Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Standing, eyes down, hands demurely clasped, Izuku knew he at least LOOKED the part!

Of a maid.

In a High House.

House Aizawa, in fact.

Of course it helped that constant hunger as a child had him a few inches, well, lots of inches anyway, shorter than the average male, and he was slim so, with proper padding in the breast area, a touch of makeup - but not much because his Head of House didn't like his staff to wear much of it, said it smelt nasty and was unhealthy - and his very special quirked concealment device to hide what he was….

And hey presto, Midoriya Izuku was a young female maid standing in the morning line up, along with the other younger staff, at the far end of the room from the older and more senior House members.

Usually it was for the Master of House, when he was home that is, or Head of Staff when he wasn't, to walk down the line, talking to a few here and there, telling them what good jobs they were doing, how much their hard work was appreciated, and every now and then one was told to follow Master Aizawa and was taken gods knew where for gods knew what but as it was always when one of them fucked up, like last time it was two of the kitchen staff who’d been fighting and just making every ones lives miserable cause they couldn’t work out their own bloody issues.

Seeing how difficult it was for them to sit down later that same day, or even for a few days after that, Izuku had a pretty good guess as to by who, and how, they were sorted, but as they’d managed to get over themselves and work together again, Izuku was all for it.

As long as it was never him in that position that is!

Sparing a moment's thoughts to his own list of transgressions, first and foremost pretending to be a girl to get a job, and only getting worse from there, he kept his eyes down and made himself relax.

A full year in the job and no one had guessed, a full year of good food, safe housing, people who never ever tried to hurt him, a library he could slip into in the dead of night to get things to read so his mind was as happy as his stomach, for now anyways.

Well, he may not love the actual job because being a maid was seriously boring, but he loved everything else about the job so he’d worked hard, and other than his various undiscovered sins, his conscience was clear.

Which was good, because despite having been in the mornings line up for a full bloody year and never even gotten a second glance, this morning Master Aizawa paused at him, and said, “Midoriya Izuku, yes?”

Giving a deep bow of respect - not even an act, the Master of House Aizawa was easy to respect - Izuku said as he rose, voice soft and higher pitched than his usual, “Yes Master Aizawa.”

“Remain behind at dismissal, then follow me.”

Feeling his cheeks whitening in horror, Izuku did what any sane junior staff would do in that situation, he said, "Yes Master Aizawa!”

Watching the rest of the staff scattering away to their various morning jobs, wishing desperately he was doing the same, Izuku followed the not just awesome, but now extremely worrisome, figure.

Tall, yet there were taller, dark hair, ivory skin, dark dark eyes, a quirk that Izuku still hadn’t figured out yet, and despite its being so well hidden, the man had a secondary gender, Alpha if Izuku had to guess.

So quirked, and two genders, and a master of an ancient house, with a territory spanning miles of city, allied to most of the noble houses in that same city.

Added to all of that the man was a trained killing machine, and moved like it.

Numb feet carried Izuku to his doom, his brain only now beginning to wonder which of his many transgressions the man had found out about.

And how bad was this going to be?

The where turned out to be one of the rooms none of the staff were allowed into, not even senior staff like Yaoyorozu-san - Izuku really liked her daughter, Momo-san looked all prim and proper but was a right mischievous devil in the right circumstances and if you caught her on the right day she’d give Izuku endless stories of the very private school she was attending, stories to make Izuku wish his life had gone oh so differently than it had - one late night she’d even given Izuku the story of how Master Shouta had saved them, how her uncle had staged a take over of her House, had killed all the rest, how she and her mum had made it to the tunnels, then onto the streets….

A chase, three of their loyal guards with them, giving their lives one by one to get them here, because even without a formal tie her mum had known if they just reached House Aizawa they’d be safe, and it worked.

One day, when she was old enough, they’d take her house back, but for now it was chores and games and private lessons and friends….

Setting aside his wish to go to school like a normal kid, to not be pretending to be so much older than he was, on paper he was twenty two, Izuku gave the space a lightning glance.

Round, the first thought was a large round room mostly in wood, floor dark polished oak, walls a deeper reddish wood, Izuku didn't know what kind it was, and the ceiling lighter again, perhaps pine?

It was hard to see most of the walls though because it was all covered in built in bookshelves, a rolling ladder in place to reach the highest shelves and for a wild moment Izuku wished he could give a running jump and see how fast it would go on its tracks.

Firmly pushing that impulse away he spotted a large desk, a very long and comfortable looking couch, several equally comfortable looking chairs, practically begging to be pounced into with a good book and a hot drink, overall it was a dark, strong space, well lit but sheltered, and safe.

Den like even.

Being gestured to a spot before the desk Izuku stood, eyes down, and waited.

He’d learned the hard way to not offer any sins before being told what he was in for, never help someone have any extra reasons to hurt him!

Waiting was so hard though, and he eventually peeked through his fringe only for his eyes to be caught and held by impossibly stern dark ones, and what was left of his guts withered to ash because whatever his master had discovered, it was bad!

****************

Shouta hated morning parade, but he’d been taught early in life how important it was, staff needed to see their master, to connect with them, his mother had been so good at it, Mid his father had called her, Mildly Insane Darling and he almost smiled at the memory of the two of them, winding along down the lines of staff, even longer in those days, smiling and laughing and correcting and connecting.

Her loss had broken them all, but his father most of all.

Shouta never knew it until too late but his fathers quirk, connections, well, he not just felt the people around him, how they were connected to one another, but he’d connected to Mid, bonded soul deep - despite her being Beta as her secondary gender, one known for its calm and rational behavior, they’d bonded so deeply that when her quirk finally took her….

Disconnect, a viciously unfair quirk for such a gentle heart, switching her emotions (and others, if she tried very hard) off at random, not all of them, just this one, or that, and one day self restraint went, as did hope, and the weather had been vile, and a riot in the city had killed thousands, one of their favorite staff members had died in it….

She’d killed herself, a fit of madness indeed, and Shouta’s father followed her into deaths warm arms within the day, leaving Shouta, at nineteen, to hold House Aizawa together, to fend off several attacks, both legal and physical, and he’d done it, with help he’d done it.

And now here he was, thirty, one of the most powerful persons in the city, with a proper problem on his hands.

Looking at the picture of shy innocence standing before him he drew breath to speak and they glanced up, intelligence gleaming, a calculated glance trying to figure out how much trouble and of what kind they were in and Shouta said, not mincing his words at all, “You will return what you have taken of mine.”

Theft.

Just to start.

At the kid's suddenly white face he said, pointing to the door, “NOW!”

They fled.

Alpha, he’d learned his father had a secondary gender after he’d died because for some reason they’d never spoken of it, his mother too had one, the doctor who gave him their death certificates said it probably contributed to their deaths, especially as the one they’d lost had one too, was omega, perhaps they’d even been connected, or bonded in some way, no one really understood secondary genders properly yet, despite being around now for practically forever, but her death had certainly not helped keep his parents alive.

But it was then that Shouta had started to research them, not just those but all the other ways humans had changed, were still changing.

It started so long ago that no one really knew how long it'd been, when people stopped caring for the planet maybe, or when vengeful gods struck the unfaithful with curses ever lasting, or when aliens from distant planets warped and twisted their once slaves…..

Despite how many stories there were, no one really knew, not fully anyway, but perhaps his cherished adoptive father knew, or was closer than most, it was his own research that gave Shouta what he did know as fact.

From a time of chaos in the distant past were born quirks, mutations, secondary genders, and the hold-over of the original form of human, so called retro-humans, all in a seeming bid for the species itself to continue.

The fragments of history he’d actually seen that had come down to them spoke of it happening during a time of global instability, not just political but geological, a time when the planet was accessible to all, when travel had been easy but then global climate change met and clashed with rising water levels and earthquakes and storms the likes of which no one had ever seen and….

Sometimes Shouta wondered how a species as stupid as his own had survived.

But they had survived, and were clawing their way up out of the pits again, now with so many different kinds of humans.

All of them trying, as humans do, to make their kind the best and everyone else bad.

And now he had a kid, an ex mud lark of all things, a street rat extraordinaire that had taken his always present bait and stolen from him.

Interestingly enough, he’d learned from his grandmother that that was NOT an instant dismissal offense, that any member of staff that stole from them had a reason, and sometimes the reason actually was good enough to excuse it, but that the way they stole showed you their brain, and you always had to be smarter than the staff, or to make smart staff into something other than maids or porters, like she’d done with her husband, the sticky fingered devil that he was.

Smiling at the remembrance of that sharp tongued old bat, he'd learned so much from her, still was really, even though she’d been dead for such a long time now.

He missed her damnably, missed all of them really.

Drawing his mind back from its wanderings as his maid came back in, a trembling hand stretched out and dropped the items onto the desk when he gestured minutely with his head where he wanted them, and together they studied the items.

Small, all of them small.

And easily repurposed.

A cuff link, ornate yet not distinctive, easy to turn into a ring perhaps, or broach.

An actual ring, small, one he usually wore on his pinky, old yet its value lived more in its weight of gold and the memories attaching to it, rather than its beauty.

And the dangly bit from a medal, one he’d been given for his service to a High House in a city down south, when he was young, and stupid, and had survived to be given the pretty thing and then, when Nezu caught him, the spanking of all spankings so as to teach him to never do anything like it again.

A perfect Star Dust, set in platinum, the stone quirk created, indescribable fire in its depths, the o-ring that had joined it to the main body of the medal had been skillfully opened, leaving the impression it had simply fallen off and been lost.

A trap.

He left items of value set about in isolated spots to test the ones around him but this was the first time he’d been taken up like this.

Anyone could lose a cuff link, or misplace a small ring, and even the Star Dust could have simply fallen and been found.

Any of them could have been simply handed over if and when a stir was caused at their being discovered to be lost. A stir he never created.

A thinking thief in other words.

Now, what else were they?

“Explain.” and his tone left her no choice.

“I’m sorry Master Aizawa, I found them, one by one, and no one seemed to miss them so I kept them, they’re pretty,” a tear rolled down that perfectly smooth cheek, sorrow and regret in their eyes and posture, as she looked the older man straight in the eyes, sincerity practically dripping along with the tears as she said, “I’m so sorry, please, I didn't mean any harm, they never left the house, I wasn't going to do any - “

The words were bitten off when Shouta raised a hand, using a finger to poke the tiny treasures.

On the streets the three would fetch enough money to live for a full year in comfort, for five in squalor, and riding a hunch he said as he looked up, face stern as only his grandmothers could be (his fathers face had been made for smiles, his mothers for gentle grins) and said, “Bring me the rest, now.”

What little color the child still had was gone, and their breathing was ragged and harsh, disbelief and despair mingled in their eyes but obedient to his command, they went away again.

So, he’d been right.

But as he’d lost nothing other than these three baubles, what else had the child stolen?

Because despite looking a poised and polished twenty something, they were only mid teens at best! 

This time it took longer for them to return, and when they did it was with a totally blank face, not even trying to lie their way out of it (the minx to have even tried!) and dropped a tiny velvet bag, dusty and worn, onto his desk.

With more curiosity than he’d expected to feel, Shouta opened and dumped them out, a handful of like items to what they child had taken from him, but as he knew none of it at first glance there was only one option left as to where it’d all come from. Looking up suddenly he asked, voice harsh, “How often?”

Not even trying to misunderstand Midoriya said, voice trembling slightly, “Every week Master Aizawa, umm, I go out Ssssaterday night, after my work is done, and take my half day on Sunday as well sometimes, but but but I don’t always find an-anything to, ummm, to um, take.” the final word was whispered, as if they said it quietly enough it wouldn't be so bad.

