Toshinori held true to his promise.
He visited Izuku every chance he got and even conversed with Bill whenever he wasn't working. Now that's not to say he abandoned his wife and daughter, but after pressing them into telling the truth, he did spend less time with them. He was tempted to divorce his wife, but that would mean less time with Izumi, and less time with Izumi meant breaking the promise he made to not betray any more of his family.
Unfortunately, Izumi had a very concerning plan regarding Izuku. She resented Bill for them replacing her as Izuku's new family and wanted to get rid of him. But Izuku would be upset about her killing his "best friend", so she intended to defeat Bill in some way to prove that she was worthy of forgiveness and Izuku would want to be her brother again. And as if his crazed daughter's actions weren't concerning enough, his wife was even scarier. The woman was terrified of Bill (he most likely threatened her to stay away from Izuku), but she still despised her son. She was very on board with her daughter's plan and secretly helped her come up with different ways to get revenge. And if Izumi ever did find a weakness that would take Bill down a peg, Inko would exploit it to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, the only present weakness he had, was also his greatest strength: Izuku. Izuku was his strength, his inspiration, and his will to fight. Destroying Izuku's bond with Bill would either weaken or empower Bill, and the two weren't sure which. But from the interactions Izumi had seen between her classmates and her targets, the latter seemed more likely.
Bill favored Momo due to her kindness towards Izuku and accepted Tsu due to her neutral stance and honest nature. But the argument between him and Mina was proof that trying to take Izuku away from Bill would result in a fight. This meant that the only way to win Izuku over would be to win Bill over, but the blonde already hated her and her friends. It would take time before Izumi was back in Izuku's good graces, and she couldn't afford to back down now. That would only prove that she is willing to abandon him, and she wasn't going to do that. Not again. But as for Inko? Inko didn't give a damn about Izuku, she only wanted her punching bag back. Alcohol and clubs weren't cutting it.
And that was another thing that pissed Toshinori off! She had been cheating on him all this time. He shouldn't have been surprised due to how quickly she moved on from her ex-husband, but to betray him immediately after he lost Izuku? That's basically like stabbing him in the back and trying to "fix it" by pouring beer on the wound. Not only do both of those actions hurt like hell, but they're just plain cruel.
Toshinori couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He didn't love his wife and was disgusted by his daughter. He wished he could leave them, he really did, but Izumi still had One For All. He was tempted to take it back and give it to the boy that Nighteye recommended, but he couldn't very well leave his backstabbing wife knowing that his already split life would split even further. Toshinori was still her mentor, and until that position changed, he would have to be there for her. So, for the time being, he would let her have it until he could get into contact with Nighteye and his apprentice. Which brought him back to now, playing hide-and-seek with his son in the grand hall of Cipher's mansion. The host in question sat on the couch with a small desk in front of him so that he could do his paperwork. Normally, Izuku would help with that, but he was busy playing with his dad.
Or at least, that's what it looked like.
. . .
The Izuku that Toshinori was playing with was a mirage. It was a mental copy of Izuku and had the same mind and behavior as Izuku, but it wasn't the real one. And while Izuku did want to play with his dad, he couldn't afford to fall behind on his work. The dreamscape was full of Izukus moving about, all doing their assigned duties. Bill even had a headache with how much work Izuku was doing. The original had to stay with Hisahi to ensure that his influence continued to sway Hisashi's mind into staying in the dreamscape. But the others were tending to the rest of the plan. The blueprints that Bill had drawn up were given to Izuku, who gave the files to a mirage for it to take to the simulation room and present to Bill when it was done with testing. Another mirage was tasked with managing the decoration of the new cell. With Izuku's, Hisashi's, and Toshinori's memories combined, Hisahi's room was altered to look like the one he had back when he still lived with his family. It was a cozy apartment-style room. It was equipped with everything he needed, and everything he didn't. And because they were in the dreamscape, all supplies for imaginary food would be restocked.
It wasn't that he needed to cook their food so much as it was wanting to cook it. Izuku had already known how easy it was to simply summon a hot plate of fresh katsudon that he could just imagine into existence, but it was also his mind. So while he could let Hisashi have control over certain things, he didn't want him to. That would lead Hisashi to figure out that he could imagine a way out if he ever discovered the danger he was in. Izuku couldn't have that, so he let the man believe he still needed to make food. Now, Hisashi could easily figure out that he didn't need to worry about hygiene, but Izuku gave him a bathroom regardless. If he forgot how to take care of himself, then so would his body. Izuku couldn't have the man's body getting sick due to his negligence, regardless of how stupid he thought it was to have these things in the dreamscape. But he completed the task nonetheless.
