Detective Midoriya

Chapter 22

Monday morning dawned, and Izuku hadn't slept a wink. Just the knowledge that he would start the next day as an actual police officer was enough to keep him staring at the ceiling, hoping it wasn't all a dream. But the dryness in his eyes was a testament to reality. The excitement would wear off one day and he would be able to sleep again. Eventually. Probably. Maybe he needed to go see Recovery Girl.

Anyway, now it was at least a socially acceptable time to be awake (barely). Hoping to take care of some of his nerves, Izuku went for an extra long run that morning. He may have looped around the Police Station a few times, but no one would be able to prove a thing. But he was back in plenty of time to shower.

At that point, Izuku couldn't resist any longer. Once the party was over, Tsukauchi had handed a uniform, which he hadn't allowed himself to try on until this very moment. Putting it on was almost a spiritual experience, carefully buttoning the freshly pressed shirt. Somehow his red sneakers even worked with the whole ensemble.

He was still an hour early when he came downstairs. Regardless, his mother was waiting with a warm breakfast. The second she saw him in his uniform, she promptly burst into tears. This led to Izuku bursting into tears as well as the two clutched one another.

"I'm so proud of you, Izuku," Inko sobbed. "You've grown up to be such a great man, and I can't believe you're already all grown up."

"I love you, Mom," Izuku said through his own tears. "Thank you for supporting me."

Inko sniffed, finally pulling away. "The food is going to get cold."

Nodding, Izuku sat down, picking up his chopsticks. It was a nice meal, relatively tearless, and as always, delicious. But soon enough they both had to leave for work, something that thrilled Izuku. Inko offered to drive him to the Police Station, but he declined. He knew he needed to have some alone time to sort out his thoughts before he got there.

As he made his way to the station, he couldn't help but recall the first time he had set foot in the place, Kimiko in tow and a madman on his tail. It had been an awakening for him - he was still able to help people, just like he'd always dreamed of. Apparently, Kimiko and Kota had a playdate next week. Sasaki had started referring to them as "the Littlest Midoriyas," and Izuku couldn't find it in him to protest.

"Excuse me, young man, just what do you think you're doing?" a stern voice demanded, cutting through the silence.

Izuku startled before turning to face the intimidating suited man. He looked familiar for some reason, but Izuku couldn't quite place him. "Can I help you, sir?"

He was a tall, daunting figure with everything from his hair to his shoelaces immaculately in place. The eyes behind his glasses were completely unimpressed as he surveyed Izuku. "This look of yours could almost be comical if it weren't illegal."

It was beginning to bother Izuku how familiar the man looked, but at the moment he was too... Well, he couldn't quite put a name to the emotions running through him. Regardless, they kept him from identifying the man.

"There must be some kind of misunderstanding, sir, I'm an officer at the nearest police station. I'm actually headed to work right now. If that's all you need, I wish you a good d-"

A thin hand snaked forward, clasping Izuku's shirt collar in an iron grasp. "This was hardly amusing at the start of your charade, but now it's a serious breach of the law. Come with me, young man, you are going to understand the gravity of your actions by the end of the day."

Fighting to get the man to let go, Izuku snapped, "I appreciate your dedication to preserving the sanctity of being a police officer, but at the very least you could let me go. I'm on my way to the police station. Here is my badge, because I am an officer."