Spreading the trove out Shouta looked at it piece by piece, a feeling of weightless shock at one tiny item but he treated it just like the others, setting it in a line with mismatched cuff links either side, it was a ring, just a ring.

Just a ring the way a tornado was just some wind and a tsunami was just a wave.

Finishing his examination he said, “So, you’ve been with me fifty seven weeks, and you have thirty eight pieces here, this one from House Taimatsu,” he pushed an earring with their crest out of the line up, “this one from house Shigaraki,” he pushed the ring (fuck, such a ring, the Kami of thieves had to be holding the child in their hands for them to have survived the theft), these two from House Ibara, and this one from House Oboro,” a lone cuff link, pretty with a gleaming blue stone set in warm gold.

“I know this one,” he touched the cuff link again, “personally, as I am a friend of that house and remember the chaos as it was searched for.”

Seeing the faint flinch he thought, ‘Damned right you should flinch at that, thieving brat!’

“The rest have no markings I can recognize but, knowing the map of the city, the amount of time you have free on a Sunday, how much time you can probably spare on a Saturday night, and clever of you to pick a night you can sleep in from, most of this will have come from the area nearest to us so House Nemuri, House Yamada, House Shimura, House Shigaraki, and perhaps even House Nezu and the disgraced House Yaoyorozu."

“Plus assorted merchants and brokers houses, of course, because these at lest," he gently touched a handful of pieces, "can be nothing other than merchant class baubles.”

“Am I right, child?”

A mute nod answered the question, “No, verbal answers from now on, if you've done the crime you can at least speak of it.” This time the flinch was much easier to see. “Now, am I right?”

“Ye…” a harsh clearing of throat, a slightly deeper voice that cracked in the middle, “Ye~ss Mast-master Aizawa, you're right.”

“Honesty, how pleasant to see it at last.”

The child's head jerked downwards at that, hands fisted in her (her? The voice crack and scent souring the air said it was perhaps otherwise) skirt, and a shiver racked them.

As it should, theft of this value was a serious matter indeed.

“Why?” He asked, tone now deceptively mild.

“Don’t know. “

The tone was resentful, and frightened, and, “So, honesty all run out now? Shall I tell you then?”

Receiving no answer other than a further hunching of shoulders, he continued, “Fear.”

They did look up at that, confusion in big green eyes swimming now with genuine tears, tears of fear.

“Yes, fear.”

“Fear of what happens next, what happens when you lose this place, like you lost all the others, what happens when the roof over your head is jerked away like the rug under your feet?”

“Who misses a single cuff link, and all of these can repurpose into other kinds of jewelry and be sold, one at a time, for enough money to live small for a long time.”

“Food on the table, a pillow on the bed, a roof that doesn't leak.”

“Most of these things are utterly unremarkable, yet will give enough money to eat from for months when sold, perhaps years even.”

“Same with the ear rings, again, anyone would think they'd just lost one when it turns up missing.”

“And what you took from me could have plausibly been returned if it wasn't me that set them up to be stolen in the first place.”

That got a reaction, a hotly indignant gasp, and a deeply insulted expression until the enormity of their position made itself felt once more when they again drooped their head.

“This one however,” Shouta calmly said, “is a death sentence.”

The child's mouth moved now but no words came out nor did they seem to be breathing when he repeated, “A death sentence.”

“From House Shigaraki, yes?”

“Don't bother answering, I know it is, and I know someone who would pay enough for you to be a House of your own, Midoriya House, if you lived long enough to sell it that is.”

“Do you know what Memorian is?”

A hand darted out to catch the desk edge, to brace before shock took their legs from under them, “Ah, I see you do. This pretty little thing, see.” he pushed the dull gray band, the glittery black gem, highlights of deepest purple and green catching the light, clearly a quirk created stone, beautiful in an understated way, House Shigaraki was once known for its tastefulness until its newest heir took it.

By murder, if the rumors be true.

“Memorian, capable of storing vast amounts of data, easily linked into any communications device to access it, yet can look like anything. This has been in House Shigaraki for as long as the House has existed, so, about a hundred fifty, maybe two hundred years, think of the secrets in it, think how much the newest Head must want it back.”

“Think how much trouble you are in.”

Sweeping it into his hand he turned and pulled a summons cord several times, turning back to wrap the ring in paper, sealing it with wax and then doing the same with each piece he'd picked out from Houses he knew, when not one but four House runners appeared, he said, “Take this.” handing each packet over and giving a destination, the dangerous ring was sent to House Nezu with no change in demeanor as any of the other packets.

Keeping an eye on the maid as she watched in what could only be called indignant horror, he smiled as they all scattered to their errands. “Those should reach their destinations without any problems so now, what to do with you?”

Sweeping the rest of the baubles into his desk he said, “I’ll dispose of these soon, perhaps the orphanages in the city would benefit from them?”

“However, you,” he stood, “are wasted as a maid.”

“So you have a clear choice before you, but before we get to that, you see that corner over there?”

He pointed at a conspicuously empty corner of the room, and she nodded, “Good, go and park your naughty nose in it, and while you’re there, you are to think about all the various steps you have taken to get there, now,” he pointed again, “go.”

She went.

Rummaging through his drawers on the desk he finally found what he was looking for and placed it on the desk, going over to sit on the couch with a clear view of the shivering figure.

He’d never been a mud lark himself, but he worked with several charities that caught them, taking them in and getting them back, if possible, into a civilized position, teaching them mainly to trust, trust that adults could care for them properly.

With the violence in the city, with the unrest between various types and kinds of humans, with the isolation between cities, savage animals, worse humans, despite banding together things happened and freshly abandoned children turned up all the time in the city, either from inside of it or having made their way to it, hoping for something better than they’d had.

And orphanages had a terrible reputation - deserved in some cases, not in others - that too many children chose to stay on the streets.

Mud larking was a logical step in trying to survive because anything from before the world ended had value, and bits and pieces could be found on the shore line as the tide rose and fell, and all along the tidal part of the river one could find tiny shops set up to buy the bits and pieces found, paying only copper to the kids while charging silver for their own buyers but when you're that poor, even copper can keep you alive.

He remembered learning that no one even knew old the word itself was, Mud Lark, and his heart had broken a bit because his species should have learned by now to treasure their children, not just value them for what they could do, but as special treasures one and all.

Especially when so many of them never lived long enough to become adults!

So the trinkets repossessed would go to that cause, help spread the word that if you needed help, help was there!

This child though had passed through that fire, had learned and gone on to become an accomplished thief. For them to steal a ring of inestimable value from a sworn enemy of House Aizawa?

That deserved rewarding, at the very least.

Pity the child wouldn't think what was about to happen a reward.

It was, but it might take a few years for them to realize it.

Finishing his mental countdown, based upon his guesstimate of their actual age, he said “Come here child.”

The pause meeting that order was long indeed, but they finally turned, and paused again as they took in his position on the couch, at the hard wooden chair facing him, and he waved at it saying "Sit.”

They did, although with so much reluctance the chair may have as well been made of hot coals rather than the oak he thought it was actually made from, and once seated they perched on the edge, poised to flee, worried hands twisting and pleating their skirt.

But they were also calmer, which was why he’d sent them to the corner in the first place, it didn’t just give time to contemplate ones bad choices and decisions, but also to calm the fuck down after a fright, and the child had already had several.

“Good, now, as I’ve already said, you are wasted as a maid, and I have been trying to fill the position of personal assistant for a number of years. With training, I think you’ll suit that placement perfectly.”

If the child's brain was even half as good as Shouta thought, it was keen indeed, backed up by a hunter's eye so they should do well indeed and be a proper help, which he needed badly.

Seeing their breath catch, a million questions erupt in their expression, he raised a hand, and they quieted.

“Good, now, before you lie two choices, one, you accept my offer of a change of positions within my House, two, you depart it, without a reference but with your severance pay fully intact.”

“Yes, there are conditions of the first one.”

Letting that sink in for a moment, he said, voice unyielding, “If you take the first option you will submit yourself to me for discipline for your past actions, and any future transgressions. As in part you already have when you became a member of staff in my House, but in a much more personal fashion, as my personal assistant.”

“The position of personal assistant will be taught to you by myself, as only I know what needs I have, you would no longer answer to head of staff, or to anyone in House Aizawa other than me, and I am a harsh taskmaster indeed.”

Seeing fear blossom he sighed, softening slightly, “Have I ever given you reason to doubt me as Master of House?”

The child took time to think it through before answering, almost too soft to hear, “No.”

“Then doubt me not in this, you will be punished when you transgress, that is no different than your treatment as a maid, and you have been very careful indeed not to fall afoul of any rules up till now, or rather I should say you’ve been very careful not to get caught!”

The once pale face was now stained blush crimson and he nodded to himself, he was right, the child possessed a conscience and could feel shame at her actions, important indeed if he was taking her as a personal student for the most important position in the House.

“However, I swear to never give any punishment that is not totally earned and deserved, and even, occasionally, to give praise when earned as well. I am a hard taskmaster but I have been told I’m fair as well so know this, I will never injure you, although I will chastise you thoroughly when you earn it.”

“Now, either leave or accept what’s offered,” glancing at the time he added, “I have scheduled time to properly teach you several important lessons today which will take awhile, decide now if you would, I have other things to do today as well.”

It might be a risk to push the girl so hard but Shouta did indeed have things to do, and if she was going to run, better sooner than later, he was already far too invested!

“What, um, I’ll st, well, umm sorry, I don, shit,” the final swear was almost inaudible, but finally the elfin chin lifted, the eyes hardened with determination, and the maid said, “Yes please, to the position of assistant, and I already agreed to submit to the discipline of the House, so this is no different, but….”

Shouta let not a single sign of his amusement at the expected “but” showing up.

“But but I’m sorry, really, a-a-a-about the ste um ta, um, yeah, me ta~king from you and and and I won't go out again at night, I promise, and and and I'll do all my old job as well as the new one, you don't have to, really, I won't do any of it again EVER, please, please, Master Aizawa, I’ll be good forever, so good….”

Winding down the desperate little voice finally petered out all together, and she simply sat, tears now falling, big green eyes staring back at him, a totally futile hope gleaming behind the water works.

Intelligence gleamed as well as a cynical glitter and oh, yes, Shouta liked this kid.

“From this moment on you will speak the truth to me, and nothing but the truth, if I catch you in a lie, even if it's simply the words "I’m okay" when you’ve given yourself a paper cut, you’ll receive a short sharp lesson in truthfulness, a I clearly understood?”

Nodding frantically, his newest assistant agreed to the terms of employment.

His inner nature almost howled aloud in satisfaction of getting them but he managed to say calmly, ‘Good, very very good!’

“Now, how old are you?”

Clearly this wasn't an expected question but he got an answer that better fit with his guess as to the child's age, “Seventeen, Master Aizawa, as best as I can guess anyway.”

“Thank you.  Now, on my desk you’ll find an item whose use is pretty self explanatory, fetch it for me please.”

With much doubt and trepidation showing, she rose and went to the desk, and as Shouta was already expecting it, her gasp of horrified shock was easy to hear.

When the pause dragged out longer than it should, he added, “If you delay any further you will receive a refresher on timeliness before we even progress to the main lesson you’ve earned yourself.”

It was always surprising how fast a youngster could move when properly motivated, and Midoriya Izuku was no different, practically flying across the room to hand over the item, held in such a gingerly fashion it was a wonder she hadn’t dropped it yet.

“Thank you.” Taking said item from clearly nerveless fingers, Shouta remembered fully what it felt like to be in their position, it was less than a year that he himself was right there in her shoes, his own mentor taking him to task for, actually, now he came to think of it, his own transgressions were very similar to Izuku’s own, he too had lied, and risked his safety, all to obtain something that wasn’t worth the risk.