But back to Izuku, he was taking his anger out on Cyberchase. Izuku had conflicted feelings about the show. He liked the design, he liked the math, he liked the characters, but he hated the back-and-forth between the main characters and the main villain. It reminded him of the current situation. He wanted to stay with Bill and hang out with Toshinori, but he had to do his job and brainwash Hisashi. He was stuck in a tug-of-war between three people and hated splitting his time like this. Not only was it a waste of magic, but a waste of sanity as well. Bill wasn't the only one getting a headache with all of this work.
But between all the chaos was something that Izuku was dreading the most. Both his dads want him back. An unofficial custody battle was happening between his dads despite neither knowing the other's presence. And to top it all off, his sibling was trying to take him for herself while his mother wanted to see him suffer. And that's not even including his cousin/adopted brother! Of the three people he had to manage his time for today, he'd rather stay with Bill. Bill actually felt the most like a father figure. They had raised him better than anyone else, they had loved him more than anyone else, and they believed in him when no one else would. If Bill threw themselves into this nonexistent strife, he'd probably run to them. But he also has to hide behind Bill and watch as his family fights for control over who gets him and when. At this point, he just wants to get back in his plush and cuddle into Bill's arms so he can hide away from the world.
He doubted that Bill would mind, they feel tired too.
Speaking of tired, Toshinori was giving his goodbyes and "I love you"'s, which meant one less person to split his attention with. His mirage waved back and watched the man leave before vanishing. Hisashi was also starting to look worn out, which was good since his room had just finished its renovations. Izuku guided him back to the room he appeared in and showed Hisahi his brand-new house. The entrance opened up the living room, which consisted of a deep green couch with gold, green, and black pillows. In front of the sofa was a rattan low table on top of a grey rug with white criss-cross lines. Across from the sofa was a television viewing world events and tv shows, but nothing about Bill or himself. Behind the sofa was a wood table with high seats and a bowl of fruits as the centerpiece that led to the shiny new kitchen. The cabinets were a greyish-blue that paired well with the grey walls.
To the left of the living room was the bed and bathroom. The bed had a green frame that matched the couch. The pillows were white and gold while the sheets and comforters were grey. On the wall opposite the bathroom was a black wooden desk with metal legs and a green egg chair. The monitor was connected to the dreamscape, and while there was no internet, the "browser" was linked to all of Hisashi's memories and was set up to rummage through them when he wanted to know something. It's not like his drug and quirk-filled brain could remember 200 years' worth of memories.
The only thing that struck Hisashi as odd was the lack of windows. It's not like he wasn't used to it, however. He had lacked windows for five years now. It wasn't like he could see out of them after his fight with All Might. But now that he had his eyes, he was hoping to see them again. And it was as soon as he thought that that the far right wall gained two arches with windows in them that looked out upon a dark and menacing forest. So the lack of windows was to protect him from the creepy trees in the distance? Appreciated but unnecessary. Besides, it had been so long since seen the green of a tree, and even longer since he'd seen a pine tree. The city had nothing but oak trees, and the only pines he'd seen were grown on a distant field that would sell the trees every Christmas. Not that the business was doing very well with all the artificial trees being sold.
Hisashi turned to thank his son, only to find him missing with a note on the table.
"Dear Papa,
I saw how you acted in this room earlier and it seemed you didn't like it. I'm not surprised, and I don't blame you, which is why I asked the workers to redesign your room. Using your memories, they made it look like one of your old rooms. You might not remember it very well, but this is what it looked like.
I am going to be busy with a few things, so I'll be leaving for a while. But in the meantime, feel free to explore the apartment. If you choose to leave the apartment and explore the lab, just know that some of the doors here are locked. I would not recommend trying to explore areas that are blocked off, they are restricted for a reason. So just stick to the rooms I've shown you and above all else:
DO NOT LEAVE THE LAB!
Sweet Dreams, -Izuku"
How strange. The letter was made to sound like a warm welcome to his new home, but it felt more like a sort of dungeon. He was given a pleasantly familiar environment to live in that was quite cozy if he was being honest, and he was allowed to roam about carefree. However, he was also restricted from certain places and given strict rules to follow. Sure, every house has rules the children need to follow, but the "they are restricted for a reason" part was rather intimidating. And the last rule was the most worrisome of all. Sure the forest was creepy, but why bar it off? Was it dangerous? Was it haunted? Was it an escape route? Was it the exit to this place?
