Izuku Midoriya rummaged around in his pocket for the keys to his apartment. He took out his carabiner and went through his keys until he found the right one then used it to turn the lock and enter his apartment. He sighed as he walked in and immediately collapsed on his sofa after removing his shoes. He felt exhausted and rather humiliated, he had cried all over a stranger, and to make matters worse said stranger happened to be the prettiest woman he had ever seen.
He put his head in his hands and groaned, "I can't believe I did that, Uraraka probably thinks I'm some kind of crybaby..." he felt sick at the sheer embarrassment of the memory "At least I'll never see her again..." The thought was supposed to cheer him up, but it just made him sad. He had liked talking to her, she had been similar to him in so many ways yet they couldn't live in worlds any further apart.
He still felt a bit giddy at meeting such a well-liked hero by sheer happenstance, it was almost surreal that someone like her could actually have a past so strikingly similar to his own. Though, he had to admit; her having a tragic backstory was actually both depressing given how cheerful and supportive of him she had been, but also funny at how well it fit into some of the old comic book stories he had been reading as of late.
He looked over to the small mountain of comic books he had in a corner of his apartment. It had become his latest hobby of late; they weren't prevalent nowadays, so he had taken to collecting them and reading them. As a quirkless individual, they held the same sort of fascination to him as they did with people before quirks. He had started going through some of the old D.C. comics as of late and greatly enjoyed the ones about Superman. Not surprising of course, given how similar Superman was to All Might.
He debated getting one to read, but decided he was too tired and wouldn't get a lot of enjoyment out of it. With a grunt, he forced himself off his sofa and tracked to his bedroom. He took off his navy-blue polo shirt and put on a comfy t-shirt instead, then changed into some baggy sweatpants that he liked to lounge in on his days off in his apartment. He didn't have visitors ever, so he never gave a thought to how he might appear to others. He got up and flopped on his bed, he would have tried to nap right then and there. If it hadn't been for the fact that the late-afternoon sun was shining directly through his window and onto his pillow. He groaned and closed his eyes against the aggravating light. Clearly, the world was telling him he wasn't going to get to sleep until the night. Then in a burst of sudden motion, he lunged forward and jumped from the bed. If he wasn't going to get to nap, then he might as well get his second wind and work out.
He had talked with his boss about what sort of work-out would be of benefit to him, and his boss had given him five exercises that he himself did. Of course, he had to cut back on them and adapt his regimen since he had only gotten older, now in his 60's. For Izuku though, it proved to be a good regimen especially when he paired it with running. He changed into a pair of shorts and put on his exercise shoes and got out his exercise gear from his closet. He had been given a regime of, 4 sets of 15 reps of Sumo Squatting, Resistance Band Rowing, Butterfly Dips, Close-Grip Pushups, and Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions. He ensured to keep a straight back at all times where possible and would often wrap up after a small break with a run on his treadmill. It was a bit simple and he added in random exercises depending on his mood or goals, but overall, he did enjoy it. So, after preparing and getting set-up, he got to work.
He would also substitute his routine with a full-body regime at least once a week to keep things even. He may not have been part of law enforcement anymore, but it just didn't feel right if he didn't at least keep somewhat to the routine he had developed years ago for his foray into the field.
By the time Izuku had finished, the sun had set quite a bit more and he knew it was time to grab something for dinner then clock out until 12 o'clock when he had to get to work. He walked into the kitchen and decided to opt for some leftover stir-fry from last night. It didn't take long to prepare and after he had finished with his meal, he was deadbeat tired. Apart from the mental strain earlier in the day, he was now physically tired as well; the sun wouldn't be in his eyes either. He walked into his bedroom and sat down on the side of the bed, he was about to worm his way into the bed when his eyes alighted on a photo of him and his mother and beside it, an old journal with All Might's autograph scrawled across both pages held open by the holder. He stared at the two objects for a while, he remembered when he had met All Might. A young kid just about to leave middle school and really start pursuing his career. He had wanted to be a hero so badly, to inspire as All Might had...
____________________________________________________________
"Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not." Said All Might.
Izuku felt as if a knife had just cut through his very soul.
"If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those Villain Custody Officers are often mocked... but, that too is admirable work!"
All Might walked past Izuku into the staircase, saying as he left "It's not wrong to dream. However... you need to be realistic, kid." and with that, All Might left the young boy alone on the rooftop.
Izuku stood there, he couldn't quite wrap his head around it all. Even All Might had said he was hopeless...
...
"But... he didn't say I was hopeless... just that being a hero was unrealistic..." the thought came to Izuku, a desperate lifeline to a dream he now believed, could never be.
He needed time to think and to process it all, so he left down the stairs All Might had retreated down. He wasn't even sure when he had started walking, but once he had started he couldn't stop. A half-hour later, he had tried to help save Bakugo but had been restrained by a hero. So, he had had to watch as All Might saved Bakugo. In the end, both meeting All Might and his inability to help his long time friend had done something to him. As if a part of him had truly and finally died...
Two hours later, he was sitting in a chair in his room just looking out at the city in the sunset, with his burned notebook resting on his right thigh.
He didn't even hear the doorbell ring; he was just too absorbed in his own thoughts. Thinking, planning, remembering, and regretting.
He did notice, however, when there was a sudden knock on his door followed by his mother's voice. The unexpected interruption to his contemplation made him jump.
"Izuku?" asked his mom cautiously. She had seen what had happened on TV and was happy he was safe, but she knew something else had happened. Something that hit him harder than even the fiercest of Bakugo's bullying behavior. It tore at her heart to see her little boy struggling and torn so much, and knowing she couldn't do anything to help.
