"Izuku, Detective Tsukauchi just got here!" Inko called up the stairs.
He popped his head out the door in surprise. "Really? Why is the Detective here? I thought I was still grounded."
"He says that he needs you to fill something out at the station," Inko said. "I also need to come in case there's any parental permission issues, so put on your pants and come on."
After the incidents at the training camp, Izuku had been strictly forced to relax. All of the adults in his life had banded together, removing any and all things in his life that seemed like "work." He wasn't allowed anywhere near a police station, Valiant's training hall, or anything that could be misconstrued as analyzing a quirk.
It was torture. It had been all of three days and Izuku felt like he was going insane. He had done all of the laundry, washed all of the dishes, broken a few dishes… There just wasn't enough to occupy him, and all of his attempts to do anything else were quickly thwarted.
This meant that he jumped at the chance to go to the police station— he missed the officers and the sense of community that came with them. Even if he spent the entire time filling out paperwork— or heck, even scrubbing toilets— Izuku wasn't going to waste the chance.
Detective Tsukauchi was waiting in their living room when Izuku came spilling out of his room and down the stairs. He smiled at the sight, dipping his head. "Midoriya, you're looking eager."
"He's been a bit twitchy the past forty-eight hours," Inko confided. "I caught him chanting the various quirk classes and sub-classes to himself in his sleep."
"Mom," Izuku whined, feeling his cheeks flush. "I'm sure the detective doesn't want to hear about that, let's just go."
"Little Midoriya is right, we're on a tight schedule today," Tsukauchi said, opening the door. "After you, Mrs. Midoriya."
The drive over to the station was short, but pleasant. Tsukauchi was happy to hear about what Izuku had been doing in his free time, much of which had been dedicated to assuring Inko that the cut through his eyebrow did not need to be rebandaged or seen by a doctor again. When he wasn't washing dishes and doing laundry, that was.
He briefly noticed the unusual number of cars outside the police station, but before he could comment on them, Izuku was ushered inside. Mori was sulking at the front desk, probably taking over for Sansa after losing the last round of poker. When Izuku waved, the man simply looked away, pretending not to see him. As per usual, Mori was the pinnacle of maturity.
"We don't want to disrupt the normal flow of the station, so I'll have you take care of this in the back room. Go ahead of me, I'll be there in a moment. You as well, Mrs. Midoriya."
The mother and son made their way to the room, Izuku practically bouncing in excitement. Maybe he could get his hands on a case file or two to solve. He found himself opening the door of the dark room with a sort of reverence, nearly falling over when he was greeted with a deafening shout.
"SURPRISE!"
A light flicked on, and the sheer mass of people inside was a bit overwhelming. They were all people he knew — and they were all people he loved. All of the police officers aside from Mori were there, radios ready lest a call come in, but they were there. Mixed among them were police officers from other stations, Kimiko and her mother, a variety of pro-heroes, and a scattering of students his age. He barely registered Shinsou sliding his sunglasses over his eyes, mouthing, "Too bright." Along with the people, the room was packed with decorations, with tattered paper streamers stretching across the ceiling, along with birthday balloons, get-well-soon balloons, and even a few hero balloons.
"What's going on?" Izuku squeaked, already dangerously close to tears.
Tsukauchi wormed his way in until finally the crowd parted, allowing him to stand next to none other than Tsuragamae. The police chief was standing as straight as ever, but his mouth was turned up in as much of a smile as his physiology would allow. "Midoriya Izuku, I'm proud to announce that you are a pup no longer. As representative of Japan's police force, I welcome you as our newest official member."
Izuku made a strangled noise, which the police chief politely ignored.
"I have no doubt in my mind that you will become one of the finest police officers that this country has ever seen. You have already consistently put your life on the line to protect this nation's citizens. However, I do feel the need to remind you that it is not a requirement to get injured on every case we work with. In fact, we discourage it if possible." Tsuragamae paused to let the laughter die down before continuing, "This police station in particular holds some of the finest role models and examples to you for your future. Look to them, learn from them as you consistently change the world for the better. Midoriya Izuku, I offer my sincerest congratulations as I present to you your police badge."
As he spoke, he withdrew a badge from his coat, carefully depositing it into Izuku's hands. Izuku had held out valiantly, but at the sight and weight of the badge, Izuku promptly burst into tears joining Inko, who had been crying since everyone had yelled, "Surprise!"
Sansa looked surprised, leaning over to Tsukauchi. "I can't believe Tsuragamae made it through the only speech without any real dog puns."
