands in front of his body, watching and waiting until Shion was finally close enough to hit, and sure enough, he ended up trying to uppercut him in the face, forgoing the left and right pattern altogether.
But Izuku used that to his advantage and somersaulted backward, kicking him in the face at the same time and creating more distance in between them. That seemed to rile the drunk guy up even more and for some reason, it made him all the more predictable.
People can have a one-track mind when they're angry. Remember that, Aizawa said.
Izuku nodded. Got it, thanks.
This time when Shion outstretched his hand to attack, Izuku knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it without putting himself in a vulnerable position with Kaito who had snuck up behind him. However, Shion's moves had turned sluggish and it was easy to see that he was planning on hitting Izuku's right side, so, Izuku followed the line of Shion's arm and grabbed it, twisting until the guy yelped out in pain and jumped backward away from him. Izuku managed to kick him down too, watching as his body rolled away and slammed against a light post.
Unfortunately, that left Izuku open to Kaito who wasted no time in wrapping his arm around Izuku's neck and proceeded to choke him out.
"If we can't land a hit on your annoying little ass," Kaito hissed, breath reeking of alcohol and something rotten, "then we'll just have to kill you."
Izuku would be lying if he said he didn't feel the chills running throughout his whole entire body. Not because he was particularly scared per se, but rather because he wondered if Kaito really knew what he was saying.
The familiarity of this scene wasn't something he liked to think about because truthfully, Izuku had found himself in this same position a million times before. Except the person holding onto his neck, attempting to strangle him into submission and possibly death, was his father.
He was almost transported back to the days when Izuku would get home and find Hisashi beating his mother before he would cry and try to pull them apart, only to get roped into the fight himself. And after Hisashi finished hitting him, he would hold him in the same position Izuku found himself in now and whisper evil things in his ear. Mocking him. Telling him how the last thing he would hear before he died was how much of a fuck up he was. A disappointment. That he didn't deserve to die by Hisashi's fire breath because he didn't have a quirk.
Your death will be slow and painful, Hisashi would hiss, before lifting Izuku off his feet despite the poor boy's protests. But I won't use my quirk on something useless like you. You're going to die by my hand and my hand only. It's what you deserve.
Except Hisashi never killed him.
Izuku didn't know why. The part of him that thought all people were good and deserved a chance used to think it was because deep down his father still loved him. But as he grew, Izuku knew better.
Alcohol made you do crazy things, yes, but you were always sober when you started drinking.
You could make that choice and his father had made his.
Just like Kaito.
So instead of letting the foul memory distract him, Izuku used his rage as fuel to free himself. He even imagined it was Hisashi that he was beating up in the moment.
The first thing Izuku did was ball his right hand into a fist and punch it back against the guy's family jewels, eliciting a howl from Kaito which caused his hold to loosen on Izuku. Then, the greenette proceeded to elbow him in the stomach now that there was some space in between them and grabbed onto the arm that was choking him at the same time, before twisting it behind Kaito's back. It was similar to what he had done to Shion, but this time he actually heard a crack.
Izuku's other arm remained curled underneath Kaito's neck, using it to hold him in place. But once Izuku gained the upper hand, he let go completely and kneed him in the gut.
Kaito came down to his knees immediately, groaning and clutching his stomach. Izuku barely stepped back in time to avoid getting throw up on his shoes. The smell was still horrible though and made him gag.
"You shouldn't drink and drive," Izuku said through a pant, placing his hands on his hips as he assessed the other two guys that were still writhing on the floor.
He took a step towards Kaito and turned him over with his shoe. Izuku knew it was risky, he knew Kaito could be bluffing and grab his leg, but he still did it anyway.
"You shouldn't drink at all," their eyes met and Kaito actually looked fearful. The tough-guy act from before had faded as he trembled underneath Izuku, face going ghostly white.
