Chapter 20: Dadtective???

Izuku woke up on the cold alley floor. It was still dark out, which didn't surprise him, he didn't think that he was gone for that long.

It was quiet…

Not a sound except for the occasional night-goer who passed the alley none the wiser of the dead kid who had resided there not two minutes ago.

Izuku didn't know what to think. He knew that heroes weren't perfect, he actually knew that better than most, but he didn't think…how could one just-

The hero commission was so careful about who they gave licenses to these days, so you'd think that something like this wouldn't-that a hero like that…

It was too much. Izuku's heart was beating a million miles a minute and his thoughts weren't far behind. He needed to get home and sleep all of this off. Maybe he'd wake up and things would go away. Maybe when he woke up, he wouldn't have to deal with the reality that Conductor was a murderer and that he was roaming the streets pretending otherwise.

Sure, Izuku wasn't actually dead, but if it was anyone else, they would still be lying in this alley with little hope of anyone finding their body. And yeah, the hero didn't mean to kill him, but the fact of the matter was that he messed up. He didn't take in the entire situation and Izuku died because of it. And then he just walked away.

That couldn't go on, Izuku wouldn't let it. The world needed people who cared about its people, not cowards who refused to take responsibility for their mistakes.

Ugh-

But first, Izuku really needed to sleep this off.

When he got home, he took assessment of the damage and found that there was a lightning scar growing from the top center of his chest. Honestly it looked really cool, but the story behind it…would haunt him forever.

No, stop it! Get some sleep. Deal with it when you wake up.

I'm sure that Eraser and Tsuki will help you handle it.

Oh…

But what if they don't? What if they just brush it under the rug? There was nothing that Izuku could do if they decided to ignore what happened, he couldn't accuse him outright without proof and what proof could he give if he was dead?

Slowly his thoughts quickened along with his breathing until he was on the verge of an attack.

Stop it Izuku! Stop it!

Eraser cares about you and you know it! He would never let someone get away with killing you.

Deep breaths…in…and out…in…and out…

Crap I'm tired-

When Izuku was particularly tired, it was harder to keep his thoughts under control and he tended to go off like this. Sleep…sleep…

He plopped down on the couch, not bothering to change or put his shirt back on, and as soon as his head hit the cushion, he was out.

"NO STOP!"

Izuku shot up with a scream. Another nightmare…at least tonight's was fresh and not the same old guilt or memories. His chest stung, a phantom pain from earlier, and Izuku rolled on his side with a groan. He really needed to get a better handle on himself.

He picked up his phone, thankful he charged it at the hospital while he was visiting Eraser, and checked the time.

Four AM-

He got back two hours ago…great. Guess he might as well go ahead to wherever he was going. There was no sense in trying to fight this if he wouldn't even get to sleep.

Izuku made his way to the station after putting back on his black hoodie that smelled like a fire now-thanks Conductor. He would have to go shopping soon anyway. When he got there, Tsuki was sitting at his desk leaning on his hand. He looked tired, but as soon as he saw Izuku he shot up.

Did the man ever sleep? If he wasn't careful he'd end up like Izuku and Eraser…

"Kid-" He met Izuku half-way and looked him over. It wouldn't surprise him if he looked a little worse for wear, he hadn't showered in a few days and was still covered in sweat from his nightmare. Not to mention his hair was still a mess from Conductor's quirk…the jerk.

"Yeah, I know I look like crap, but can-can we talk?"

The detective's eyes turned serious, and he nodded, looking around and then leading Izuku down into the station. The two of them entered in what Izuku suspected to be an interrogation room and red flags immediately went up in his head. Tsuki must've noticed because he assured him that they were alone and that all of the cameras were turned off.

"What's wrong?"

Izuku grimaced, just the thought of telling him that a hero, someone who was supposed to protect people…Ugh! It hurt his heart. He had always looked up to heroes and what they did, so the fact that something like this happened just…hurt.

"Um," He rubbed his wrist in desperate need to channel his nervous energy somehow, "So something…happened."

"Tell me what happened."

Oh, this royalyyyy sucked.

Gosh dang, Izuku really wished he was dead right now. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with this. Although, if he was, then he wouldn't be able to call Conductor out and he would go free…

No, I can do this, I have to do this.

"So, you know how I was out patrolling tonight?" The detective nodded patiently, even though this was obviously information he already knew. "Right, so I was out and as I was scanning over a few alleys I heard a fight. I went to investigate, and I saw that it was a hero who was apprehending a villain, so I tried to stay out of sight and let them do their thing."

"Which hero was it?" Oh, that was so not what Izuku wanted Tsuki to ask, but it needed to be answered…it needed to be.

