Chapter Text
The low buzz of fluorescent lights and the repeated clicking of a fountain pen were the only audible sounds in the otherwise silent room.
The space was small with only a table and three chairs to fill the room. In one chair sat a rugged man with messy black hair reaching past his shoulders. Shouta Aizawa, Chief Inspector of the local police station. Sitting across from him, with a very comfortable sense of ease, was a young blond. Denki Kaminari. After several minutes of inactivity, a monotone voice finally broke the silence.
“Okay, listen, kid. I’m not in the mood to have to deal with any bullshit today, so just tell us what we need to know so we can all get out of here.”
The blond let out a soft chuckle before offering a sarcastic salute. “Aye aye, Cap’n!”
Aizawa closed his eyes for a moment, letting out an almost-inaudible, long-suffering sigh.
The boy smiled contently as he rocked his chair back and kicked his feet up onto the table. “So who’s your partner today? Oooo, I hope it’s Officer Kayama. This interrogation could use some eye candy.”
The older man’s tired eyes snapped to meet Denki’s with a threatening glare.
“Ah, no offense, Chief,” the boy assured, “you’re an attractive guy and all; I just know that you and Officer Yamada—“
“Stop,” Aizawa commanded. “Nemuri is off today. Hizashi is on patrol.”
Denki sighed in disappointment as he put his feet back on the ground and rested his chin on his hand. “So, who is it then?”
Aizawa’s only response was a subtle smirk before he stood and walked over to the room’s entrance. Leaning against the wall, he gave his knuckles a solid rap against the threshold.
After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a lanky, purple-haired boy who, as well as Denki could discern, was about the same age as him. The blond was taken aback for a moment as he watched the unfamiliar face come into view. Then it hit him, a grin spreading from ear-to-ear. A newbie.
“Denki, this is our newest recruit, Officer Shinsou.”
The tired-looking new recruit, Officer Shinsou, nodded and took a seat at the table. Aizawa calmly closed the door and re-took his seat across from Denki.
There was a sense of smugness about the older officer. Denki could sense it. Did Aizawa really have that kind of faith in this new kid? Well, if he did, the blond was ready to toy with that faith at every possible moment.
As Aizawa and Shinsou began to rifle through their files, Denki decided that now was as good a time as any to start.
“Glad to see that my request for eye candy was honored,” the boy stated as he sat back casually in his chair.
There was a brief pause in Shinsou’s actions, just a moment of hesitation, accompanied by a look of minor shock, before he continued with the task at hand. Most people might not have noticed. But Denki could read a social cue like an editor reads a book. After perusing the file, plum eyes finally lifted to meet burnished gold.
“Mr. Kaminari—“
“Denki, please.” Denki smirked.
The officer sighed. “Okay, Denki. How about you start by telling me why you’re here.”
Denki quirked an eyebrow. “Isn’t that why you have a file? Or were you just staring at my mugshot?”
Shinsou blinked in recoil, and Aizawa pursed his lips.
“We have to cross-reference the information that we have on file.”
The blond nodded, placing a finger on his chin in contemplation. “Oooohhhhh, right right right.”
He continued to nod, gradually—slowly—coming to a stop, as he stared into Shinsou’s eyes.
“Why are you clenching your jaw, Officer Shinsou?” Denki asked, tilting his head to the side.
The young officer bit his tongue, then sighed. “Why are you here?”
Denki squinted at the man. He wasn’t as calm as Aizawa, but he was pretty good. Denki hummed.
“I like this one ‘Zawa. He’s a solid recruit. Reminds me of you a bit. A good bit calmer than a lot of the other officers. You’re still the chillest though.”
Aizawa let out a single, small chuckle.
“Anyway.” Denki started, sitting up straight in his chair. “I’m here today because I didn’t have enough money to pay for the items I was hoping to purchase at a store.”
“A jeweler called us because he caught you with thousands of dollars worth of gems in your pockets,” Aizawa corrected.
Denki shrugged. “Right. Which I didn’t have the money for.”
Shaking his head at the man’s antics, Shinsou continued, he rubbed a temple, “Why were you stealing diamonds?”
“Oh, it wasn’t just diamonds,” Denki corrected, “there were emeralds and sapphires and tourmalines and pearls and—“
“Why were you stealing various precious minerals?” Shinsou corrected, trying not to grit his teeth in frustration.
“Pearls aren’t technically minerals, actually, because they contain organic material,” Denki corrected again.
Shinsou facepalmed as Aizawa let out an impressed ‘hm.’
The purple-haired officer turned to his elder. “Hm? That’s what you have to contribute to this?”
Aizawa raised his eyebrows at the boy before turning back. “Denki, I do believe that’s the most intelligent thing I’ve ever heard you say. And I’ve heard you say a lot.”
The thief shrugged. “Couldn’t have told you any other day. I’m surprised I even managed to say the right words today. Mr. Horikoshi was talking to someone in the store about pearls.”
“And who is Mr. Horikoshi?” Shinsou interjected.
An exasperated sigh escaped Denki’s lips as he rolled his eyes. “The jeweler. Did you even look at your report? Like… at all? I take it back, Cap. He’s slipping. You would never enter an interrogation without reading the report first. Super unprofessional. Can’t complete Step One… Actually? That’s not even Step One. That comes before Step One. That’s like… Step 0.5. And he really won’t be able to keep up if he can’t even pass Step—”
SLAM.
Denki flinched away from the noise as Shinsou stood abruptly, slamming his hands on the table.
Silence dragged on for a few moments before it was broken by the exasperated officer.
“Cross-. Examination.”
“Oh, shit. Right. I forgot,” Denki offered a bit sheepishly
The officer turned around so quickly, Denki wasn’t sure how he didn’t give himself whiplash, and in a flash, he was out the door.
“Hitoshi!” Aizawa called after him, but the younger man was already gone.
In the true style of a gentile femininity, Denki placed a hand on his chest, his mouth agape in awe. “Oooo… Hitoshi? I love that.”
Aizawa rolled his eyes as he stood and sighed. “Congrats, Denki. Ya got him.”
The blond leaned back in his chair again, making two finger guns and clicking his tongue twice.
“Give me just a minute. We’ll be back,” Aizawa stated, giving the man a hard look as he made his way out of the room.
Denki called after the chief, getting louder as he left, “Tell Hitoshi I said to hurry back. I promise to play nice if he comes back! I miss his gorgeous violet eyes!”
The door clicked shut just after the word ‘eyes.’ The blond hope that not only had Aizawa heard him, but the younger officer too. Hitoshi.
Denki smiled as he sat back in his chair again, stretching his arms behind his head, supremely content with himself.