Izuku sighed and let him go, the sound of a siren in the background making him straighten. He stepped back into the shadows a little bit and watched as Officer Kayama and Takami stepped out of the vehicle and proceeded to arrest all three guys. They ended up having to call the ambulance because the first guy who passed out was not responding at all. His face had turned even whiter than Kaito's, and he began convulsing when Officer Takami tried to get him to stand up.
Alcohol poisoning.
Izuku wiped his brow and slowly walked away when the sounds of another patrol car and the ambulance filled the alleyway. He didn't miss Officer Kayama's eyes on him though and pretended not to notice her, too lost in his own thoughts about his dad.
He didn't even realize he was crying until he got to the playground and started eating the snacks the other officers had left for him on the swingsets like usual. Not that Izuku was hungry at all, but he needed to distract himself from his emotions. As much as he wanted to tell himself that he was okay after that, he could feel his entire body trembling and felt the ghost of Kaito's arms around his neck. But every time he closed his eyes he only saw his father holding him instead.
Izuku nearly choked on his food and bent over to throw it all up.
"Whoa! Hey, love, you alright?"
Izuku lifted up his head to see Officer Nemuri Kayama rushing over to him.
"D-did you arrest those guys?" He managed to ask before sitting up on shaky arms. Izuku was too weak to try and run away. Kayama ended up helping him out too and he didn't shrug her away, too busy trying to keep his body from passing out.
"You're fucking crazy, kid. You know that?" Kayama raised an eyebrow at him, mouth forming into her trademark smirk, the one he had seen all the time when he used to watch her battle tapes.
Izuku gave her a shy smile and finished sitting up. He quickly pulled the mask back up over his face and gently swatted her hands away signaling that he was fine. Kayama didn't protest and stepped back to give him space.
Although Izuku struggled a little he eventually straightened. "Thanks, I guess, but I should get going. It's past my bedtime," he attempted to joke, earning a laugh from Kayama who hadn't stopped beaming at him since he asked that question earlier.
But when Izuku wobbled a little bit, her smile fell.
"Are you really alright?" She asked with a frown. "Shouta would kill me if I let you go like this and you passed out in an alley or something."
"I don't think he would care," Izuku grumbled, staring down at his feet.
Truthfully, he didn't know whether Aizawa would care or not, but he couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. Now more than ever, Izuku's emotions were everywhere. He kept wanting to turn around and check to see if his dad was there, the phantom touch around his neck only growing stronger the longer he stood still.
You will not cry, Izuku told himself, crossing his arms over his chest and pinching the skin of his elbows to keep the waterworks from flowing. You will not do it. Not in front of Midnight.
"Wait, what did you just call me?" She asked suddenly, blue eyes glimmering with interest.
Izuku blinked. "Oh. Did I… did I say that out loud?" He felt his face flush red. "S-sorry. Bad habit."
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid—
"I don't think you should be apologizing for who you are, especially after that badass fight that just went down back there. Seriously kid, what the hell was that? You didn't even give any of them a chance," she grinned, but Izuku found himself frowning.
"You would've done the same thing. I'm nothing special," he mumbled.
I'm no hero.
Izuku almost jumped away when Kayama placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezed. She didn't break out the handcuffs or try to trap him though. Kayama simply looked at him with a gentle smile, something he had never seen on her face before. It was… nice and made him feel warm, a momentary distraction for the feeling around his neck.
"I have some nausea pills in my car," she said with a small head jerk towards the patrol vehicle parked on the curbside. "Want some?"
Izuku hesitated and Kayama noticed that so she let go of him immediately and stepped back.
"I promise I won't arrest you. Shouta told me about your little truce. But even then I wouldn't force you to come with me. I'm just worried, that's all," she offered another smile and Izuku found himself wanting to smile back.
Maybe she was telling the truth, or maybe she was lying, but he had recently run out of his own pills and was in desperate need of relief.
"Okay," Izuku said quietly, following her out to her car. Kayama even set the pills on the curbside so he could reach for them himself and he gave her a grateful smile when he pulled down his mask and finished the last of his water.
Kayama also gave him more liquids and even offered him a new mask. Of course, hers wasn't plain black and had sparkly purple cheetah print as the fabric design, but Izuku accepted it gratefully.