Sighing he had to acknowledge the similarities between them as he motioned for the child to stand beside his knee while he tucked the so called Lady Paddle, (a design so old no one knew it’s origin now, but as they say, a classic is a classic for a reason), behind him ready to hand, and said, “This is your last chance child, bend over now, accept your place in my House, or leave.”

Settling back he was unsurprised to receive a lapful of crying teen.

Teen, still such a child, eight years at least still to go simply to reach the age of reason, suddenly Shouta felt old, was this how Nezu felt as he’d taken a ruler to Shouta's ass?

If it was then he owed them so many apologies and a gift basket too because this sucked!  

Assisting them into a better position he lifted the skirt and frilly underskirts out of his way, (and spared a brief moment of surprise at the very ugly undergarment reveled) spanned almost the entirety of their lower back with his left hand, and asked, “Midoriya Izuku, in your own words, why are we here?”

“Ooooooh,” a tiny breath of despair, “must I?”

Without hesitation Shouta landed five crisp spanks onto the thinly clad backside and, when done, repeated, “Midoriya Izuku, in your own words, why are we here?”

This time he got an answer, “I, owww, I umm, sto-stole from y-you, and and and snuck out and,” the final word was a whisper, “lied to you.”

“Mmmmmm, almost, you have forgotten something though, so think again, why are we here?”

A hint of the fire and defiance that lived in that petite frame in the words, “Isn’t that enough?” as fretful feet kicked the couch.

And again, five crisp spanks answered that sass and this time the child yelped, and said frantically “Risked myself! owowowwww I risked myself sneak-sneaking out and and and stole from other people too and that's it, ow I swear that's it, please I’m sorry!”

“Good, that’s it indeed, you stole from me, you stole from others, you looked me straight in the eyes and lied to me” - that got a flinch indeed - “and you,” he placed his hand onto the shivering bottom, “you risked your life sneaking out of the house, you risked your life for no good reason!”

“Now, for the stealing, both from me and others, you have earned this!”  Knowing how much the child had earned he briskly added to what they’d already gotten, making sure each time his hand connected it was cupped in such a way as to increase the sound, because sting was assured but sound seemed to help drive the lesson home just as fast, and oh, how sweet, the child thought they’d be stoic.

Unlike the unexpected spanks she’d earned, now the form across his knee was totally silent, laying rigid, fists clenched, feet braced against the cushions, and that simply wouldn't do.

“We do not!” landing three spanks right on the under curve, “Steal from anyone!” landing four this time, two each to the bare upper thighs she moved then, with a sharp squirm and gasp. 

“For no good reason!” (because there was nothing wrong with theft, it just had to be justified properly) and landed six crisp sharp spanks, making sure to cover as much area as possible and she cried out louder now.

Good, but not good enough.

“Now,” he hooked his fingers into the useless as any kind of protection against a spanking panties and whisked them down to the girls knees which revealed two things with rock solid certainty, one, he wasn't spanking a girl, which he'd already suspected, and two, with what now seemed to be a quirk enhanced item of clothing used as a masking device out of the way at last, the child's full scent exploded into the room!

Sucking it in as a gasp of shock, he easily foiled their frantic attempts to escape, finally quelling it with measured words and actions, "Settle" SPANK "down" SPANK "now" SPANK!!!

Midoriya froze, letting Shouta reach behind and retrieve the paddle, tapping the already rosy cheeks with the solid wood, “We will speak of pronouns later, for now, this,” he raised the paddle, “is what your shockingly bad decision to lie to me earns you!”

The paddle sounded totally different in use from his hand, and delivered at this point a shockingly deeper burn, and now the child cried out in earnest, frantically squirming to get away from the steady, slow, rhythm of the paddle, and Shouta decided, as she/he threw a hand back to try and shield in some way to simply set the paddle down and give a spank each to mid thigh and repeat until with a loud wail the hand was removed, letting him once again take up the paddle and return his attentions to the proper area of chastisement.

After all, he’d been taught by the best how to do this, he was Head of House after all.

Had she/he kept their hands to themselves only ten would have been given but, she’d properly earned the extra it took to remind her where her hands belonged.

Finishing up the final few he tucked the paddle behind him again and paused, long enough for a sobbing face to lift, for her to twist to look and hope to blossom in tear-drowned eyes, and he said as his own gaze kept hers trapped, “This…. Is what you earn.... for Risking Your Life For No Good Reason!”

Landing his hand with a snap of extra fire onto already red hot skin she Screeched, bucking and now her voice was loud indeed, frantic with begging, pleading between crying out each time his hand landed, finally giving up when he lifted his right leg higher, her ass lifting higher as well, skin stretching and pulling to ensure a memorable finish to an already memorable spanking and he almost couldn't do it, almost couldn't finish because, like an indescribable perfume….

Omega

The fragrance flooded the room!

She/he/they were omega, distressed, frantic, that had been clear from the moment her panties were removed for the paddling portion, a please stop please I’m sorry sorry sorry in scent form but now, now he had positioned her to maximum vulnerability, had stretched her thighs that extra bit to maximize sting, the scent had morphed into….

Acceptance

Remorse

Regret

Acceptance

Submission

Forcing himself to say, voice a harsh growl, “Last ten little one!” and they covered their head and sobbed, a rising wail of despair!

And submitted to him, fully and completely.

His hands shook, and he was so fucking grateful he’d done a solid job so far because the final ten should land with a firm emphasis, with noticeably extra sting, but he doubted they would, that he even could, but, as he raised his hand for the first of the final ten, he imagined them broken, dead, or taken from him through stupid risks and he indeed landed the final ten with enough extra sting to have them HOWLING!

Each one landing firmly enough to drive out the image of them broken! SPANK

Battered! SPANK

Taken! SPANK

Chained somewhere he couldn't find them!!! SPANK SPANK SPANK

Lost to him forever and his inner Alpha howled to match her cries and he landed the final three, SPANK SPANK SPANK and it was done!

For all it seemed to have lasted forever, for the mind shattering revelations revealed during it, the actual spanking had lasted a very short time indeed.

Although from how hard the teen was sobbing, it must have seemed like an eternity for her as well.

Her him them they? Yeah, something else to go over today, more hard discussions but the one he’d not be talking about because he didn't think they’d even noticed, was how he’d managed to bond a junior member of staff to him during a simple spanking.

Shouta felt the child now, coiled deep in his own brain, in his heart, the child clearly masculine, secondary gender clearly omega.

He’d researched everything available on secondary genders, even breaking into several House’s to access their records - (often taking copies of what he found for Nezu) and private research facilities, been given everything Nezu had found on them as well because his inner nature had gotten him in trouble one time too many, he had to know how to stop it, to control it….

What he'd learned instead was how to live with it, embrace it and himself, because he wasn't two people, two natures, he was one, singular, unique, like everyone else was unique, Aizawa Shouta, Alpha and Head of House.

Spy, enforcer, sabotage-ier, to many he was a traitor or foe worthy of nothing but being tortured to death and to others a figure to be followed and obeyed, no matter what…..

Indeed, he was many things to many people, adopted son to one, brother in all but blood to others, Master of their fate to so many, protector ruler owner.

The weight of it all sometimes was so heavy, but now, now with his crying lapful and the bond singing deep in his heart he felt light, and young, and happy.

Shaking his head, he needed to do a refresher later when he had time on the bonding side of secondary genders, what kinds there were, how they might affect the child, how to break them if it could even be done, and reproduction rates in them as well. Even though his Omega was biologically male, he knew reproduction was possible, it just needed careful handling….

Firmly shutting that part of his inner nature right down, he rubbed the still sobbing shoulders, lifting and cradling the properly punished figure into his arms, their high yelping cry and frantic scramble to nuzzle under his neck, two hands fisted tight in his jumper as their bottom met the firm muscle of his thighs making his inner Alpha want to preen, to croon, to cuddle and soothe and he shut that right down, the child wasn't even of legal age, and he wasn't some instinct driven hind brain obedient savage, the little one was his.

His. 

Always and completely his!

But only when they were ready, only when they realized the link existed, and accepted it fully, and even then, they would call the shots, tell HIM what they wanted!

Until then he was mentor only, employer only, Master of fucking House ONLY!

And as such his duty was clear. Holding them closer he rocked slightly, gently scrubbing fingertips against their scalp, waiting until they calmed enough to hear and understand his words, simply humming as he held them.

Giving in just a little bit he pressed his nose to their hair, raising a hand to adjust their face, positioning it closer to the major scent glands under his jaw, no one really knew why his branch of humanity had gained eight scent producing glands of various sizes, largest under the jaw hinge and wrists, smaller at the base of the spine and behind the knees but with how keen his own sense of smell was, how keen every other SG person he’d met and gotten close enough to talk honestly with had senses just as keen, how the language of scents and fragrances reached deep inside and did things to them all….

Well, scent glands just made sense. 

Groaning at his own pun he started talking, telling his little one how they’d done things right, as well as wrong, how brave they were to accept what they’d earned, would learn from it going forward, how the new job would be so much to learn but that he’d be there every step of the way….

Keeping his inner Alpha firmly muzzled - because thinking about how a child smelled, how good they felt, how right in his arms, was seriously not on - he kept a steady stream of words flowing, not his strongest suit, as Hizashi and Nemuri would laugh at him for, and eventually he was holding a sleeping child, rather than a crying one, and he let silence fall at last, broken only by the occasional hiccup.

Bonded.

After swearing upon his parents deaths to NEVER bond, not with anyone, no matter how much he loved them. To never risk their deaths when he met his end one day.

And now....

He was thirty and bonded to a probably maybe mostly seventeen year old.

Well, fuck his life!

Chapter Text

Eventually every good nap ended, and once Izuku woke fully, and had eaten and had plenty to drink, they talked over his pronouns.

 He Him it turned out, and they talked about the choices that led to his masquerading as a female maid in the first place.

Shouta couldn't argue any of it because a safe place to lay ones head is worth some deception, if that's what it takes to get it so instead he approved, and when Izuku - he would stand on no ceremony with the child now he was in a position of personal secretary - blinked in shock, flinching a bit when his involuntary motion of surprise netted him a renewed burn to the bottom he was currently and seriously regretting being made to sit on as he wrote out apologies to the owners of what he’d taken, at least the ones Shouta knew personally anyway, and asked, “Really?”

“It’s really okay?”

“But…. isn't that a lie too?”

And oh, the feeling of shy hesitant hope that crept through the bond, no matter how tight Shouta clamped down on it, had Shouta wanting to hug him again but instead he said, “First, yes, it is a lie, but as you used it to get yourself into a position of safety it was a valid survival strategy.”

“Second, you knew none of us, had sworn no vows of obedience and loyalty to my House and to me yet, so while it was a lie, it falls into the approved category of lying.”

“You’ll learn all about it while I teach you your new job, no,” raising his head Shouta gazed at things only he could see, “no” he repeated slowly, “I have a better idea.”

An idea that would give a few hours a day without the constant dragging need to have them close, to maybe calm his inner Alpha down.

And would benefit the child as well because he needed to socialize with people his own age, and needed to be brought up to speed educationally wise, although Shouta doubted anyone could add much to his street smarts.

Reaching for his communicator he hit that familiar symbol and smiled at the high pitched happy tones that met his ears, “Yes Shouta, to what can I attribute the honor of a call from my favorite person in the entire world to?”

Oh, shit, had it been more than three days since he’d last called and, double checking the call log it was indeed four days, shit indeed!

“Nezu-sensei,” using the familiar teachers honorific in a frantic hope to sooth clearly hurt feelings, “I’m calling on behalf of my new personal assistant. They are in need of extra education, oh, hold on,” turning to the wide eyed shocked form he asked, "What schooling have you had?”