"Thank you," Izuku blubbered. "I don't— I can't—"
"Just accept it and be happy, Little Midoriya," Saito said, looping an arm around his shoulders. "You've earned it, so celebrate with us. We got you a cake and everything!"
Through his tears, Izuku glanced over to the card table with food set out. On it rested a store-bought cake, still in its packaging with a discount tag clearly visible. In frosting was written, "Happy Retirement!"
Defying his physiological limits, Izuku cried even harder. "I love it. Thank you all so much, I love it."
Amongst the chaos, Ojiro slipped between people until he stood near enough Izuku to press a package of tissues into his hand. This made Inko cry harder, hugging the boy and thanking him for being in Izuku's life. The blond blushed ever so slightly, his tail wagging almost imperceptibly. "Oh, I enjoy it. Midoriya is one of my best friends, and I'm glad he's getting the recognition he deserves."
After that, Ojiro had both Midoriyas clutching him as they sobbed violently. He remained uneasily like that until Nakamura extricated him, fearful of the hero in training being drowned. Sasaki timidly asked, "Why are you crying so hard, Inko? You helped us plan this."
"I'm just so proud of my baby. I can't believe that he's so grown up!" she sobbed.
Eventually their tears did stop, and then the party was able to begin in earnest. Izuku tried to make his way through all of the guests, but there were two… complications to that plan. As he moved through the room, he was hindered by Kimiko on one leg, and Kota on the other.
"Hey Shinsou, thanks for coming," Izuku said casually.
Shinsou, still wearing his sunglasses, glanced briefly at the children. "I thought you and your mom were bright enough. I think I may die from overexposure. But seriously, congratulations Midoriya. You deserve this."
"It's cause he's the best!" Kimiko said proudly from his right leg.
"I do agree. But I should take my leave, I'll see you around, Midoriya," Shinsou said, slipping out the door.
As Izuku watched his friend leave, Valiant approached him. "We need to convince that boy to join the dojo. He's got some real potential, especially after the seeds that Eraserhead planted."
"One of these days, maybe. I know Shinsou would do well," Izuku said with a slight smile. "Thank you for coming, Master. Does this mean that I'm allowed to start coming to training again?"
"As long as you promise not to get kidnapped again," the man said sternly, only half-joking.
"I promise I will do everything in my power to avoid getting kidnapped again," Izuku said.
"That's all I ask. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go speak with Gunhead about his latest technique," Valiant said, strolling away.
"Get off of Izuku, he's my big brother!" Kimiko said, tightening her grip on his leg.
"He is not your big brother, you're just saying that. And he saved me from a scary villain, so I get to stay." Kota said stubbornly.
"He saved me first!"
Izuku leaned down as best he could. "Hey guys, I think their cutting into the cake." When they scrambled away, it almost felt like his legs were too light, and he nearly tipped over on the spot. He stumbled a few steps, righting himself just before he crashed into some distracted guests.
Oh. He was standing right in front of the Wild Wild Pussycats. It made sense that they were there, someone had to have brought Kota after all. Izuku had simply been mentally blocking out that truth, because he wasn't ready to confront the reality of the whole situation, or Ragdoll, for that matter.
The group was significantly more sedated than their normal behavior. They were more quiet, and Ragdoll in particular seemed more withdrawn and so, so tired.
He bowed low once their focus was on him. "I am so sorry. I couldn't… While I was held captive, I should have done more to help you, Ragdoll. I could have talked to them, convinced them… I could have saved your quirk, maybe. I just… I'm so sorry."
The guilt that had been gnawing at him since he'd learned of the loss of the woman's quirk was even worse now, and Izuku found that he couldn't look her in the eye - he couldn't look any of them in the eye. He'd failed them, and now Ragdoll was suffering. Part of him even considered giving the badge back to Tsuragamae, because clearly he wasn't ready for such responsibility.
"Hey, look at us, kitten," Pixie Bob said, gently raising his chin. "You did more for us than you can ever know. We don't blame you."
"We actually came to thank you," Mandalay interjected, smiling softly. "You saved a lot of people, especially Kota. You didn't just save his life, you gave him a purpose again. He won't stop talking about you, you know. One day he's determined to be a police officer just like you."
"You've got the fighting spirit," Tiger said, slapping Izuku on the back hard enough that he lurched forward a few inches. "Make good use of it."
"Will you three go get us something to eat and drink?" Ragdoll asked, her smile so frail. She stared down the other three heroes, a silent understanding passing between them before all but Ragdoll nodded and disappeared, effectively leaving Izuku and Ragdoll alone.
