The Emperor's Dragon

One Day

"Natural hair colour please," All For One said as Izuku entered the room.

"How do you know?" Izuku asked with a huff.

"A father has his ways," Hisashi replied, amused.

He couldn't see Izuku's hair colour. The sight quirk he had was not that precise but he knew his son. "And not my hair colour," he added, lifting one hand to gesture Izuku to come closer.

His son did so, and sat on the stool that was beside the bed. All For One reached out his hand and placed it on his son's head. He didn't need sight to see the way Izuku leaned into his touch.

"Have you changed your hair colour?" he asked, rubbing his fingers through Izuku's curls. It was actually rather soothing.

"I have now," Izuku said.

"Hmm, that's interesting, Little Dragon," Hisashi murmured softly, still stroking Izuku's head.

"Daddy?"

"The texture changes with the colour," he told his son.

"Really?"

Hisashi felt one of Izuku's hands touch his as his son reached up to touch his hair.

"Try it," he encouraged.

He didn't see it but he felt Izuku's hair change colour. At a guess, he thought it went to blond, then black, then to red, and back to his natural green. The textures felt like that.

"It does!" Izuku said happily.

All For One felt a small burst of happiness himself. The open joy in his son's voice was endearing. Izuku loved learning about quirks, even if it was a tiny, almost inconsequential detail. "Get the Doctor to run some analyses on the different colours," he suggested. Garaki would know what needed to be tested.

"I will! How are you Dad?" Izuku asked.

"I am fine, Little Dragon," Hisashi told him. "Garaki is working on a portable breathing device for me," he added.

He felt Izuku tremble at that. "You shouldn't need it!"

"Little Dragon, there is no point in lamenting what you wish things to be. You must deal with what is," he said.

"It's not fair!" His son cried instead. "You only helped people, so why were they afraid?"

"Because I represent change," Hisashi replied. "Because they don't want people to use their quirks. Because they want things to remain the same," he gave the summary of the reasons. "Because they are afraid of me."

"Why?"

"You know why," he told his son. Izuku might only be nine, but he knew the truth well enough.

"Because you don't follow what they expect."

"I'm not. And you won't be either. So you must always be proud of who you are, my Little Dragon. Never be ashamed."

"I won't." It was a child's promise but All For One would reinforce it over time.

"I have some things for you," he said, rather than responding.

"Daddy?" Izuku asked, curious. It wasn't his birthday yet! And they didn't celebrate Christmas, and that was in the past anyway!

All For One sighed heavily. "Events have shown me that you can never be too prepared, my Little Dragon. And while your quirks will do well to defend you, against..." He sighed again, more softly this time, ignoring the demands of the respirator. "Against what you may face, I think they need some power ups... Or what did Tomura call them? Force multipliers!"