Chapter 25.5 – Worry of a Father
«Midoriya-san, on the phone.»
Hisashi Midoriya raised his head from the computer and looked at the person who had told him that someone was looking for him on the phone.
«Pass it to me.» he said
It wasn't long before the company phone on his desk rang, and after just two rings, he picked up the handset.
«Hello, here XXXXXXX. Midoriya speaks. How can I-»
«Hisashi.»
«Inko?! Is everything okay?» he called her in a worried tone of voice.
Inko Midoriya, his wife. A kind, loving woman and an exemplary mother, and therefore, fragile. Their son, Izuku, was reported missing 10 years ago, and when he learned of this, he did everything he could to ask for a transfer so he could be close to her, even going so far as to use… extreme methods. And he thanks heaven every time for having succeeded, for if he had not been near her, his wife would probably no longer be among the living.
He would have liked to stay by her side until Izuku returned, if they ever found him, and even after that. But his trip to Japan lasted only 9 years. The company no longer wanted to indulge his "whims," if you can call the concerns of a husband devoted to his family that. Of course, he never said it out loud, but more than once, he felt the need to throw every kind of colourful word in his vocabulary at them.
But even though he was reluctant to leave his wife alone, he had noticed that, suddenly, her depression over their son's disappearance had… turned into patient waiting. The Bakugou couple, especially Mitsuki, have always been close to her, so he wouldn't have to worry; however, whenever he could, he called her, praying that the call would connect and that he could hear her voice.
But today the call was truly a surprise: Inko never called him first.
«Yes. Everything is all right.» Inko's voice was cheerful and sobbing. «Something wonderful happened. Izuku. Izuku has returned home.» she communicated now in tears
«Is Izuku back home?!» he asked, sprinting to his feet and attracting the attention of everyone present «Are you sure? You're not imagining it, are you?»
«I didn't get to that point. He's truly back, changed, but back.»
«Changed?» he asked worriedly
«Aside from the fact that 10 years have passed, it's complicated for him…» Inko began, clearly unable to find the right words «In fact, I'll pass him on to you now, because he was the one who asked me to call you.»
Hisashi's heart leapt into his throat, unsure of what to expect. Before his disappearance, he often spoke to Izuku on the phone and, thanks to Inko's photos, saw how much Izuku was beginning to resemble his mother. He was only sorry that he had gotten hair and freckles from him, but it didn't matter. A few seconds of pause followed, during which he heard someone passing the phone's handset in the background.
«…Hello, Dad?»
It was the voice of a grown man: deep, composed, calm. A stranger would immediately think of an intruder, someone posing as his son. But he had listened to his son's voice many times and, from the timbre, had noticed a certain similarity. Also, how could he call himself his father if he doesn't even recognise the voice of Izuku?
«Izuku… how… what...» he stammered on the phone, not knowing what to say at that juncture
«I feel like you have a lot of questions for me, Dad.» Izuku said, chuckling «And I have a lot to tell you. But I guess you're at work. The reason I asked Mom to call you is just to say thank you.»
«Thank you?» he asked incredulously «I couldn't do anything. You don't know how hard these 10 years have been for me and, especially, for your mother.»
«Mom told me everything, even that you almost set fire to the office to get the transfer to Japan.» Izuku said with a chuckle, causing his father a slight embarrassment «But you were close to her, and for that I thank you: for making sure I saw my mother again.»
«…I am her husband and above all, I am your father, Izuku.» he said, recovering «You also know that when I agreed to work abroad, I did it for you and Inko. You are the most important thing to me.»
«And for that, I will never stop being grateful to you.» Izuku stated sincerely
«Midoriya-san.» Hisashi was called by a colleague «I need your help with some documents.»
«Apparently, I can't take up much more of your time anymore, Dad.» Izuku said amusedly
«As soon as I finish my shift, I'll call back.»
«Okay, Dad. We’ll talk later then.»
«Ah, and Izuku.» he called him back before he could hang up «Regardless of whether you're Quirkless or not, you're my son, my pride and joy. Ever since before you disappeared, I've always wanted to tell you, but I've never had the time to do so. I'm not going to waste this opportunity to tell you this.»
«…...Thanks, Dad. It means a lot to me.»
«See you later. We have a lot to talk about.»
«Yeah. Good job, Dad. It was nice to hear from you again»
When Izuku put down the cornet, the line broke. A raised, affectionate smile appeared on Hisashi's lips. He had noticed that his son's voice was shaking, now on the verge of tears.
You're all your mother.
*****
After his shift, Hisashi and Izuku had a long and surprising video call. The father, amazed, noticed that his son was now a man, a giant among men. He turned pale when he learned how much time had passed for him and was fascinated and disturbed by the adventures and horrors his son had faced.
Yet, he was always his son. Despite the physical change, despite his 2548 years, despite the scars: his instincts and his father's eyes screamed that it was him. As he had told him on the first call, Izuku remained his pride and joy.