He looked away, at anything but Tsukauchi's eyes that were drilling into him as he spoke. "It was um, that hero, Conductor."

This caused a look of shock to flash across the detective's expression, "Conductor? But he's a daylight hero, what was he doing patrolling this late?"

"I had the same thought, but anyway, so he finished with the villain, and he noticed me. I, true to character, tried to run, but he trapped me in the alley with him and then he started going on and on about me as a vigilante and then he tried to capture me so that he could turn me in."

"I see…well you're obviously not captured," Tsuki states the obvious, trying to be patient as he waits for the rest of the story.

Izuku clears his throat, "Heh, yeah…"

"What happened next? Did he hurt you?"

The question surprised Izuku. Why would he care if the hero hurt him? One, he was a vigilante, and two, he was literally unkillable, it didn't make sense. "Um, so anyway," He continues, ignoring the question, "He tried to capture me, but I ended up getting away and he began to chase me up to the roof of a building. And that's where he…" Izuku pauses.

Maybe he shouldn't-I mean, Izuku was a vigilante, and he was unkillable, so it wasn't like it really mattered…

"Serpentine." Tsukauchi's voice draws Izuku back, "What happened next, what did Conductor do to you?"

Without even realizing it, tears began to make their way into Izuku's eyes and down his cheeks as he stared at the detective. The detective that was friends with Eraser, who laughed with both of them and who joined in with making fun of Izuku and Eraser collectively. The detective who cared enough to stay with the hero as they searched for Izuku in public records for who knew how long before he came back.

When did Izuku get so fond over a cop?

"He…he killed me."

"He what?"

"Um," Izuku frantically broke eye contact with the detective, eager to be literally anywhere else but there. "You know what? Nevermind, it's really not that-"

Tsukauchi reached out and put his hand on Izuku's shoulder, causing him to stop trying to get up and leave. "Serpentine, please…tell me what happened."

"I-" He swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat without his knowledge, "He chased me up onto the roof and…I don't think he saw that I was at the edge, but he-he shot me with a bolt of electricity, and I-he saw me." Izuku, who had been previously staring at his hands on the table, looked up at the detective, "He saw me dying on the ground. And he left."

"Oh my god…"

Tsukauchi sat back with his hand on his mouth. It was a lot to take in, Izuku knew that. He wouldn't have even believed it if it hadn't happened to him.

"I'm sorry."

This caused the detective to snap his attention to Izuku, "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I know but-"

"No buts. You have nothing to apologize for, understand?"

Izuku just let out a breath. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to change his mind, "Yes."

"Good. It's late; I'll look a bit more into this and deal with it, you should get home and in bed. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how tired you look right now."

"Yeah…okay." Izuku stood up with Tsuki and nodded in thanks as he held the door open for him.

"And kid," He stopped in his tracks, "Thank you for coming to me with this. I know that it must've been hard, so just…thanks."

Another nod and Izuku went on his way. He did the right thing. He had to have…

Stain crept through the shadows of the building towering over him. It wasn't the plan to be tailing this specific hero, especially because he primarily patrolled during the day and Stain preferred the cover of night, but he had witnessed something last night that had caught his attention.

The hero was one that he had known about. Hadn't done much of anything but had an interesting and powerful quirk. Knew how to use it well too.

He wasn't too fond of what he had observed of the hero's attitude, but he had decided to leave it be for the time being. However, all of that had changed after what he saw.

Stain had no idea why the hero had suddenly decided to switch patrols, but when he accidentally came across him, he had been fascinated and decided to investigate from the shadows. That was when he saw the kid. Some new vigilante that everyone was talking about.

Honestly, he didn't think all that much about it. He was intrigued, but not enough yet to seek him out. Although apparently, he didn't need to. He watched as the young vigilante watched the hero take down a villain and try to leave only to be caught and pursued by the hero.

Stain decided to follow the two of them, wanting to see how this turned out. The kid wasn't half bad. He actually did a lot better than he thought he would, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit impressed.

On and on he watched the game of cat and mouse go until the two of them ended up on top of a roof. Stain easily kept his distance on the roof over, but never lost sight of them for too long. That was when he watched as the new up and coming vigilante was hit by the hero's lightning and thrown off of the building. And then he watched as the hero just walked away.

Instantly he saw red.

That was not how a hero was supposed to act! All Might would never make such an amateur mistake and then ignore it as if it had never happened.

No. No, no, no, no, no…this had to be punished. This hero had to be stopped, to be culled for his crimes.

Stain was disappointed in himself. That he hadn't simply ended the hero sooner like he was supposed to. If he had, then that kid wouldn't be dead.

There was nothing to do about it now however, except to avenge his young comrade.