Hisashi did not know, but for some strange reason, he could not find it in himself to care. He was just happy to be with his son again. That's all that matters to him. He has his son now, and he doesn't need anything else. He doesn't need to leave. He doesn't want to leave.
. . .
Bill was in the bath when Izuku announced his return. The boy was exhausted from all that hard work and needed emotional support from his best friend, and Bill was more than happy to listen. They listened to their Bunny rant about all the stress and magic he wasted trying to get everything done at once. He had to keep Toshinori distracted with one of his mirages, use the others to do tasks and prepare Hisahi's room, and personally stay near Hisashi so that his influence and hypnosis would work as efficiently as possible.
The beginning stages of Hisashi's imprisonment were already working wonders. Hisashi's emotions were pulled left and right and were now on the desired path that Izuku was guiding him towards. Izuku used Hisashi's obsession with his family to convince the man to stay in the Dreamscape with the promise of seeing Izuku whenever he desired (a single mirage was stationed outside his room now). Additionally, the room that Izuku prepared for him was absolutely flawless. Sure it was based on Hisashi's memories, but those memories were faded and dull from the hundreds of years that passed, so there wasn't much to go on. The only hints Izuku got were blurry shapes, colors, and the repetitive use of modern design in his other, more recent memories. The comfort of the room, the cuteness of his childish mask, and the constant presence in Hisashi's mind had convinced the man to stay within the walls.
Between Toshinori spoiling his beloved stepson, and Hisashi smothering the child, Izuku had difficulty getting any work done. Regardless, he managed to complete it all on time and was now in need of some well-deserved rest. Izuku huffed, his rant finally over as he rested his head on the side of the tub, his tired eyes too heavy to stay open any longer. Bill smiled and finished his bath. After drying off and getting dressed, he subtly put Izuku into his doll and took it to bed. Perhaps the two of them would skip visiting the dreamscape tonight. They both need rest after today, especially with the upcoming events.
UA is a school full of surprises, after all. There's no telling what kind of things the chimera has in store for them, so they'll need all the energy they can get.
. . .
Originally, Dipper had meant to leave after clearing Bill, but that deal didn't apply to Izuku. And while it is true that Bill has mellowed out quite a bit, and even become more "heroic", the same could not be said for Izuku. The passive-aggressive hostility he showed towards 1, the obvious hatred and malice he displayed toward Dipper, and the pity he felt for Mabel. Bill might be on the path to being a better person, but Izuku was on the path to chaos. Sure Izuku might be a tad biased because of Dipper's actions toward Bill in the past, present, and likely future, but his behavior was still concerning.
Mabel disagreed and even pleaded with her brother to "just go home", but Dipper was determined to see this through. This world was in danger, how couldn't she see that? 1 saw how the ghost child behaved, the clones saw how the people reacted, and the dead clones spoke plenty. He couldn't let this go. He couldn't let this stand. He had to look further. He had to find proof.
1 had forgotten to tell him Bill's words, and now understood what the demon meant when he said Dipper was determined. It was terrifying how dangerous he looked right now. Dipper had the gun to the void in his possession, and 1 was worried about what that spelled out for Izuku's fate. Now they understood why Bill had given up fighting Dipper, but they also knew how much Bill cared for the boy.
This was not going to end well.
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(AAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH! It is infuriating how little my brain wants to cooperate with me.
So the reason I'm slow to update... excessive productive procrastination.
So basically:
*has an idea* "but I don't feel like writing. Maybe I should play Minecraft instead"
*plays on Minecraft server and builds an underground house deep in a mountain somewhere* "I kinda wanna draw"
*draws on the comic panel I was supposed to finish a while ago* "I don't feel like drawing. Maybe I should play Minecraft"
*makes a team on the server and builds more houses* "I'm bored. I wanna write."
*writes a couple of paragraphs* "I don't feel like writing anymore. Maybe-"
And then I go job searching because I NEED A LIFE!
And such is the routine of my life. It's a never-ending cycle of boredom, inspiration, action, and then boredom. And I just got through reading two books! And then there's this chapter. I have a hate-love relationship with this one. I hate how it turned out, but I love the chapter in general. I wanna tear it apart, but it fits so well together and I can't erase the whole chapter, no matter how much I want to because of how beautiful it is and how much effort I put into it. So here is a crap chapter to catch up on my laziness.
I'm so sorry.)