A carp would have had a hard time looking more flabbergasted than his Omega so he made a hurry up gesture with phone and finally got, “Five, um, year five Murs, just to year five.”

Nodding he lifted the phone, “I got that Shouta (‘shit, still Shouta’) however, that shouldn't be a problem if the child is bright enough, bring them to me….” - breaking in because his calendar was suddenly way too full, “Three days? That would make it Tuesday, afternoon, would that work?”

Infusing his voice with all the please forgive me he could pack into it he was immeasurably relieved when it got him, “Perfect Shouchan, that will work just fine, now, give me a name and I’ll let you be about your schedule, I’m assuming your meeting tomorrow will be dealing with Collection Agent Haga Eiji?”

“Yes indeed, and the name is Midoriya Izuku, age seventeen or near to it.  I’ll call tomorrow and tell you how the collection agent mess plays out, but only from my point of view as you will already be watching, right?” and while his tone was flippant simply knowing his Nezu would be watching over him tomorrow helped him view it with more certainty that he could get through it.

His teasing tone happily netted him a high delighted bark of laughter and the phone disconnecting. Relieved he’d managed to sooth the hurt feelings of his not calling on time, he smiled at the staring green eyes, “Nezu, he stands in Parentis Locus to me,” a half shrug, “I forgot to call him on time, help me remember to do that, else I’ll be the one getting the reminder of keeping important times and dates done.”

A rueful grin tugged at his lips at Izuku’s expression, “Yes, that kind of reminder, one you too will work hard to avoid once you become his student.”

“Nezu’s student?” The horrified squeak was like music to his ears because he too had once had that exact same reaction so he grinned as he said, “Yes, his very special student.”

Shouta pretend he didn't hear the tiny little “Oh dear.”

000000000000000000000000

Mutations.

Mutations mutations mutations.

Pondering the facts of that branch of humanity, Shouta worked through what he knew, and suspected. Well not just him but Nezu and their entire team, because it was a mutation he was heading out to deal with today.

The weekly all staff meeting, a chore indeed so he’d missed a few, missed too many, been so distracted with the bigger plan he’d use that as an excuse to avoid one of his most vexing and hated responsibilities and because of it, had missed something.

Something big.

Something important.

If it was possible he’d spank his own ass for it but he thought what he was going to get was worse so, to distract himself, Izuku trotting by his side, dressed now in black trousers, sturdy shoes, a long sleeved shirt of his House colors, and a hat, hair tucked up under it, shadows helping make him look older.

As a first day of shadowing him, it was going to be a doozie.

Stepping into place at the head of the large room, a raised dais allowing him to see them all, dozens of them, he let each come to him if they had a problem, or something to add to the reports already given and read, the weight of his primary weapon firm and comforting on his shoulders.

He’d already caught Izuku reaching for a trailing edge a few times, and he could agree, it really was perfect for fidgeting with.

Setting him to taking notes instead, he wound down the first portion by asking in a firm loud voice the traditional words, “Does anyone have anything else to bring to me?”

When no one spoke up he said, frown now on full show, “Then I confess myself.... disappointed!”

The mood in the room switched from comfortingly familiar to ice cold in an instant.

“Haga Eiji, step forward!”

Watching the sun bear mutation man come into the open space everyone had evaporated from, right before the dais, his musing on mutations returned to him.

Not a big man, but then Sun Bears weren’t big bears, they were however one of the most dangerous and short tempered animals on the planet, even honey badgers weren’t as bad because they had a playful nature.

Sun Bears didn't have that.

Nor did Haga Eiji!

In fact, he seemed to couple the worst of human aspects along with his mutation side, and that had, linked with Shouta’s distraction, led to where they were now.

Looking down at the man beginning to huff and bluster, not even knowing yet why he was singled out, Shouta moved like lightning, lashing his capture weapon into motion, catching the man around the legs, loops pulling his arms down and tight to his body, a sharp blow behind his legs had him on his knees, loops around his head, across his mouth, leaving his eyes and nose uncovered, a snarling huffing mumble still to be heard, even through the muffling cloth.

It was theorized that the human species itself, as a collective - long proven solid fact, each species is connected, in a vast group mind - chose several ways to survive, new ways to breed, new ways to expand lifespans, new ways to live, while still retaining the old blue print along with the new. Insurance, as it were, hence mutated humans, so many many different kinds, and sometimes they had the best of both in them, and others they had the worst, and this one was bad straight through.

Looking down at the Sun Bear growling in his restraints, Shouta stepped down to stand behind the kneeling man, placing his left hand on the head that tried to shake it off so he added a few more loops, keeping it in place.

“I am Aizawa Shouta, Head of House Aizawa, I own outright Aizawa Territory and all within it, you are all mine.”

“Stand before me, all rent collectors!” Gesturing with his chin he soon had them in a loose semicircle facing him and the bound man.

“EVERYONE in Aizawa Territory is MINE!”

The final word was growled in a way a sun bear could only dream of, secondary genders trumped animalistic natures times about a thousand and collectively they all retreated a step.

“When you hurt someone when collecting their rent, you hurt me.”

“When you frighten a child as you go about your duties, that is MY CHILD you just frightened!”

Taking his knife out with a silken hiss he said so coldly the words burned, “When you grab a child by their hair, hold them aloft and demand not just that rent be paid but an increase for, and I quote, “Producing a worthless quirkless offspring onto Aizawa territory!” That is MY CHILD you did that to!”

“Mine!”

“The mother is mine!”

“The child is mine!”

“YOU are mine!”

Looking at the transfixed eyes of the rent collectors watching him, he brought his knife hand down and in, blade facing the crowd, point easily entering from the side of the bound man's neck, going right through, point showing now on the far side and then he sliced forward, easily cutting the throat in a spray of blood.

A neck was difficult to cut if one didn’t know the tricks of it.

Shouta did it easily.

Ruthlessly holding the body still through its death dance, he snarled, “Your job is to collect rent, and to report to me if anyone is struggling!”

“Right now we have four different kinds of humans alive and thriving in our city, Mutations,” stepping back he whipped his scarf away from the body and brought it back to his shoulders, letting the dead man fall, “Secondary Genders, often called Alpha/Beta/Omega's, as well as those with quirks, and retro humans.”

“There is plenty of overlap between the kinds of people there are.”

Pausing he studied them all, his people, he’d failed them in letting this piece of shit go so long alive but he’d fix the hell out of it now.

“The word QUIRKLESS is derogatory, demeaning, and WRONG!”

“They are not quirkless, they are RETRO! And as such deserve your respect!”

“The ones who came before will continue alongside, and the next time I hear the word, from anyone, is the day an Aizawa Head of House canes their ass in public as a deterrent and lesson to all, am I clear?”

“Hai Lord!”

“Good, then hang this piece of shit in the main square for three days, when done, cremate and return it to its family.  Place his spouses on the widows list. I will be meeting with them today to give them enough money for the next six months at the rate they are accustomed to, and they live rent free for a year.”

“YOU!” He pointed to the tall figure that had been shadowing the one now dead at his feet, “Come here.”

Watching the purple hair wave in a nonexistent wind he ignored the clear terror on show, taking note of their age, or rather their lack of it, and instead of promoting them to the dead ones place as he’d planned, he waved a hand, “Stand with my assistant, I’ll get to you later.”

Mental quirk, mind control, the Sun bear had been using them to get more money from his streets, clearly hoping to advance in the ranks by squeezing more money from his two, just two, streets of people.

So much harm from such a tiny area!

Another crime to add to his tally, the use and abuse of a minor. Sparing a faint wish he could kill the bastard again he dismissed them all with an order to make time with his chief accountants, for a refresher and reminder of what their jobs actually were because, “YOU ALL KNEW what this one was doing, and not one of you reported it to me.”

“I am disappointed in you all.” letting his sorrow show now he shook his head again, “Very disappointed.”

“Go.”

They left.

Sadly, it was only step one of what he had to do.

Turning he said to the one now standing beside Izuku, “You will remain with us today, tell me your name.”

“Shinso, Master Aizawa, it’s Shinso Hitoshi.”

“Good, Izuku,” the boy straightened up even more, still looking shocked at the justice having been meted out, “Shinso will remain within three feet of you at all times, even if he needs to piss, he does so in your sight, you,” he said to the shaking figure, fear, the child was terrified, “YOU,” he insisted, “are not in trouble for what that one did, both to and with you, you will however be learning how the job is actually done, starting today!”

Turning to his chief accountant, the one who actually had brought him the information that something was wrong, he said, “You have the funds?”

“Yes Murs, every yen of it.”

“Good, then the sooner this is done the better.”

Ignoring the sympathy in those old eyes - she had watched him grow up after all and knew how hard this was and would be - he turned to the guards and said, “With me!” and the entire entourage moved out.

The two streets Haga Eiji had collected rent from were right at the border of his territory, between his and Shigaraki’s lands, and while not disputed right now, it had been in the past and would be in the future - unless Shouta gave in and killed the fucker and took his land which really was on the cards - so only the very poorest lived there.

Frowning at how dirty the streets were he asked, voice dripping in displeasure, “Why does it look like this?”

Because poor was one thing, squalid was another, no one in his territory should live like this!

Making a note Matsunaga said, no show of her age in her voice at all, “I will have that looked into Murs, this is unacceptable.” Stepping over something nasty on the street, she repeated, “Unacceptable!”

The first door on the first street opened slowly when he knocked upon it, and Shouta simply waited until the terrified woman had it fully open, before bowing low to her.

Very very low.

He had failed them, his people, shame clawed at his guts, and he held the bow for a long time before rising.

Looking in the shocked eyes fully, he said, “I am here because the one who hurt you was mine, as are you. His crimes against you are my crimes against you, and for them I humbly beg your forgiveness.”

Smelling the shock from all his people at his actions because he'd told no one what he'd planned, he held out a hand and into it went not a yen stick, because people this poor had no use for the cred/deb system, they used cash, old money, never enough of it, yet they did the best they could.

“Money,” he said with utter sincerity, “never buys forgiveness, yet a gift of it is all I have to offer as reparation for the hurts you have suffered in my name.”

Holding the cloth bag out, resting on both palms, he held it out as he bowed again, saying as he waited for it to be accepted or refused, “This is the last six months rent you have paid, in full, and your house will be rent free for the next full calendar year.”

He refused to move, holding his bow, until the weight lifted off his hands, lifting a tiny bit of the weight from his heart as well when he rose.

The head of this house, a tiny two up, two down, was trembling like a leaf and her tiny tiny children were clutching her legs, but she stood taller, clutching the bag of money tight, and said, “It wasna yer fault Lord, but I’ll take this,” she shook the bag, “an give some of e to the poor near ta river, and wif tanks accept yer gift of t’ year free, maybe tis’ll let my mens get ahead of t'eirselves fer a change.”

“Now, I know e have more tan me ta gets to, you t’ree, where's yer bows?”

This was said to her babies and they all bowed, tiny squeaks of " Good Murs!" whispered from them.

The door closed and, relieved that one at least had gone well, Shouta looked at the two boys shadowing him and said, "When you mess up, you make up, no exceptions, no matter how high, no matter how low, your fault, your fix!”

“Now, come, we have two full streets to go.”

Allowing exactly none of how it made him want to cry show, he led them to the next house, the entire street consisting of row houses, all to the same pattern, all small, all dirty, all full of people doing their best, all of them failed by Shouta.

Standing tall he waited for the door to open, and repeated what he’d done at the first house.

He spent a long time bowing that day, and not a single one refused his gift, or his apologies, for which he was unspeakably grateful.

The day did have highlights, like the time he was tackled around the knees by a toddler, a clear alpha, who gave a high yiping cry and said “Tank ooo, Tank ooo Mummy needed tat! Mummy mummy c’n we giz'em tea?” Big yellow eyes looked up with deep pleading, “Tea par’y, p’eese?”