They stayed in silence for a while until Izuku finally decided to speak up. He figured he should explain the Midnight thing before she thought he was weird or something.
"Um, I kind of have nicknames for you guys."
"Hm?" She looked up, eyes sparkling again.
Izuku blushed and quickly averted his gaze. "Uh, yeah. B-back when I first started patrolling, it was hard to memorize your names so I came up with codes so it would be easier for me. Plus, if anyone ever found my journal they wouldn't be able to trace it back."
Kayama cocked her to the side a little, a curtain of hair falling over her eyes. "Why Midnight?"
Izuku had to take in a deep breath to keep from expressing all the word vomit he had been holding onto. "Well, because your hair and stuff," he said quietly.
Kayama raised an eyebrow. "My hair? You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that." But even then, Izuku could tell she was just teasing him.
Still, he continued to explain, finding it helpful that he let his mind think about something else that wasn't his abusive father trying to kill him.
"I mean it's really dark, like the night. But it's not quite black either. Sort of like a midnight blue."
Kayama flashed him a grin and winked. "As long as you can't see my roots."
Izuku found himself snickering quietly as he played with the laces on his red shoes. It was silent for a moment again before he spoke up.
This time though, he stared up at the moon and all its stars. Most of them were hidden by puffy grey clouds but it wasn't easy to find the ones that weren't. He let his eyes map out the constellations he remembered while he talked.
"But also… Midnight because you can knock anybody out with one punch. I remember the first time I saw you do that, it scared me so much I avoided your patrol route for weeks."
To his surprise, when he looked back at Kayama, her shoulders were shaking from the laughter. "Oh my god. Are you serious? And here I was, probably your biggest fan wanting to meet you."
Izuku turned to look at her and blinked. "My biggest what?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm a big fan of your work. I don't know how you do it, but I don't really care if I'm being honest. If it gets the job done, why wonder at all?"
Izuku blinked again. "Uh, because I might be dangerous? Because I could hurt you and turn on the station? Because humans fear the unknown?" The greenette wrinkled his nose when he realized who he had just quoted and shifted a little in his seat.
Kayama simply waved her hand in the air and shrugged. "I think you would've done that already. But, yeah, everyone loves you kid. Takeyama especially. She said you're like Musutafu's little hero."
"H-hero?" Izuku blinked.
"Mmm, yeah. Like that All Might dude from the manga. Except you're not buff or blonde. Or maybe you are. That bad dye job isn't really working for you, sorry," she smirked, giving Izuku a knowing look.
Izuku bit his bottom lip and looked away from her, but he couldn't help the excited, jittery feeling that was building up in his stomach again. It wasn't nausea and it wasn't fear. He couldn't help but smile either, as much as he tried to keep himself from doing it.
"Um, I have other nicknames for everybody else. Wanna hear them?"
Kayama gasped and clapped her hands excitedly. "Hell yeah. Lay 'em on me, kid. The night is still young."
And so, for the next hour and a half, Izuku spent it with Officer Kayama, showing her his notebook and blabbering about all the things he analyzed when he went out on patrols. It helped him forget about his nausea that eventually reduced to an uncomfortable sensation in his stomach, but even then Izuku couldn't feel it anymore. He wasn't shaking either and no longer thought to look over his shoulder in case his father was standing there.
Kayama was a great listener too. She laughed at all of his stupid jokes and asked a lot of questions, never really interrupting him unless he said something funny about one of her coworkers and she just had to laugh.
Izuku found that he didn't want to walk away.
"Hey, kid," Kayama said from inside the car. She slowly drove alongside Izuku as he started making his way to the other side of the street. "Give Shouta a chance, yeah?"
Izuku frowned and stiffened a little bit.
Kayama's eyes softened and she reached out to gently squeeze his shoulder again. "Trust me. I know he might seem harsh, but that just means he really cares about you. I've known him for a long time and he can pretend all he wants, but he's really just a big softie on the inside. I mean have you seen the guy's mugs? Fucking cats on every single one. With hearts, kid. With hearts."
