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The nursery still looked barren, containing nothing except a crib, a changing table, and a few stuffed animals. Hisashi had a much larger shipment of supplies arriving later today. This had been a rather impulsive decision. The moment Yuuto had tried to blow himself up, Hisashi had realized just how hopeless his foolish little brother had gotten. So he’d activated Eri’s quirk. At full power.
From the baby crib, Yuuto giggled. It was an adorable, heart-melting sound. Hisashi leaned over the crib to peer at his little brother. Soft green eyes, chubby cheeks, and a path of white hair gazed back at him. He’d been aiming to rewind Yuuto to around a year old, but he’d accidentally landed closer to six months.
Yuuto stretched out his arms as if asking for his big brother. Unable to resist, Hisashi leaned over. Soft, tiny hands patted his cheek. Amazing how small the baby’s fingers were. Each nail was round and perfect. The warmth and softness of those palms. Yuuto grabbed a curl and yanked it. Then he giggled. Still a troublemaker, even at such a young age.
Hisashi didn’t remember much of Yuuto’s infanthood, since he’d been too young himself. There had been a lot of crying, even more than the average baby. Yuuto had been a sickly child and often in pain. This time around, he’d want for nothing.
Yuuto was a lot cuter as a baby. Hisashi wasn’t looking forward to going through the teenage rebellion stage again. He found himself wondering if there was a need for his little brother to ever grow up. Well, he had time to decide, to see if he could do a better job in the raising this time. Certainly there would be no more superhero comic books.
Hisashi planted a kiss on his little brother’s forehead. “I’m going to look after you, okay?”
A knock on the door. It could only be Izuku, since no one else was allowed behind the round steel door. “Come in.”
Izuku pushed open the nursery door. “Dad, I’ve finished my homework.”
“Great, then would you like to play a game?”
“Of course.” Izuku smiled.
Yuuto waved at Izuku and babbled.
“Aren’t you cute?” Hisashi murmured, bending down for another kiss.
The air in the room changed. Although Izuku’s smile remained on his face, he’d turned tense as an electric wire. He always reacted like that whenever Hisashi touched Yuuto. The emotion radiating off him wasn’t quite fear or anger. It almost gave Hisashi a sense of danger. And very few people could seem dangerous to All for One.
Very irritating. How could Izuku possibly imagine that he’d hurt Yuuto? Hisashi had been trying his hardest not to do that even when Yuuto had been attacking him. He certainly wouldn’t lay his hands on a baby. The rapport he’d once had with his son was completely gone, replaced by a mask. He’d barely had time to start to get used to Izuku’s affection before it had been revoked.
Hisashi had told Izuku that Yuuto had been hit by an enemy’s quirk. He’d also claimed that Izuku needed to stay in his underground safe room to hide from the same enemies. Izuku had pretended to believe this. To all outward appearances, he’d been perfectly cooperative. His son was a good liar, but Hisashi had many more years of experience. He knew Izuku was just waiting for a chance to run away from his dear, loving father.
Before Yuuto’s suicidal stupidity had necessitated drastic measures, he’d been getting along so well with his son. It hurt to see that bond lost. Hisashi was starting to wonder if he should rewind Izuku, too.
Even if it wasn’t as strictly necessary as it had been with Yuuto…it sure was tempting. Izuku would have been such a cute baby. He regretted never getting to see it. Didn’t he deserve more time with his son? He’d been wrongfully deprived of twelve years of Izuku’s childhood. He wanted those back. Besides, this time around he’d be able to raise Izuku into the wealth and privilege he deserved, so it would be win-win for both of them.
“Were we going to play a game?” Izuku asked. His eyes slid over to look at the crib. It was painfully transparent how badly he wanted to keep Hisashi away from Yuuto.
With that, Hisashi made up his mind.
In just a few more days, Hisashi’s rewind quirk would stockpile enough power to use again. Then he’d be able to create his perfect family. Perfectly loving, perfectly safe. Forever.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Izuku Doesn’t Believe One Word of It
Hisashi: I have no idea where Yuuto vanished to, but here’s this white-haired baby I’m going to raise from now on.
Izuku: Do you think I’m stupid? I know you have Eri’s quirk!
Hisashi: Fine, this is your Uncle Yuuto, but I didn’t do it. He got hit by someone else’s quirk.
Izuku: Sure he did.
Hisashi: This tragic accident just goes to show why it’s not safe for you to leave the vault ever again.
Izuku: Oh, I’m not going anywhere. (Whispers) Not without Uncle Yuuto.