He had Izuku make a note - in addition to all the ones already taken of the day - to check that the school in the area was good enough, to be sure it had enough funding, and to check the library as well and social hall as well.

All his kittens needed education, and the parents needed the social aspect of the library and the meeting hall to make their lives that tiny bit better.

The pig mutation that met him at one door would never leave his memory or his heart when after taking the gift she grunted, “Ta boy, tat one, what’s ta be done with e?”

“Why?” Shouta asked carefully.

“Ta one who done te crime hurt ee, made ee do his bidding, used ee’s quirk on me, on many, NAY, stop yer cringing, stand up ee!” The last was said to Shinso who had curled into himself at the words, “Na harm is yers, bastard that one was, to us and to ee!”

Turning back to Shouta she said, tiny red eyes in a black face, snout quivering and damp, huge ears folded over, hanging down as they flicked, wire bristle hair raised in a crest across her scalp, beautiful in her own way, and said, “We ain'ts got much, us,” looking at her seven children, all clearly the same age, all tiny, all with wild boar stripes across their skin, “nor space, yet, we c’n take one more, al’say room fer one more, boys welcome here if ee needs a home!”

Feeling the urge to cry surge in his chest, he blinked the burn away from his eyes and was expecting it when she surged forward to grab him around the middle, a pigs sense of smell rivaled even his own and short and stout she could only reach his middle for the hug she was giving him, fierce and kind as she said, voice a low ruble, “Not yer fault ever, Lord ee may be, young ee is, fixin it ee are, good ee, good ee, now, I’m guessing ee’s got t’boy, am I right?”

Taking a moment to get his voice under control he finally managed to say, “Yes, I have him now.”

“Good, then get ee gone, all of ee’s, be gone, Master gots more ta gets too, and I gots food to buy in, here piggies,” she said to her children, “how does ee’s all feel of ice cream fer dinner?”

The door closed on ear splitting squeals of joy!

The joy of that encounter got him through the rest, every one different yet so much the same, by the end he felt a million pounds lighter yet aching in ever part of him, he’d rather have met Nezu’s ruler for a solid week than do what he’d done that day but at last it was finished, as was he, and he sent his guards home, continuing on to drop Matsunaga-san home to her family, finally scraping up enough energy to hand his newest child over to housekeeping, instructing them to place him beside Izuku's room, sent them both away to shower with a reminder he’d speak to them both in the morning and finally face planted into his couch.

Sighing, he almost started crying right then and there but mastered the impulse because he was not a kitten, despite anything Nezu might say, which would have been fine when a totally unexpected voice broke the stillness of the air, “THAT was very well done my Shouta, your parents would have been proud, as am I.”

Making grabby hands at Nezu he did burst into tears then, but as he got to snuggle the world's softest fur of his adopted dad, and it had been the day from absolute hell, he simply held tight and let the tears fall.

Alpha he may be but that only made him more, rather than less, emotional. 

Later, over a dinner Nezu insisted he have, they talked it over, and about the area, the improvements needed, what help could be given, perhaps a manufacturey could be added, that bit of wasteland where three main territories met could be turned over to a factory setting, the new airships braving the jet stream needed fittings made, they’d reach out to Hatsumi industries and ask, the parts needed required dexterity and pride to make something no one would ever see yet the ships would fail without them.

Yes, that area had plenty of people to use, sighing they tabled the discussion when Nezu realized the time, sending Shouta to bed with a hug and reiterated pride in how well he'd done that day, just as he did when Shouta was much younger, and like then too, it made him feel so much better, so loved.

Falling into bed, he slept like the dead until eleven of the clock, four full hours past his usual rising time.

He couldn't even get angry at it because it was Nezu himself who’d turned his morning coffee in bed away, refusing to let anyone wake him.

Saying it was to let him get acquainted with the two new House Aizawa kittens, Shouta knew it was a way to help him recharge and was grateful, even though it put him sadly behind.

Obedient to the words, "Today is a day off Shouchan." The "Or else.” might not have been spoken but he heard it loud and clear so he bowed to the will of his Dad, and together they got to know their new youngsters a bit better.

Later, alone, Nezu knew they’d talk about bonding, of what kinds of bonding there were, and about patience, and time.

For now though Shouta sat in comfort (he absolutely knows better than to try get around a “day off”) and sipped his second cup of coffee, blessing the links between House Nezu and House Hatsume that insured he had coffee, every day, even if his consumption had been capped years ago by Nezu to a heartbreaking three cups a day.

Cursing his self preservation instincts that held him to it, it was a restriction he absolutely followed, else his Dad follow through with the threatened rewards for drinking too many cups and getting caught.

Snuggling down on the couch in blissful comfort he listened to his Dad pulling the story of his life from Hitoshi, blessing not just the bean juice but the quiet time spent together, the den warm and safe around them.  As an antidote to the day before, it was just about perfect!

00000000000000000000000000000000

Watching that bastard first be humbled, brought to his knees, then have his throat cut like a pig, it was the best moment of his young life.

Sixteen and a villain because of an entitled and brutal fucker who’d bought him, actually BOUGHT HIM like a chair, or a weapon!

He knew his parents had been poor, hadn’t liked him even, but to sell him?

Thirteen years old, he’d been almost three years in that one's control, and at first it was okay, well, it wasn't any worse than his family anyway, but then about six months in he’d been made to control someone to hand over all their valuables.

The first time speedily became a few times a month, then a few times a week, and then it was every time, every person was grabbed by his quirk, and he was so careful, he never hurt anyone, but then, oh gods, then one day he’d asked for the valuables like normal and the man had handed over his daughter, fifteen, and….

It was the only time he’d ever been grateful to the fucking bear, the man had back handed the father, knocking him to the ground and out of Hitoshi’s quirk, and yelled at him for so long.

So long.

And they’d taken the girl but put her in a Seamstress House rather than somewhere worse, but one good act didn’t make up for three years of abuse, and it was abuse cause even if he never went hungry like before, there was never a time Hitoshi didn't hurt, bruises, and worse.

And Hitoshi had it good!

Compared to him the mans three spouses were. 

Well.

Hitoshi was just glad the fucker was dead.

Watching him fall, the burning words of their lord and Master as he called them all to task, and then he was called forward.

Hitoshi was going to die.

The certainty of it filled him but maybe, maybe he’d get a better deal in his next life?

Trying to be brave, even as his entire body shook in terror, he walked to his death.

And then didn't die!

Or even get hurt!

Instead he was taken into the group, made to stay with the really pretty boy with green hair who smelled so good and then he had to face all the people he’d hurt with his quirk, all of them.

And watch his Master of House bow low to each of them, apologize to each of them, pay a gift and give them all a year's free rent….

Listen in as plans were made to clean the area, to make sure the schools were up to scratch, even how to bring in employment….

His heart had hurt, hurt so bad, anyone with eyes, with a nose, could see and smell how much it hurt for Master Aizawa to do what he did, how bravely he did it, the inspiration would live inside of Hitoshi forever, he knew it.

From believing utterly he was going to die and instead be taken into House Aizawa, placed in a room next to the master's young assistant for the night and now he was listening to his new life being mapped out before him, things like schooling, and chores, clothing and allowances and being made a child of the House but of which house because there were several that would suit and…..

Feeling sick at how fast he’d been taken in, a villain like him, he finally said, “Why?" Speaking to both the adults but it was Izuku that he watched, “Why me, I’m sick, a villain, bad, just, bad! I don't deserve this, there's better people than me, ANYONE is better than me!!!”

The final words had been a cry, not to be abandoned again but for help, even though the Omega didn’t even know it, and Nezu never failed to give help when it was asked for.

He’d already, after passing every option through his mind, called one of his other children, who was due soon, so he said, “Sit down Hitoshi, yelling isn't nice.”

As his strings had been cut the kid fell into the chair he’d been near, and Izuku who was already there laughed and caught him, pulling him tight to his side.

Walking closer Nezu took the silently gasping child's hands, sixteen, such a child, hurt and frightened, a mental quirk fit to inspire only fear in the stupid masses of humans, and a secondary gender so rare the child himself perhaps didn't even realize he had it, and wouldn't until he matured enough for it to impact upon his life.

Houses, a mental spit and curse at that tradition, one that kept his pack separated into territories but ah, he kept the savage joy hidden, that was about to change!

“Little One,” voice a soothing purrr, “everyone deserves kindness. Everyone deserves a home where no one hurts them, food when they're hungry, shelter from the cold, you, Shinso Hitoshi, deserve love, and I am placing you with someone who will love you very much indeed.”

“Hizashi?”

‘Ahhhh clever Shou-chan’ “Yes, Hizashi. His house will benefit, as will the plan.  And you my Shouta, need to focus on training your new little one” - Shouta needed to focus on the child mind, his health, his training, to help him avoid focusing on his body, if indeed that was where the bond he could clearly smell would send them - “and all of you will come to House Nezu for them to spend time with me, three days a week at first, don't worry little ones, I will send you home with work to do to keep you busy between the days we meet.”

Smelling their dismay at having school work at all, never mind extra, he chuffed a laugh, “Worry not little ones, you might even enjoy it.”

“Now, I hear my Sunshine child, his arrival is unmistakable. Let's all have some lunch and go for a walk, we have all been in the stuffy inside air for far too long!

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Watching Shouta interact with their very loud Beta, watched how hard it was for him, even loving the blond as much, or even more, than a brother, how hard it was to let the child go.

To let an omega child leave his protection, even though he knew Hizashi would guard him with his life, would kill or die for Hitoshi within ten minutes of meeting him.

Shouta had always been possessive, it was a classic Alpha trait after all, but this, this was new, as was the smell he’d picked up the instant he’d come into the room the evening before.

Sweet.

His Shouta was many things, and yes, sweet was one of them, in the right circumstances, but he’d never smelt sweet, he smelt rich and piney, like rosemary coated roasted leg of lamb. Poor Hizashi smelt to Nezu like duck, cooked slow into melting perfection and finished off with a succulent sweet-orange sauce. Nemuri darling smelt like Creme Brulee and Oboro smelt like strawberry ice cream on a hot summer's day.

Nezu had to be careful to not let himself get too hungry before visiting with his children, they all smelled so good the urge to bite could be overpowering and the two newest ones were not helping that mix, being between them hot seafood chowder on a cold wet day and chocolate matcha gateau.

Sparing a frustrated thought to his ever present diet, cursing his genes that allowed him to get fat practically on air, he sighed and focused his attention on Shouta.

Hizashi and Hitoshi had long gone home, and Izuku had been sent to bed, and now it was just the two of them, each with tea, and silence.

“Speak to me my Shouta.”

Letting his quiet words fill the space, he waited, and was rewarded when his most reticent kitten began speaking to him, all about the mite that had stolen, and lied, and risked their own life, never mind their safety….

How they’d even broken into House Shigaraki and taken that most special memory ring Shouta had gifted him with not much earlier.

How he'd simply found an open window and then strolled through that vast house, looking for just the right tiny item to take away with him, finally finding it on the bedside table of the Maser of House himself!

The thought of Izuku in the same place as that evil sick fucker had a ripping snarl breaking the quiet words, ridge fur standing on end and ears pinned fully back as he struggled to speak, to articulate his protective rage and Shouta was there, kneeling, close enough to touch yet not touching, knowing better, only slowly reaching forward as he spoke soothing words, easy words about catching the kitten, of a proper spanking already having been given, that the kitten was safe, was sorry, had learned better, was so smart, so clever.

Calming enough to think properly at last Nezu finally knew in words what his body and unconscious thoughts had realized as soon as he saw them together, “Bonded?”