Izuku started giggling uncontrollably as he nodded. "I know. He brought one over last time and almost freaked out on me when I tipped it over."
Kayama laughed too. "Well, there you have it. He's a brat, but he means well. Don't let him get to ya and land another punch on him for me, okay?"
Izuku blushed and nodded.
"Thank you."
Kayama smiled and let go of him. "I'm just doing my job, kid. Now keep doing yours and get home safe. Remember, don't pass out in an alley."
"I won't," Izuku grinned. He was feeling much better now.
"Good," Kayama winked and then drove off. Izuku watched her car for a little before turning and walking in the other direction. He slept with no problems that night.
—
The day was gloomy and grey. Tiny droplets of water fell on Aizawa's umbrella as he stepped out of the car, followed by Dr. Yagi who hadn't stopped yawning loudly the whole car ride to Nagoya. He seemed bent on reminding Aizawa how much sleep he had missed last night.
Ever since that first nightmare, his night terrors had only gotten worse to the point where Aizawa didn't even want to sleep anymore. Yamada had caught him taking pills to stay awake and ended up following him around everywhere so at least he got a chance to get out of the apartment even if his body was on the verge of passing out.
It didn't help that Officer Tanaka's words were like a brief slap to the face, but at least it helped wake him up.
"We're closing the investigation," she said with the fakest apologetic smile Aizawa had ever seen.
"What?" He deadpanned. He could feel Dr. Yagi tense behind him.
Officer Tanaka nodded as she made her way back to her side of the desk and sat on the windowsill. "We don't need your help anymore, so sorry to have wasted your time."
Aizawa felt his left eyebrow twitch and he resisted the urge to run a hand down his face. "So, you solved the case?" He asked. "You know who murdered Shidehara?"
Officer Tanaka pouted and gave him a little shrug. "Ah, no. Not exactly. We just don't feel like it's necessary to explore the matter any further. Or rather our top employer right now, the Shidehara family themselves, would like to keep things that way."
"But why?" Aizawa snapped.
The redhead raised an eyebrow at him, smirking at his displeasure. Aizawa hated this woman and everyone else who had ever worked in Naka. They were all creeps who got off on exploiting others, but to stop the investigation all together? That was simply crossing the line.
"That is private information, Assistant Commissioner Aizawa," she hopped off the ledge then and slowly made her way towards him. "But I'd be more than willing to tell you…" Tanaka leaned in a little before curling her fingers around his tie, "for a price."
Aizawa did his best not to react and simply stepped back, but it was hard when the muscles in his face were twitching so badly. He settled on a frown and planted his feet firmly on the floor. Dr. Yagi cleared his throat behind him as if to signal to Tanaka that he was still present in the room but the woman didn't seem to care. She continued to circle Aizawa, staring up and down his frame before she had decided whatever she was trying to do to intimidate him was enough and went back to her spot by the window.
"You mean you're just going to let the killer get away with it?" Aizawa asked after calming down a little.
Officer Tanaka simply shrugged again and began checking her nails. "Their intentions were clear from the start. They wanted to cause a scene and scare people but we won't let them win."
"What if they do it again?"
Yet another shrug, this one followed by an exaggerated sigh that made Aizawa's blood boil.
"Then that specific station can do as they please," and then she smiled and all hell broke loose.
"Are you fucking serious right now?" Aizawa hissed, stepping forward. Dr. Yagi had to hold him back, and as much as Aizawa hated that he was with him right now, he was suddenly grateful the man had stopped him.
Tanaka's eyes glimmered with mischief and amusement. A coy smile settled on her lips as she leaned forward and purred into Aizawa's face.
"Hmm, quite."
"We have the best damn forensic doctor in all of Japan. If you just let him access the samples—"
Tanaka rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you do, but we have no reason to believe this was anything more than a crime specifically targeted against Officer Shidehara. He had many enemies, you see."
"The message wasn't clear enough for you?" Aizawa asked with a raised brow.
