Thawed Hearts

Chapter 16

February 18, 2020. Midoriya will remember this date for the rest of his life.

He woke up to the ringing of a phone in the apartment, but when he checked his phone there was nothing happening. That house phone was barely used unless there was some fancy business deal going on which made the so groggy Midoriya roll out of bed. The continuous ringing made him aware that he was the only one at All Might's apartment, so he had no choice but to drag himself over and answer it. By the time of answering, the ring had went off so many times that it gave him a pounding headache, and that Izuku did not appreciate.

"Hello?" He sleepily answered, glancing out of the big window on the opposite wall. It was snowing heavily; there were warnings everywhere for slippery roads and dangerous weather conditions. All Might was supposed to have gone out to a conference; hopefully he decided to just go to the office instead. Driving in New York City is dangerous as it is without all these hazardous conditions.

"Is this the residence of Yagi Toshinori?" An unfamiliar voice came through the line. Maybe it was just because he was overtired, but Midoriya was confused more than anything else; almost no one referred to him with his real name, the only one who did with Aizawa. This was definitely not Aizawa's voice, unless he suddenly became a woman.

"Yes it is, may I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"My name is Kaoruko. Are you Toshinori's son?"

"No, I don't think he has kids, I work with him. I live here in his apartment. Is something wrong?"

The words that came next almost made Izuku drop the phone. "I'm calling from Nighteye Memorial Hospital. There's been a horrible accident, do you know of any family members we can notify? He's in really bad shape."

He couldn't believe his ears. No; this can't be. He was just in the living room saying goodnight before Midoriya went to bed, his typical grin on his face. Leaning against the wall, Midoriya was attempting to stabilize himself. This immediate news made him so light headed, he didn't quite know how to respond. "Sir?" Came the voice from the phone again. The poor woman on the phone, she must have thought he hung up. "Are you still there, sir?"

"I don't think he has anyone left." Midoriya responded, his voice wavering.

All Might never mentioned any family; he just was alone all the time. That must have been lonely, with no connection with family, and the only person that ever cared about him dead. He wasn't alone at the company, but what about when he was home before Midoriya showed up? And now there he was, alone, in a hospital bed supposedly in pretty critical condition. Izuku couldn't bear the thought of someone else, especially his idol potentially suffering alone. It wasn't right that something even happened to him in the first place.

"I-I mean I don't think he has any family left. But I've been living with him for a long time and I... I would like to be there with him please." He sighed. "Please let me sit with him. My name is Izuku Midoriya. He's been like a father to me I just... Please..."

There was a small moment of silence before Kaoruko spoke again, her voice gentle. "Let me put you on hold, Mr. Midoriya. I'll see if that's alright."

Some music came on from the other side. Stumbling to the couch, Izuku reached for the remote. Surely this must be fake right? A horrible nightmare, one that he definitely wanted to be out of right now. Frantically hitting the button, he was not prepared for the screen to display the worst news imaginable. A truck had slid head on into a car stopped at a stoplight, and the person in the car was in a critical state. That person in the car was announced to be known as the comic writer known as All Might. At that moment it felt like Midoriya got hit by that truck; that's how it felt when the news knocked him back to the realization that this indeed was reality. A sinking feeling occurred in his chest. This couldn't be happening.