A broken nod, and now it was Nezu’s turn to soothe and comfort, pulling his dark kitten into a hug, to tell him how proud of his self control he was, how hard he knew it was, that he knew Shouta was strong enough to be the mentor and to wait for consummation until the kitten was ready, to forgo it forever if the kitten never was ready.

That no shame attached, biology was like that, the kitten was old enough to reproduce, that was all bodies cared about, MINDS however needed more time, and society as well taught that, so Shouta would wait, and simply enjoy teaching such a clever kitten, that if he ever needed help in self control Nezu was there, that he knew heats were going to be difficult, that Izuku could stay with him come late winter, that everyone would help, that he was sorry to split the kittens up but that Beta Hizashi would teach Hitoshi safety, and care, and love, and comfort while Shouta did the same for Izuku.

Spoke too of different kinds of bonds, that Izuku was young enough for the bond to not be that of mate, but perhaps of child instead, that Shouta would wait, and let himself feel, to know eventually and fully how they were bonded, and until then Nezu was there, all of them were there, that Shouta wasn't alone, and that Izuku would never be alone, even if Shouta was eaten by a Heffalump or Woozle as he walked down the road -

the silliness of the image managed to get a tired grin from Shouta, which had been Nezu's plan because he well knew his kittens secret fear

- that Izuku would have enough love and support to survive it and.....

They talked late in the night, finally sleeping right where they were, beside the slowly dying fire, and were content.

Chapter Text

It took Nezu six DAYS to break the encryption on the ring, both blessing and cursing the one who’d invented the damned thing so long ago, so much of what he’d learned about the very nature of the innocuous looking ring he’d be taking and using for himself, and he'd give his young friend Mei a gift of much of it as well, her Life Day was coming up after all and while her parents had the entirety of House Hatsumi and it's shipping line, only their single offspring had the spark of genius blazing like a star.

Yes, mentally setting aside several items he’d gift her from the ring's construction’s secrets, he then focused on what was inside.

Giving up on ever getting his ruff to lay flat again, or his ears to lift from their flat back position of absolute sick fury at what he’d found because....

Medical experimentation was a part of life, and it often used animals to gain understanding of new procedures and medications to use on actual humans (and on animals as well, veterinary science was a thing after all, ever advancing because pets were precious too) so he understood that understanding started with experimentation….

But what was being done in the bowels of House Shigaraki was an abomination!

As was the actual Head of House!

The official Head was a youth, not yet even having reached the age of Reason, too young to have his position but there was no one left, his quirk had activated, unlike anyone in his family lineage, an aberration, and he’d killed them all, disintegration.

They’d crumbled to dust and ash, leaving only a child.

Focusing on his own data stream, so many many decades spent collecting information, scraps that survived between the fall of the world and now and every single thing he could tap into now, legal or not, he tried to find who the Regent had been, a so-called family friend, but the man didn't exist, nowhere could Nezu find any mention of him…..

Until a chance word in the ring's storage, a hidden diary by the child himself, led Nezu to the past, to the dawn of the ending of the world itself, and the ring was proved older than even Nezu expected, and pushed back his understanding of when it happened by so much farther.

Then he found the man.

Tracing him through time, glimpses linked to data in the ring, finding him first as Hirai Shigeo, then Nakayama Kaeda, he lost him for a long long gap in time, then found Kaneko Hiroshi, and Shimura Akatani, and finally Shigaraki Hisashi, and now nothing.

A scornful thought, ‘Changing your appearance would help keep you hidden but arrogance knows no subtlety!’

But having found him Nezu now settled in to get to know him properly, to find his flavor and scent through what still remained of the man through his past lives, to figure out how anyone could not just condone what was going on under that House, but embrace it.

Sending a note to his housekeeper who was a wonderful woman, Frog mutation, a simple agility quirk, he’d found her on the streets, selling her body trying to provide for her numerous offspring when her three mates had all died in a freak accident in the manufacturey they all worked at, and he’d seen the intelligence in her eyes - he often gained employees that way, sex workers had to be smart just to survive - and simply brought her, and them, home.

Twelve children were a record for him to collect all at once, and a joy, they were almost old enough to join his special classes, actually, counting them all, he almost had a schools worth of kittens, a small school but a school nevertheless. 

Knowing she’d bring meals and tea at steady intervals, that she knew how deep he was going, that if he started to worry her that she'd get Shouta, or any of his Kittens really to bring him back, he set aside the nebulous vision of a school of his own, let go the world, and dove into the computer system he’d created, letting him into all the data he had collected over the decade, as well as what was in the ring.

He needed to get to know a demon, and fast!

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The problem with getting to know someone as in depth as Nezu had to with the hidden Head of House Shigaraki, was that for all the man was evil, and despicable, and just nasty, Nezu could clearly see the parallels between them.

Shagarki Hisashi had clear goals, clear aims, and easy to understand plans, and was willing to do just about anything to reach them.

Nezu too had clear goals, aims, plans, and was willing to do just about anything to achieve them.

However, while Shigaraki had and was using a House, and his people, as was Nezu in all honesty, Nezu would die before hurting any of his people.

They were his!

Not as playthings, or tools, or toys, but as people to be cared for, cherished, guided, protected, and helped!

Shigaraki was hurting not just his own people but was planning on casting the entire city into chaos and violence, the kind that led to streets running with blood, and that was the very least of what that thing (cause Nezu wouldn't any longer call it human) was up to.

Having ripped out every last bite of data available to him, now Nezu needed eyes on, he had to get into the under-labs of that cursed house, and into their data store if possible, because if he was right then the actual history of the end of the last world was there, ready and waiting, just for him.

But House Shigaraki was a tech black spot, he had no way in from the usual channels so buckling down, he got to work, to truly crush this evil, more information was needed, perhaps if he....

Placing his own plans briefly on hold, taking cup in hand, he got back to work.

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Shouta was somewhat used to the bond now, managing to keep it one way only - he hoped, not sure, not sure - and simply enjoyed being around his new ward. The kids mind was a joy, so bright, so funny, a cutting bite to it adding spice….

Leaving him home today had been surprisingly difficult but he was checking in with the bordellos bordering his lands and Shigaraki’s, not a place he wanted to take anyone their age, and certainly not someone with a secondary gender.

Bad enough he had to go in them, and he made sure they were well run, safe, yet he hated the places, he needed not just a mental, but a heart connection for physical attraction to be possible, sex as a matter of bodies and money repulsed him.

But they too were his, and some had gone missing lately, unacceptable indeed, so with three of his enforcement team, he set out to get the truth of it from the source as it were.

Feeling the simmering concern and annoyance at being left home, left even worse with Nezu and classes, Shouta smiled, it was good for Izuku to not get his way every now and then, and he was spending the day in the ever increasing numbers of kids roughly his age that Nezu was steadily collecting, which was also good for him.

Turning into the narrow street, quiet at this time of day, he felt a faint brush of air and then nothing.

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Izuku wondered if Shouta knew he could feel his feelings but he doubted it, after all, it was a quirk thing, it was just stronger with Shouta than anyone else for some reason.

Smiling at his past self calling it Friend Finder but, well, if it fit the bill.

Frowning down at the book he was supposed to be working on he felt along his lines, so few of them now, he used to have all his mud larks but over the years they’d faded away, just like his parents had when they died, his brother and sister too when the sickness took them and half the village at the same time.

With practiced motions he set aside the grief, focusing on the gratitude he felt to them all for being in his life at all, a brief prayer to any god caring for their souls and a hope for a better life when reborn and tried to let the book reclaim his interest.

It never had a chance.

Mind still wandering he felt along Hitoshi’s thread, they were, oooooo, dear, that was bad, the sudden jolt of guilt/alarm to be felt had Izuku shutting that down, leaving only the thread itself vibrating in the back of his mind.

Someone was in trouble and Izuku did NOT want any second hand spanks, thanks!

A wry grin at his rhyming and he felt carefully along Nezu’s thread, feeling a contended purrr, weird but pleasant, and then, for lack of anything else because he had no strong connections with anyone else - Yamada was close, like a flavor of air not yet defined, but Izuku knew soon he’d have someone new to watch/feel/locate - so he followed Shouta’s string for a bit, smiling wider as he felt how good the man felt, how fit, healthy, happy, contented….

Izuku might have once hated that his quirk was so stupid, after all what possible use was it to know instantly where his loved ones were, and how they felt?

Wincing as a sudden, yet thankfully faint, burn ignited across his ass, yep, he’d been right, Hitoshi was reaping the rewards of something.

Sighing as he caught Nezu’s eye, resolving to avoid his new friends fate, Izuku focused harder on the very dull reading material.

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"You can have anything in the house, Little One, all you have to do is remember to ask.”

Remember to ask.

But….

That meant Hitoshi had to ask someone for something and that was, well.

Hard.

It was hard.

And really, how much did Master Yamada mean it?

Seriously, no master of a house this big wanted his what, assistant? Ward? Burden? Tag along? Anyway, no matter what he called himself, he knew no one ever wanted Hitoshi to ask them for things so, up until now he’d taken what was given - so much, just so much, like, three meals a day? Really? - and said all the right things but he’d been here almost three weeks now, and the sky hadn’t fallen on him yet, so….

It was really strange, these feelings he was having.

He’d had them all his life, the urge to provide, to comfort, to protect, to hide away, not himself but anyone weaker than he was, like that bastard bear’s children, Hitoshi had hidden them any chance he got….

Stolen food for them too, for the cubs and the mates, any chance he got.

So maybe that was what this was?

But, as his hand reached for the little jar of quince preserves (sweet, rich, tart, luscious) he tried to remind himself that Izuku didn't need him to bring him food, didn't need help or hiding.

He had Master of House Aizawa himself taking care of him, what could Hitoshi possibly give him to equal that?

Cheese?

Oooooooo cheese!

Cloth wrapped, double his clenched fists in size, soft and ripe and a perfect accompaniment to the preserves, Hitoshi’s hands carefully tucked it in his bag, following it with a packet of crackers, crisp, he had no idea how the house preserves head did it but they made them, like airy bites of heaven, the preserves and cheese would pair divinely with them and despite the clarion calls of danger in his head, Hitosh hummed and closed his bag, knowing what he had would be perfect for his friend.

Maybe friend?

Feeling a shivering in his quirk but not just in his quirk but deeeeeep inside him too, like nothing he’d ever felt before, but it was like he and Izuku were connected somehow, a shadow, a wisp, but it was there. Not just there but getting stronger every day.

Maybe that was why he was stealing from the pantries instead of doing his morning chores and almost regretting not having asked but, well, asking meant he had to ask and the answer was always no, even though Yamada (“Call me Hizashi!” but just no, really, too much, too hard, can’t can’t can’t) had told him he would let him have anything he needed but….

Running his eyes across the shelves, making sure he’d remembered to move things around just enough to cover his, his, not theft, that sounded bad. Foraging, yeah, that's better, hide his foraging.

Nodding, he turned and almost stroked on the spot because, silent and unmoving, Head of House Yamada Hizashi was leaning against the door frame, simply watching him.

Swallowing in panic, for an instant Hitoshi almost tried his quirk when his up until then buried self preservation instincts raised their heads and asked, "ARE YOU INSANE?"

Letting his quirk go, instead he shuffled his feet as his eyes raked uselessly around the room to find any possible route of escape or excuse for what he'd done, and not finding any, shuffled again, clutching his bag tighter to his chest.

Silence as he was studied, by now the man should be yelling, or hitting even, and Hitoshi was starting to panic properly when, softly, words drifted through the air. “Do you remember what I said about asking for things sweetheart?”

Fuck, he was going to die, no one was this calm around Hitoshi, especially when he’d just been caught stealing, and backing up fast enough to ram the counter into his back hard enough to bruise, he nodded.