"You can say Shidehara was the… stain in our precinct, yes. You're right about that," she nodded and then smirked at him again. "But so what? Worried there's a stain in yours?"
Aizawa's nostrils flared but he didn't say anything else and simply fixed his tie. Then, he turned towards the door and gestured for the blonde to follow. "Dr. Yagi, let's go."
Tanaka snickered.
"Lovely to see you again, Assistant Commissioner. We should catch up soon," she called out before Aizawa could slam the door.
—
"And then we walked out," Dr. Yagi finished with a sigh as he slumped back in his seat after telling them what had happened at Naka Station.
Kayama rubbed her hands together and growled. "Oooh wish I could've been there. I'd have put that bitch in her place."
"Nemuri," Tsukauchi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. His eyes flickered over to the children who were sitting in the booth behind them. Their mothers shot them an annoyed look and Tsukauchi gave them an apologetic smile.
"What?" Kayama frowned, as she reached for another pizza slice. "I can't believe she still keeps trying to flirt with Shouta even if she knows he's with Yamada. Aren't you pissed?" She turned towards Aizawa who had been extremely quiet ever since he arrived with Yagi earlier.
Tsukauchi watched him worriedly. Knowing him, the officer was probably blaming himself for something that was out of his control. He felt guilty no doubt and frustrated that he couldn't do more.
Everyone felt that way, really, even though it had been one month since the murder had happened. Although Tsukauchi knew Aizawa was taking it harder than anybody else because that's just the kind of person he was. He was always trying to save people even if he claimed he didn't care or was only 'doing his job'.
But to Tsukauchi's surprise, Aizawa spoke up immediately and even addressed him. "Look, that should be the least of our concerns. What do you think we should do, Tsukauchi? About the investigation?"
He almost felt bad about his answer, knowing it would do nothing to quell the fire behind Aizawa's gaze.
"We can't do much, unfortunately. Not yet at least. Like it says in the handbook, we could try an appeal but that would take months. They're really backed up right now, I just talked to a buddy in Tokyo. Seems like they have a killer on their hands too," Tsukauchi explained, wiping his greasy fingers on a napkin.
The table was silent after that until Kayama grumbled something under her breath that wasn't as quiet as she probably believed.
"When did the world get so fucked up?"
"Nemuri, please. There are children in the booth behind us," Dr. Yagi reminded her, a slightly panicked expression overtaking his gaunt facial features as the two women glared at them again. The kids however began to giggle, shooting Kayama curious glances every now and then.
Tsukauchi didn't miss the wink she directed at them while she took a sip of her beer.
"Fine, okay," she said with an eye roll.
"We should talk about something else," Dr. Yagi said with an attempt at a smile. Tsukauchi gave him a grateful look and nodded along.
"Yes," he agreed. "That sounds like a great idea."
"Okay, like what?" Aizawa asked through a grumble. He hadn't even touched his pizza and the detective knew for a fact that he had not eaten anything since their morning shift.
Kayama gasped suddenly as she turned towards Aizawa. "Oh! I know. Let's talk about your kid."
"I don't have any children," Aizawa said quickly, but Tsukauchi could tell he knew exactly what she was referring to, or rather who.
"Aw, come on. Yes, you do," she whined, shaking his arm a little. "He's like your little mini-me. I saw him running around yesterday. Super cute. He helped me catch a drunk driver that was zooming through the streets and then we had some sake."
"Officer Nemuri Kayama," Aizawa shot her a venomous glare at which she gave him an eye roll and shoved a piece of bread in his mouth.
"I'm joking! Jesus Christ, Shouta. Chill out for a bit, won't you? And eat something too, damn, your stomach sounds horrendous."
Tsukauchi snickered quietly until Aizawa shot him a glare, but he couldn't help but smile when the officer started eating.
"Actually, I'm quite curious too," Dr. Yagi nodded. "Have you figured out anything about the boy?"
"Yeah, Shou," Tsukauchi grinned, "how's your "convince him not to be a vigilante plan" going? Hm?"
