𝕮𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝕺𝖋 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊

• 2 • First Step in Fatherhood

'I can't believe this.' He thought as he was washing his shoulder in his bathroom. Time has passed after his child puked on him and thankfully, she's now asleep.

He took a sniff on his shoulder and wanted to puke too. It didn't smell that bad, but it still had a hint of foul odour.

He looked back again on his sink where very small materials were set on. He grabbed his perfume and sprayed it on his shoulder, covering up the smell with an aromatic one. The perfume that Rei loved to smell. 'Sigh... Rei... When will you come home?'

After changing into his hero suit for morning patrol, one question was lingering in his mind, 'Are all infants like this?' He needed to make sure that he wasn't doing anything wrong to harm his first newborn that made her puke.

While making his way out of the house, being greeted by the morning nanny but he didn't greet back, he put all his attention to his phone, researching about babies on the internet.

He didn't know what to research first, with so many questions starting to pop in his mind. So he decides to type in, 'Is it fine for newborns to vomit?'

'Is it normal for my baby to vomit? Yes, most babies vomit from time to time, and it's usually nothing to worry about. Everything from indigestion to a prolonged bout of crying or coughing can trigger this reflex. So you may see quite a lot of vomiting in your baby's first few years.'

He nods in understanding. New questions started to pop into his mind while doing his patrol.

Multitasking in catching villains and being on his phone at the same time was as easy as listening to music while studying. That's how powerful he is as a hero.

'Why do newborns cry'

'The most common reason babies cry is because they are hungry. They stop crying at the onset of feeding. By the end of the feeding, they are happy.'

'How to train a newborn with their quirk?'

'This is highly not recommended for children--'

He tisked, not bothering to read the rest before typing another question.

'How to get a newborn stronger'

'1. Give your baby tummy time. Age: 0 Months

2. Help your baby sit-up. Age: 4 months(or when a baby can support her head.

3. Baby Massage helps get the baby healthier--'

'What kind of bullshit is this?' He shook his head in disbelief before typing another question. 'How to make a newborn healthy?'

'-Stick with breast milk or formula.

-Feed your newborn on cue.

-Consider vitamin D supplements.

-Expect variations in your newborn's eating patterns.

-Trust your instincts — and your newborns.

-Consider each feeding a time to bond with your newborn.

-Keep feedings consistent.'

'Seems like all they do is eat, huh.' He thought, 'There's a lot for me to know as a father-- wait, what am I doing? All I need to do is raise my baby into a hero stronger than that America man--'

He was cut off when he sees a neon sign glowing brightly across the street.

-Just had a baby? We have all of the baby must-haves!-

Without any second thought, he immediately made his way towards the store, surprising a few people as he entered. But he didn't pay them any attention while he silently strolls down the isles and kept himself reserved.

A baby-ish giggle caught his attention from the racks. He looked up ahead to see a woman, softly shaking a teddy bear in front of a months-old child sitting inside a stroller.

'Toys...'

He sees the baby smile and laughs. He felt confused, remembering the few days he was with his newborn and realized she didn't even smile once.

He flipped out his phone, 'How to make a baby smile'

'-Make funny sounds

-Pop your lips

-Click your tongue

-Wiggle your ears or your nose

-Wink

-Make a funny face

-Give a thumbs up

-Play peek-a-boo

-Tickle baby with a feather

-Bump their nose with a stuffed animal

-Dance to some silly music

-Put on a mini puppet show--'

'I am not gonna do any of this...'

"E-Excuse me... Hero Endeavor..." He looks up at the store clerk that approached him, "What can I do for you?"

He glanced at the side again where the baby was hugging the teddy bear lovingly. Then looked back at the clerk with a glare, causing to intimidate her.

"Toys. I'll take your whole stock." - Endeavor as a new father at 21.

• • •

At the end of the day, buying and taking every toy the store had back to the house tired out the top hero himself. More exhausted from all this learning-to-be-a-parent than his whole time learning how to be a hero.

Only to his disappointment, Homusubi's nanny told him that rattles were the only toys needed for a days-old baby like her. 'Just great.'

He was beyond frustrated with his efforts turning useless that he stormed off with a slam on the door, making the newborn cry in reflex.

His mind was filled with dissatisfaction that he didn't care about anything else anymore but himself, so he went and get some rest.

But not without searching for more questions about children until he falls asleep.

His phone still glowing and on his hand while he was in deep slumber... A question with an answer was displayed on the screen. A question that he needed an answer to.

'What's the most important thing I can do for my baby?'

'The most important thing is also the simplest: be there and be available. The simple, daily tasks of parenting — picking a baby up when they are awake, changing diapers, playing, feeding, soothing — happen hundreds of times over the first years of life. These tasks teach babies what to expect from caregivers, how to build strong relationships, and how to engage with others and with the world.'

Being a father... was harder than he thought.