“Good.” A matching nod from the man in the doorway who then asked, “Did you think to ask for whats in there?”

A chin gestured to the bag and Hitoshi clutched it tighter, half shielding it by bending around it, and with reluctance he nodded again because he had.

“Mmmmm, okay, good, thank you for being honest.”

Nibbling at the inside of his lips Hizashi studied the thieving little minx of a mouse in his pantry, frozen indeed just like a mouse caught in the act, and gave a mental sigh.

He’d been expecting it really but hoping against hope not to have to deal with anything like this.

But, well, food and omegas, damn, it was the food thing!

Alpha’s had it too, Shouta was a devil indeed when it came to wanting to feed the entire fucking world - thanking every lucky star in the sky's he was a beta Hizashi pointed a finger at the frozen kid and said, “Right, first, I am not going to try and take your bag, nor do I want you to give it to me.”

“Okay?”

The baffled expression didn't help Hizashi’s heart any but he kept going, “Am I right that it’s for someone?”

A silent nod.

“Is it for,” a hunch only but, well, Hizashi knew several omegas yet thought Hitoshi only knew one, “Izuku?”

A dropped jaw and another nod was all he needed so he sighed, and said, “Right, come with me, I’ve already let Nezu know we’ll be a bit late, so we have time to deal with this now.”

Reaching out he casually lifted a rice paddle (cheap, thin flat wood, nice long handle) from the jug holding all sorts of kitchen implements, and walked out, knowing his little one would follow.

Well, if he knew what was good for him he would.

The kid followed him so, Hizashi felt only relief at the confirmation, he wasn't afraid of him, and trusted him enough to be led into Hizashi’s den.

Sitting on the couch Hizashi pointed to the other end and said, clear command in his tone, “Sit!”

His kid sat!

“Hitoshi,” the kid nodded and mouthed a silent yes, “right now several things are going to happen, not a single one of them is going to injure you.”

“And I will NOT take your bag.”

The bag in question was clutched so tightly to the kids stomach Hizashi despaired for the poor cheese, squashed flat probably so he said again, “I will not take your bag!”

“You will have to hold it out of the way though because, do you remember what I said about asking and what happens if you don't?”

A single tear rolled down a white cheek, and he got another silent nod.

“Oh sweetheart, come here.” Opening his arms he just waited and like a tiny crab, sideways and almost disbelieving at his own daring, Hitoshi slid into his arms, pressed his face into Hizashi's chest, and started sobbing.

Holding him tight Hizashi simply held on, knowing the storm might last a while.

Being held by Hizashi, trying to raise his barriers back up, to call him Master Yamada in his mind but it didn't work, the man smelt like sunshine and sweet tea and safety, it was impossible to call him anything other than Hizashi in his mind, and having failed to do the one thing he’d been asked to do, to just ask for the food?

Sobs racking his thin frame, he was held safe and protected, even his bag was there, pressed between them, safe safe safe….

Finally managing to say, “Sorry, mmmmmms’rry, w’nt’ed too but but but”

“Asking is hard?”

The voice was so gentle, and understanding, and Hitoshi frantically nodded against him, cause it was, so hard.

“Well, first I‘m going to incentivise asking, which should make it easier,” - Hitoshi gave a high thin whine, frantically shaking his head and only stopped when a large hand cradled the back of his head and said “Shhhhhh, it’s alright little one, its alright Hitoshi, I promise it’s alright.”

“Now, as I said, you already knew the penalties for not asking because I told them to you several times so, this way you’ll remember and make it easier next time for you to ask.”

“And when we’re done, you and I are going to talk about instincts, and what it means to be omega.”

The kid pulled back a bit, one eye peeking up, and a wet voice asked, “Omega?”

“Yeah, but that’s for after, first, are you able to set your bag down or do you need to keep holding it?”

He tried, tried really hard, but he just couldn't let go but before he could start freaking out Hizashi said, a smile in his voice, “Yeah, I thought so, Shouta’s the same, or was at your age, so up you get,” helping the kid stand he said, “Hold on to it with both hands, yes, just like that.”

“Now, I’ll take your trousers down, no,” his voice was suddenly very stern and the kid instantly stopped trying to pull back. Blessing Nezu who’d taught them all how to deal with their own, and others, instinctive reactions, he said again, “No, you hold your bag, I’ll do your trousers and now, well done,” this because the kid didn’t struggle, “over you go.”

Helping him into position he said as he took up the rice paddle, his favorite implement for naughty little bottoms, “Now, for not asking, as you were clearly told to do, and agreed to do, you get ten.”

Patting the flinching backside, he asked, “Hitoshi, what do we do when we want something from the kitchens? And,” he added as the kid sucked in a breath to answer, the sass clearly to be smelt, “the kitchens include all food prep and storage areas and, lovey, you are in a bad position to be trying out your sass bone.”

But Hizashi knew Shouta, had been in this position with him more times than he could count, and Shouta always defaulted to sass, not even meaning it, so he’d never give the kid extra because it was fear, not disrespect, and he rubbed a soothing hand across the kids back, and said again, “What do we do when we want something sweetheart?”

This time the kid answered, face pressed into his bag, voice muffled and sobs still jerking his shoulders, “Ask, we-we-we a-a-ask!”

“That's right, we ask.”

Lifting the paddle he brought it down, just the head of it, palm sized, thin flat wood, once each side, a double spank that had his lapful giving a sharp squeal, lifting his head in shock and denial when Hizashi asked, “Who deserves food any time they want it?”

This time he had to ask a second time, and pat firmly enough to sting before the kid answered, “M-m-me, I I I doooo!”

“That's right, you, Shinso Hitoshi, deserve food any time you want it.”

Bringing the paddle down, this time four stinging spanks, still with just the broad end of the paddle, he left bright red blotches in it wake, and the kid kicked and yowled, frantically shaking his head when Hizashi, voice calm and utterly inflexible, asked again….

“What do we do when we want something sweetheart?”

And like the good boy Hizashi knew he was at heart, a wailing voice managed to say, "Ask, we a-a-ask for for for it!”

“That's right, you are absolutely right, and next time you will remember this and ask.”

As Hitoshi frantically nodded his understanding, Hizashi landed the final four spanks, this time using the handle of the rice paddle, because just like a ruler it gave a wide stripe of fire across the entirety of his naughty little ones bottom, and Hitoshi ki-yi-yi-yi-ed and kicked and squirmed and finally went limp, sobbing his heart out, only to be lifted and cradled close and he’d even, finally….

Let go of the bag of food.

Holding him as he cried it all out, Hizashi wondered how it was possible to love anyone this much after only knowing them for such a short time but he too had instincts, pack being one of his strongest, and bowed to them.

And once calm, he told Hitoshi all about what he was, because the kid had no idea he was any different to the run of the mill person, and told him all about how his being Omega would influence him, and WHY he was driven to take food to those he liked, and just in general an introductory course to being and having a secondary gender.

It wasn’t in depth by any means and only barely touched on the actual biology of it all, but it showed Hitoshi that, despite what he’d been told his entire life, he really was as normal as anyone else.

After a final bout of crying, together they headed out to House Nezu for a much delayed school day.

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Watching Hitoshi shyly give Izuku the food, and then for the little green haired omega to share it with all of them, it settled the deep bit of Hizashi that had been whispering he’d taken the newest little omega from Shouta, despite how that was NOT what happened! 

Feeling contented and relaxed, the feeling of pieces fitting together, a puzzle coming together at last, pack/pack/pack purring in his mind, Hizashi basked in it as the boys got back to work, the sweet after taste of quince jelly simply adding to the overall feeling of rightness and then, between one instant and the next, it all went to hell.

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Hitoshi winced as he sat but it wasn't anything major, and the echos Izuku was getting was a steady burn but not enough to be more than discomfort, rather than active pain, so whatever he’d earned had been bad enough for him to feel through his strings but mild enough to not be bad now so Izuku smiled as his new friend (not the right word, his mind nagged at him, a different word, a proper word, the right word) said, voice slightly hoarse, “I, um, brought you some food?”

“Really? Awwww, um, I don't have anything for you though!” But he didn't have time to get upset over his lack when Hitoshi said, “That’s okay, you’c’n do it next time!” and the hope in his eyes, it was like it reached deep into Izuku and that string suddenly got so much stronger, like the one between him and Shouta, thick and powerful, a rope rather than a string, and while that was strange, and new, and not bad but he was scrambling mentally to figure out what to do about it because now he could feel phantom strings through his other ones.

Strings through both Shouta and Hitoshi that linked to Hizashi and Nezu and to others he didn't even KNOW!!!

Counting them all, focusing so hard, he was suddenly on his feet in shock because....

Shouta’s string went dead.

Empty

Echoing

Blank

His location was still there, still held tight within Izuku’s quirk, but the link was gone.

And Izuku screamed, high pitched and desperate, and Hitoshi echoed him!

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Waking in an instant, cuffed semi reclining to a metal table with clear channels for blood and other fluids to drain freely was not where Shouta expected to be today!

Nor did he expect to feel not one, but two panicking omega in his mind, and echoing through them he felt the familiar cool heat of....

*Hizashi?*

*Yeah you fucker, who’d you expect when you bond one omega and let him play with the other? Now we’re in a four way link!*

*Five* - a faint chirp from Keigo, beta to the bone

*Six*- a strong and sultry tone from Nemuri, powerful Alpha that she was

*Seven* - the droll tone could be none other than Nezu

*Ummmmm, eight ways?* - Izuku was as sweet mentally as he was physically, strong and solid, an anchor in the bond and then *No, nine if you count me and what the ever loving fu*

- *Hitoshi, language* -

And the golden tones of a beta, firm and supporting, had Hitoshi changing his words instantly, *Yeah, ummm, okay Zashi* (no one mentioned the new name or the desperate hopeful love bleeding from the boy into the bond, or how they all fed support back to him) *but seriously, what’s going on?*

*Shouta, dearest heart, show us what you see, we already know your location - thank you Izuku, your quirk is very useful - now please Shouchan*

Reluctantly opening his eyes, he expected pain but he was so supported in the link he could perhaps shrug off an amputation - *don't’ you dare!* - ignoring the dire warning from every fucking one he looked around.

First thoughts, *oh wow fuck what is that smell?*

Second was *Yes, my guards are, well,* looking again at how they sagged into their restraints. He knew they were injured at the least, but they were still breathing so he’d count that for the win it was.

Ignoring how he felt his (his?) two omega snarling against the pack leaving them home because he knew they'd be left forcibly if needed, with a guard of trusted House Nezu security members and yep, as he kept feeding the details to them he felt the bond settle, because while they were resentful they had no choice but to remain.

He briefly added his injunction to their escaping their guards, feeding a vivid image of what he’d personally do to them both if they tried it, followed by a wave of love/support/care/lovelovelove when they both promised to stay out of it.

One last burst of pride at their being so sensible he let them fade to the back of his mind, he was seeing things no one their age should ever see and he would not share it now, not with them at least.

Giving it to the pack heading his way at full speed, coming together, not just them but guards, fully trained, Shouta felt his pack feeding the images back to them too and suddenly realized that, somehow, he was part of not just a full personal pack - as he’d only ever read about - but was heading, well, co-heading anyway, an extended pack.

When had they all managed to get so many sg’s in their Houses?

A burst of amusement from Nezu who said, *I sent them to you all of course, if anyone ever needed proper back up, it’s us!*

Beginning to pull against his restraints Shouta had to agree, the feeling of them all coming doing wonders for his fear, keeping it to levels he could deal with, being restrained was always something he had a problem with, and this wasn't a training exercise, this was….