"Good," Aizawa snapped, one hiss away from turning into a feral cat himself. "You don't need to worry about him or me."
Kayama hummed quietly. "You're totally attached aren't you?"
"No, I am not."
"Then what's taking so long?" she asked, the sides of her mouth twitching. Tsukauchi had to avert his gaze to keep from laughing along. Dr. Yagi seemed to be doing the same thing, hiding his face by holding the pizza in front of his mouth. "Is he a part of a freaking gang or not?"
Aizawa wrinkled his nose but didn't yell at her this time. "I don't think so. He also has a family. Slipped up once and told me about his mother."
"Anything else?" she asked, leaning into his space and batting her eyelashes innocently.
"Brings him coffee," Tsukauchi said, unable to keep quiet.
Kayama gasped and placed a hand over her heart. "Oh my god. That's so adorable."
"Tsukauchi," Aizawa growled quietly, meeting his gaze and leering at him.
"Wait, seriously?" Dr. Yagi asked through a laugh that seemed to shake the whole table. "I don't think you've ever accepted coffee from any of us, Shouta."
Aizawa rolled his eyes and pushed the now half-empty plate away from him. "I felt bad. Kid was worried about you all. It was gross," he shrugged, but Tsukauchi noticed he wasn't looking at any of them anymore and his jaw was set, the same thing he did whenever he was lying. And Aizawa hardly lied so it was easy to spot him doing it.
"You said it was a godsend and proceeded to insult the cup I brought you this morning," Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow at him only for Aizawa to snap back.
"Do you want to lose your job? Because I have no problem firing you right now."
Tsukauchi sighed and leaned back in his seat. An empty threat, of course, but he decided not to say anything else.
Kayama didn't seem to care all that much that they were pushing Aizawa's buttons though as she continued talking. The beer probably wasn't helping either.
"Aw, how sweet! So that's what it was," she hummed, happily taking Aizawa's other slice in her hands.
"What was?" The sleep-deprived officer frowned.
"Aizawa Jr. asked me a lot of questions during my patrol."
Tsukauchi was so very glad he hadn't been drinking anything when Kayama said that. Dr. Yagi wasn't so lucky and he ended up spitting his drink out all over the table.
"Aizawa Jr.?" Aizawa blinked slowly.
"He kept writing stuff in his little notebook too. Did you guys know he has nicknames for all of us? Like Takeyama is Mt. Lady, Nishiya is Kamui Woods, and I'm Midnight. How sexy is that? Could be my stripper name or something," Kayama tossed her hair back and winked.
"Never say that again," Aizawa said in a dangerously low tone but Kayama kept going.
"I mean how the heck did he even come up with those? Super creative and his drawings are so good, my god. He keeps tabs on us in his notebook. Apparently, he can tell when we're nervous or upset too. Says it affects our performance."
Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, he's an analyst too? Okay, now I'm curious. What the heck, Shouta? You've been hiding a detective under your arm for this long? No fair," he gave him a playful kick from under the table but Aizawa ignored him and continued glaring at the salt and pepper shakers.
"He's not a detective. And he's not a vigilante. He. Is. A. Child."
"Okay, but you have to admit," Kayama said with a smirk, "he can kick some ass. What the hell have you been teaching him anyway? Sounds pretty counterproductive if you ask me."
And then Aizawa did something that surprised them all.
He blushed.
"Ugh— he just, he just doesn't know when to quit. No matter how harsh I am towards him," the officer shook his head, sinking lower into the seat and pulling up the collar of his shirt around his neck.
Tsukauchi had never seen Aizawa like this. The only other person who got him this flustered was Hisashi Midoriya whenever he randomly complimented him after he helped solve a case.
"Well if he's survived Dadzawa's harsh parenting I think he can take on anything," Kayama grinned, patting Aizawa on the back.
But apparently, that was his final straw. Aizawa shot up from his seat and wouldn't look at them while he gathered his things. "You know what, call me if anything comes up about the appeal. If you still have your jobs tomorrow," he gave Tsukauchi one final glare as if he was disappointed in him and then stomped off.