"I can see the apology coming, but it's not necessary. You couldn't have known that they took me as well, Midoriya. You did all that you could, just like I did. I felt the same way when I learned that they had taken you as well," Ragdoll said.
"But they took so much from you," Izuku whispered.
"Yes, my quirk is a large part of my life that I'll miss. But it's not who I am. Humans were perfectly functional before quirks appeared, and you're a living testament that they're not necessary. It's sad, but I'll just have to find a way to save people without a quirk, a lot like you have," Ragdoll said, a ghost of her former enthusiasm lighting up her face. "I know you're set on becoming a detective, but for what it's worth, you've got what it takes to be a hero, Midoriya. You've got the heart and passion, and I'm sorry that it took so long for people to realize it. The Pussycats and I will be watching you, and supporting you in whatever you may do. I know it's going to be great."
Tears burned Izuku's eyes, but somehow he was able to talk past them. "You four have also been an inspiration to me. Thank you, for being heroes that I could look up to when I needed it most."
Ragdoll sniffed, close to tears herself. "Well that's just not fair. Now I deserve a hug."
He stepped forward, shutting his eyes tight as he embraced the fragile hero. She was warm and comforting, and his heart sang with the knowledge that she supported him. He stood there for a moment, relishing the warmth until someone whined, "No fair, I want to hug the kitten too."
Izuku stepped back, cheeks burning as he watched Pixie Bob approaching. "Th-thank you all for coming, I should probably go see-"
"No way, kitten. You hugged Ragdoll, not you have to hug me. It's a rule," Pixie Bob said, reeling him in.
"We get to hug Little Midoriya now? Excellent!" an all-too-familiar voice crowed. Saito materialized, snatching the boy away from Pixie Bob and pulling him in close. Izuku's already red face blazed crimson, as the considerable height difference between him and Saito left his face smothered in her chest.
It stayed like this until Inko took pity on her son and extricated him from the police officer's grasp, giving Saito a light scolding. Izuku took the opportunity to escape and watch the party from afar for a few moments. There were a formidable number of people present, and the diversity was astounding. Kimiko was still commanding Kota to do various things while Valiant was discussing the pros and cons of certain techniques with Eraserhead, and Kondo was putting up a fairly good fight against Tiger in an arm-wrestling match.
"You know when I first met you, I thought, 'This kid is insane. Who just grabs a kidnapped child and runs from the kidnapper?'"
Izuku started before he realized that it was Detective Tsukauchi who had sidled up next to him.
"And then you kept coming back, and you kept doing insane things. Before long I knew that if we could keep you alive long enough, you would become the best detective this country has ever seen. This is your day, Midoriya. Let's go enjoy it."
Excerpts from Izuku's Analysis
Name: Mori Akito
Age:21
Height:180 cm (5'11")
Occupation: Police Officer
Physical Description:Mori is as close as one can come to looking like a delinquent while still being a police officer. He's got long black hair that he puts in a man bun unless Tsukauchi tells him to take it out, and black eyes to match. He also insists on keeping his "mustache," but Saito frequently claims that it looks like he taped a comb to his upper lip. He's on the tall side, but not comparable to the likes of Saito or Sohma, and he's more lean than muscular.
Personality: Mori is… sullen. He feels the need to be the center of attention, and the need to be the best. He can tend to treat his cases with some levity, but when the case involves children in any degree, he is a completely different officer. He can be irresponsible and a bit conceited, but I'm sure there's a side to him that I haven't seen yet - maybe one day he won't hate me anymore.
Quirk: Megaphone- Mori's quirk operates as a less powerful version of Present Mic's quirk. He can't do much in the way of directing his voice, and he doesn't have very much skill in terms of controlling or moderating his voice, but it is useful when trying to make announcements at the station or on a crime scene.
Notes: Mori graduated from the Police Academy at the top of his class, and he was put with Tsukauchi's station specifically because he has potential, but he needs to see past himself to unleash it. If we're viewing the station as a family, Mori is the sulky teenage son.
A/N: First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone that waited so patiently and respectfully for this chapter. I know it took forever, and thank you all for being fantastic readers. I got food poisoning, and as soon as I was better enough, I had to move back to college. Because of that I was always too tired to write after I got done with whatever nonsense I had to take care of during the day. But here I am, using a bunch of ideas that Kit suggested, and even a few ideas that may have been a result of my fever. So it's an experiment.
Classes start tomorrow for me. I'm excited, but also completely unprepared, so wish me luck! In that same vein, good luck to everyone that is starting school soon as well!