"Uh, yeah mom?" asked Izuku in response, opening his door to see his mother wringing her hands in worry and agitation.
"There's a man here to see you, he says he knows about what you and All Might discussed on the roof..."
Izuku felt his stomach drop and also the faintest feeling of hope. It was small but big enough to nudge his natural curiosity into gear. He rushed past his mother into the living room, where he came across a rather plain-looking slightly heavyset fellow, with a striped tie and white dress shirt. He also noticed a large tan overcoat lying overtop of a nearby chair. The man had no facial hair and short black hair. Izuku could immediately tell that despite the man's rather large build, it was all toned muscle. He looked nice enough, but Izuku was sure that his man could probably subdue his entire middle school class without breaking a sweat.
"Ah, your Izuku Midoriya correct? I'm Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, All Might has sent me here to see you, it's a pleasure to meet you!" said Naomasa in a cheerful voice, standing up and extending his hand.
Izuku approached and shook the man's hand as his mother scurried into the kitchen to prepare some tea as she always did whenever she was stressed or when guests were over, or both.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too sir," said Izuku in a respectful but warry manner. Why had All Might sent this man to see him? and why did he know about his meeting with All Might on the rooftop? "Um, if you don't mind me asking. How do you know about the time I spent with All Might on the roof?" asked Izuku as he sat down on a chair facing Naomasa from the other side of the table.
"Straight to the point huh? Well first, I am required to inform you that my quirk has the ability to detect lies. Just a heads up, secondly, I know because All Might informed me himself. I am one of the very few people that know his secret you see. We have known each other since he came back to Japan after training in America." Replied Naomasa.
A quirk that could detect lies? no wonder he was a detective, a quirk like that would never work in heroics but as a detective, it would have been a godsend.
"..."
"his quirk wouldn't work in heroics, but in interrogation it's invaluable. That means he doesn't have a power type quirk then... But.... he's still connected so closely to someone as powerful as All Might..." The thought shot through Izuku like a bolt of lightning, here was a man who was in actuality no stronger than a normal quirkless human, with a quirk with a very specific skill set. The shock of meeting someone with a quirk but still being so similar to him was striking. "Perhaps what All Might said about Law Enforcement wasn't just empty words..."
The entire time it took Izuku to think of this, Naomasa simply sat and waited. Waited and watched both amused and a little disturbed as a stream of constant muttering streamed out of the boy's mouth, so softly and quickly he couldn't catch a word of it.
Eventually, though, Izuku realized what he was doing and jumped. "I- I'm sorry! I probably freaked you out or something... everyone always says I have a problem with uncontrollable muttering... haha..." he said laughing a little to try and calm his nerves as he scratched the back of his head.
It was at that moment, that his mother came back with 3 cups of tea. She placed them in front of Izuku and Naomasa and sat down beside Izuku with her own cup.
"So, Mr. Naomasa why are you here? Is Izuku in trouble?" she started saying, clearly nervous and still fretting over Izuku.
"No, I can assure you Izuku isn't in any sort of trouble. I came at the behest of All Might actually."
Naomasa then held up two fingers and continued. "Firstly, he wanted me to send you his apologies for what he said on the roof. It was insensitive of him. He would have come himself, but as you know his "condition" can lead to some nasty side-effects." Said Naomasa with an apologetic smile.
Izuku felt a bit better knowing that All Might really did regret his words, even if they had been brutally honest. But sometimes brutal honesty is what a person needs to help move on. He was pulled from his thoughts by Naomasa continuing.
"Secondly, he wanted me to offer you a deal. You can't be a hero, being quirkless means you wouldn't even manage to get an application through to even attempt the entrance exam, to begin with. This, however, is where I come in. You can't go to a school for "heroes". Said Naomasa miming air-quotes.
"But you don't have to be a literal hero, to be a true hero. He meant what he said about Law Enforcement, he wants you to consider it. He thinks your heart is in the right place, but you just haven't been guided in a way that suits your particular needs. So instead, he wanted me to offer you the chance to go to the Musutafu Police Academy." He finished with a wide bright smile.
"... huh?" Izuku wasn't sure he had heard right, surely, he hadn't just been offered a chance to become a police officer.
"Izuku Midoriya," said Naomasa standing up and extending his hand. "You can't be a hero, but you can BECOME a hero, but only if you willing to make that choice and commit yourself fully to it." Naomasa was still smiling, but a hardness had come over his face, and his eyes seemed to pierce through Izuku. A jovial smile but eyes that cut through him like a hot knife through butter, appraising him and judging him.
Izuku sat staring for only a couple of seconds before his brain clicked back into place. His face took an expression of pure determination. Yes, this was the moment that his entire life would pivot on. He reached out a hand towards Naomasa's, a hand towards what he hadn't had in many years if he was being honest. He reached out his hand and clasped Naomasa's, he grabbed hold of that hope and swore to never let go. If All Might thought he could, then he would, this was his only chance and he wasn't going to miss it for the world.
_________________________________________________________________
Izuku shook himself from his reverie. He hadn't thought of that day in a long time, not surprising that he recalled it today though. Everything about his past was so much more vivid on the day of his mother's death. He sighed and crawled into his bed, he turned off his bedside lamp and closed his eyes. He needed to sleep if he was going to work tonight, he could have skipped work of course. His boss would have understood, but it would eat at him if he let his boss work all night alone. He took off enough nights as it was. So, with a final contended sigh as the warmth of the blanket enveloped him, he drifted off into that wild wonderland of dreams.