"Oh, boo you whore," Kayama called after him before chugging down the last of her drink.
Tsukauchi pinched the bridge of his nose and apologized profusely when the two women from earlier stomped after Aizawa, shooting them dirty looks while they passed. Guess they had had enough of their shenanigans too.
Children. I'm surrounded by children and Shouta is the worst one, Tsukauchi sighed. He ended up ordering a beer too. God knows he needed it.
"You know I didn't want to bring this up earlier but Aizawa actually complimented me today," Dr. Yagi said after a brief pause.
"No fucking way," Kayama gasped.
"He said I was the best forensic doctor in all of Japan," the blonde sniffled and Tsukauchi patted his shoulder. "I nearly cried."
Kayama shook her head.
"I've never seen Aizawa like this. That kid is a hero."
Indeed he was.
—
Izuku returned to school the next day feeling more confident than he had been in a while. That was until he found out that Bakugou had finished yet another project without consulting him about it and his mood soured.
Bakugou still wasn't talking to him. Not even when they were assigned to work on an assignment together during class. Or when they had to be on the same team in PE to pass each other the ball (which resulted in Izuku getting smacked in the face whenever he forgot to activate his quirk). Not even when Bakugou handed out papers back to help the teacher. He just skipped over Izuku's name like he didn't exist.
And Izuku tried his hardest to make things right. He really, really did. Like asking Bakugou about the vacation he took in the summer or the catalog stuff he was working on with Jeanist, but every time he opened his mouth, the blonde would simply look the other way and continue to do his work.
It didn't get any better throughout the week either. Or the next one. Or the one after that. And soon it was almost October and Izuku was extremely frustrated with him.
"What the heck, Kacchan?" Izuku frowned, walking over to his desk and waving their assignment in his face. "Why'd you do everything yourself? It's called a group project for a reason."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know we were telling each other stuff now," Bakugou grumbled without looking up.
Izuku puffed out a breath of air and wrinkled his nose. "Come on, Kacchan. This is school-related, it's different."
"How?" the blonde asked, finally meeting his gaze.
Izuku faltered and looked away. "It just is… okay?" he let out a frustrated huff.
Bakugou rolled his eyes and started packing up his things. "Hm. Thought so. Like you'd ever tell me shit. So much for being friends, right?"
But instead of letting him go like he usually did, Izuku followed him out.
"Ugh, but we are!" he called out, sidestepping and using a similar tactic from last night to get Bakugou to stop moving.
The blonde paused for a moment, something like surprise flashing across his face. It quickly faded though as he shoved his hands into his pockets and glared.
"Then fucking prove it, Izuku. Because for a long time it hasn't felt that way." His words were soft somehow though and Izuku could tell how hurt he was. Even though he had been hesitant in being friends with Bakugou again, he had to admit, the time they spent together made him feel good. Like he had someone by his side who he could trust. It was all four-year-old Izuku would have wanted and in this world, he had a chance to do just that.
The last thing Izuku wanted to do was mess it up, even if he was still hesitant about telling him a lot of things.
"You're the one that stopped talking to me," Izuku mumbled after a while.
Bakugou sighed and clicked his tongue. "Look, I'll admit I overreacted a little."
"A little?" Izuku raised an eyebrow at him.
Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Fine. A fucking lot, jeez. So… so I'm sorry, okay? Is that what you want me to say? Cuz I'll say it. A million times if I have to. But I only acted like that 'cuz I care. And I'm not gonna stand down until you tell me what's up. So this doesn't change anything, Deku. Just means you get your stupid apology. Especially now with all of this purging bullshit going on everywhere. The world's a fucking mess. The least you could do is be transparent."
"Oh, please. You think I'm the killer?" Izuku asked, an incredulous look on his face.
Bakugou snorted. "The fuck? Your weak ass? Can't even kill a fly."
"Weak?" Izuku felt the side of his mouth twitch. "Maybe before."
"Before? Like anything has changed. You're still beneath me, nerd. Couldn't even beat me in a one-on-one fight," Bakugou sneered, but Izuku could tell he was trying hard not to smile.
"Huh. Wanna bet?"
Bakugou blinked and stepped back.
"Ha? When'd you get so bold?"
Izuku shrugged.
"I dunno. We haven't talked in like a month, wonder why."
Bakugou frowned again.
"I said I was sorry," he grumbled quietly.
"You also said you'd say it again and again and—"
"Okay, okay. Shut up already," Bakugou reached over and playfully shoved at Izuku's arm. Izuku swallowed his fears and shoved him back. That same surprise appeared in Bakugou's face again as he let out a confused laugh. "You know what, maybe I didn't miss your nerdy ass that much. Saved me lots of headaches too."
Izuku, though, couldn't help but grin. "Mhm. Sure, Kacchan. Sure. But yeah, let's do it. Let's make a bet."
Bakugou took his hands out of his pockets and raised them up in the air. "Alright, fine. What're your shitty terms and conditions, nerd? Let's hear 'em. See if this is worth my time or I should just ignore you again."
Izuku took a deep breath. He had been thinking about this for a while now but he didn't know how to go about it exactly. Getting Bakugou to agree on something would be hard, but his weakness had always been his best trait.
Power.
Bakugou had a desperate desire to prove himself. He was the same, in that way, to the Bakugou Izuku had grown up with. But this one was more mellowed out. He was agreeable too and gave Izuku tons of chances to explain himself. Even now, it was obvious he wanted to make amends but had been too prideful to seek Izuku out first.
Now all Izuku needed to do was find something that Bakugou wouldn't be able to resist.
And if there's anything that Katsuki Bakugou liked more than being powerful, was winning and being powerful at the same time.
"I'll tell you what's been going on with me," Izuku said slowly. "The whole nine yards. I'll tell you everything. If—" he stopped and raised a finger. Bakugou followed him with his eyes.
"If?" the blonde asked.
"—you can beat me in a fight," Izuku finished with a smirk.
Izuku expected him to throw his head back and laugh, but Bakugou merely smirked back, as if accepting the challenge. He didn't ridicule Izuku or tell him how much he sucked, he simply cracked his neck, followed by his knuckles.
"Oh, your ass is going down."
And six months ago, Izuku would've run away screaming if he saw him say or do those things. But as he faced his friend, Izuku's feet remained firmly pressed against the ground and he gave a small shrug, cracking his own knuckles too. He reveled in the surprise that for the third time that day flashed through Bakugou's gaze.
I wouldn't be too sure about that, Kacchan, Izuku grinned but he stayed quiet. A part of him was just glad they were talking again.
*gasp* Izuku just challenged Bakugou?! CAN YOU TELL OUR BABY IS EVOLVING?! Can't believe it's been six months… oooh we are getting closer and closer to the end of the arc I can't believe it. That means we can finally go to U.A. GOD I'm excited. But some other stuff still has to happen first, duh.
ALSO, THIS IS REALLY RANDOM BUT THE FUNNIEST THING HAPPENED. I WAS WRITING OUT THE PIZZA SCENE ON MY PHONE AND KAMUI AUTOCORRECTED TO MFING KANYE. SO KAMUI WOODS IS NOW KANYE WOODS AND I CANNOT UNSEE IT BAHAHAHAHA.
Anywayyyyy I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Small breather before we get to more angst again obviously cuz I'm not a monster. Not this early on in the story, at least ;) I'll also be adding in more information about the legal logistics of this world. Keep in mind though that I'm not an expert on laws or crime stuff, so don't sue me, ha!
To answer some questions that came up in the reviews...
Will Eri be in the story? Yes! I have big plans for her arc :D
All other stuff will be revealed in time, thanks for the support!
OKAY IM DONE. BYEEEEEE DON'T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR WATER, TAKE YOUR VITAMINS, AND ENJOY YOUR DAY.
✩ Next update: 7/31 ✩