Hearing steps coming down the hall he hand an instant of bracing himself, *ten minutes only, hold on Shouchan, we are coming*

The burning rage in his Nezu's heart/mind, the blood lust from all of them, like a wave of fire coming not to burn but to save had him lifting his head calmly, meeting the eyes of a young man.

Sickly.

Thin and pale and wan, eyes shadowed, lips dry, Shouta knew if any of his people looked like this kid he’d have them in the bed in an instant, his healers to them an instant later because anyone looking this ill needed help.

Then they spoke, and any charitable impulse died.

"The doctor already started on your grunts.  I told him to leave you till last, cause you’ve got something I need."

"I don't know how you did it but I want my other ring back."

Feeling Nezu react Shouta thought at him, *concentrate, get here, blame comes later or not at all!*

Sending belief/trust/love for an instant he tuned back in to the kid now ranting.  "…..y ring I need it, if Sensei finds out he’ll kill me, you shit, you fucker, Head of House? You? Diseased sick no one like you should be allowed to LIVE never mind be so high, Sensei says only quirks get to live, just quirks, he has things he’s made that'll kill you all, mutants and sick genders and quirkless cause they're not retro they're wrong bad warped empty of anything good you're all doomed but I NEED MY RING!!!"

"I know you had it, you had it, then it went dead, the match couldn't find it" - match, shit! Comprehension sparked for an instant, and they were so close now, Shouta might live to get home to his pack after all - "but if Sense finds out I lost it he’ll kill me, make someone else his front, he says it’s all for me but I can tell he’s gonna take it all, just a front, but he’s gonna die first but.... "

He was leaning on the table now, braced against it, frantic words flicking bits of spit onto Shouta’s face as he whispered, "Gonna kill him too, poison." A tiny giggle, "Got it from my ring, where to find it, how to use it, make the thing to make it safe for me but I need more, need the rest, it only lasts a tiny bit, he’s almost dead, so sick but gotta finish him, finish him!"

"Oh Tomura, thank you so much," words like oil filled the room as the young man fell back, terror twisting his face, "I did worry when you lost my ring but not only have you brought me it’s thief, you’ve brought me an amazing quirk as well, you might even survive your foolish attempts to poison me."

With a scream the kid launched himself at the man. The tall, broad muscular, fit, dangerous man. Seemingly fueled by madness, hands up, fingers spread, clearly a five fingered contact quirk and, feeling his pack fighting their way now through the house, Shouta activated his own quirk.

Closing his eyes he concentrated, reaching deep not just into his own power but into the entire pack, a deep well of energy he used to take his quirk to levels never imagined, power filling the room, blanketing the space with....

Nothing!

He always could feel the quirks of everyone around him but now, his quirk turned it all off, leaving only silence.

Keeping his eyes firmly shut to prevent damage - his quirk always wanted to focus through his eyes, Nezu had forced him to keep them closed as a youngster learning, teaching him to see with it, not just turn off quirks but to see the world through it.

And now he could see the supernovae the big man was, the sick nastiness of the kid, and Shouta poured power upon power, crushing every attempt from the man to activate any of the thousands of quirks tucked within him, and while the big man gripped the kid, pulled him close, twisted his head round with a wet crack to drop the body twitch and writing on the floor....

The man made his final and fatal mistake, he strolled in Shouta's direction instead of lunging.

His arrogance cost him his life when Nezu hit him from behind, gripping his head and face with sharp claws, and ripped his throat out with his oh so very sharp teeth.

The man went down, hard, and never got up again.

"Shouta, Shouta my darling, shhhhh, easy, that's it, pull back, Hizashi, let go, stop feeding him power, that's good, Oboro, you next, good, now you five, shhhhh, easy, good, next you too, Nemuri sweetheart, good, now, now, all of you, pull back, back, good, just the bond, easy does it."

Calm words took the power of suns down by stages and eventually, beyond a splitting headache, Shouta could breathe and not feel like a nova exploding, and he blinked at Hizashi freeing him on one side, at Obi Heart on the other, and they’d always been dear to him but now, it was like they were a part of him, pieces of a puzzle that make up his entire being.

Almost rolling off the table he was cradled in the power of Nezu, bolstered by the power of them all, waves of love and support, of pride and belief, and he was comforted to his very bones.

Later they’d talk about what he’d felt inside that evil creature, but for now they’d take House Shigaraki, take it and cleanse it.

It took hours, so many of them, but eventually they left a holding team in charge of the house, forbidding anyone from entering the lower floors - after removing any living prisoners, both animal and human - or the private places of the masters of house.

Then they all headed home.

Sending the support members of the extended pack back to their Houses, the core, the familial members were mobbed by Hitoshi and Izuku and once they settled those two, finally stripped their filthy clothes, sluicing down and almost collapsing into the onsen Nezu had constructed in his house.

Letting hot water soak their bones, hands held hands as hearts comforted hearts.

The day had held many horrors but, as Nezu explained, it had also prevented perhaps the greatest evil they would ever face.

They all sent him energy, and love, when he sighed at how much work was ahead of him in trying to come to grips with what was hidden in that cursed house.

Perhaps burning it to the ground would be a good idea?

No one knew exactly who had the thought first but it was a good one, and Nezu laughed, a proper high chitter, and said, "Perhaps later, I think there will be answers to many mysteries hidden in it, and that would be a waste to simply burn."

"For now," his nose twitched, "I smell food, so, come, all of you out of the bath and get dressed, we shall eat, and sleep, and tomorrow I’ll show you all the solution to our being separated as a pack, which I will no longer allow."

And with a heave of hot water, they all scrambled to obey because something smelled fantastic, and they were all starving!!!

Later they worked on who would take the empty House, settling easily on Momo’s mother, she had the experience and skills needed, and would have them all to help. Even without a secondary gender she was beloved by all of them, and her daughter was part of their juniors pack, even without the deeper link.

The plan originally had been to take back house Yaoyorozu for them both but perhaps two houses controlled by sensible women would be better, Nezu thought so anyway.

Then, without the flare he was known for - he too was tired, so very tired - Nezu told them about the quirk he had just gained access to, a mud lark rescued by his main charity, a little girl, a tiny scrap of humanity, with a portal quirk.

"I’ve been working with her new caregivers. They live with me now, in the servants quarters, her mothers are both Beta’s, ex mud larks themselves, she's been doing so well, learning to use her new prosthetic leg like a star."

Sorrow filled the bond as he gave them all her story, the attack on her farming village, the loss of her home, that while the bandits were captured, she herself escaped through her quirk, a portal quirk, tethered rather than coordinates, "And at a hunch I had her play with Mei Hatsumei, and together they found out that her portals can be artificially powered, once activated and linked to a power source, in this case geothermal, well, the one they hooked up six months ago is still going strong."

"What this means is that in the very near future, now I have all the component parts ready, every House in our pack will be linked via portal, so -"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYESSSSSSS!!!" everyone covered their ears at the almost hyper sonic excitement in Hizashi’s squeeeel, "We can all be together all the time now?"

And, despite how he’d managed to hide it til now, the aching loneliness shown through, and he was gathered in a hug, both physical and mental, as Nezu assured him that yes, they could all be together all the time now, both physically and through the bond, although the bond was going to be both a wonderful and difficult thing to adjust to, he was sure they’d all be just fine.

"Not only fine," Shouta growled as he looked at the blond, "but fantastic if it keeps you closer, don’t like how that," the shivers of his own isolation glittered into view, "don't like it for you, don't like it for me, don't like it for anyone, and we all have it."

"I didn't realize we all have the alone thing, never even fucking realized we all have second genders, never even thought bout it, stupid not to realize but...."

"I swore, swore I'd never bond, not after losing them, cause it was the bond that broke them but maybe they were broken first? I've been wondering that now, more and more, ever since bonding you," he smiled at Izuku who grinned back, a cheeky little thing, "if that maybe it was my mothers mental instability that did it, not breaking the bond but it doesn't matter cause...."

"I don’t want to be alone anymore!"

"Don't want to do it alone anymore."

"Good Shouta, very good. Now, do you all agree?"

The bond was filled with the need to not be alone, to be together, to be one, yet separate, and confusion as to how it was all happening and Nezu nipped that in the bud, "Now, first, as you eat I’ll give you..." - *NO!*

And the denial was from them all, and he blinked in shock and would have pushed back, make them obey, but it was from love, love from them all, they all just wanted him to - *eat, you need to eat too!*

Bowing to the collective, even as the head of it, was new, but comfortable in a strange way, and Nezu acknowledged that he too had much to learn about this newness between them all.

From students to beloved young adults to family deeper than hearts or words could describe was a stretch even for him so he laughed and accepted his plate, and they all relaxed, falling even deeper into the bond as they shared the meal.

00000000000000

It took a year for the portals to be fully in operation because none of them would risk their little tunnel maker, but once done they took the city, firmly and fully.

Creating a proper council to govern fairly, not quite a democracy but Nezu was heading that way, his best guesstimate was five generations to have the inherited roles replace by a five year voted term.

Until then, he and his family would control their city utterly while he looked at the other four, eventually he'd not control them directly but he'd help the right ones into power, form alliances stronger than blood to make sure everyone's lives got better, and kicking and complaining and bitching the way humans always did and always had done, they'd drag Japan out of the dark.

Then, well, the world was a tempting target!

_______________________________________________________________


NOTES

Izuku's quirk: Friend Finder, lets him be aware of anyone he has an emotional attachment with or to, experienced by him as a feeling of strings attaching him to them, receives distant sensation of their mental and physical state when he focuses, as well as their exact location in relation to his own.  Similar to being bonded, although much less strong.

Hitoshi's quirk: Mind Control, allowing him limited access to anyone in his field of perception, as long as they first focus on him. So anything he does to get their attention is enough for him to set his hooks and gain control. Control lasts until either he gets too tired to maintain it or they suffer a sudden intense shock of pain.

Hizashi's quirk: Voice, gives a vastly expanded range of vocal reach, from ultra to infra sound, as well as lethally loud.  He focuses mostly upon the healing aspects of several frequencies, as well as creating instant and violent motion sickness when in a fight.

Nemuri's quirk: Sleep paralysis, let's her send anyone in her field of perception into a trance like state. Unable to move, those so effected often have visions, either good or bad. Can't be broken from her quirk until either she lets them go or she is rendered unconscious.

Oboro's quirk: Cloud, lets him use the ambient moisture in the air to create clouds, from a fine mist to one dense enough to carry adults on. He has limited mobility in the air, preferring to let the wind to move him where he wants to go because forcing his clouds to go where he wants is extremely tiring.

Shouta Quirk: Perception/Control/Negate, lets him understand the quirks of those he focuses on, his range of perception is much wider than he lets most people know, and once he's locked onto a quirk he can either force it to activate, or to switch it off. Once on or off it remains on or off as long as he focuses on that quirk. If the quirk is on he can force the holder to exhaust themselves utterly, upon which they are rendered unable to function. Can do a blanket deactivation - not activation - of anyone in his range but that tends to either make him too tired to carry on, or knocks him out, depending on how many he's switched off.

*-*

Nezu's best guess as to why the pack bond that formed is so strong is because of how many mental manipulation quirks his family has, the first bond through Izuku to Shouta echoed in Izuku's panic through the new link between Izuku and Hitoshi which forced it much deeper and stronger than it should have been able to be.

Then through Shouta's own desire to live to be with his beloved FAMILY!!! that desire blazed through that deepening bond like lightning, locking them all into the pack bond, deep and rock solid, so deep and strong that it even brought Nezu in who, through his own mental quirk, even without a secondary gender, was not just pack member but pack leader, through how he was and is viewed by all of them.

The secondary pack members, all were brought into their roles through their individual masters of House and their mutual love/respect for them.  They are nowhere near as deep as the familial pack bond but still close enough to feel a deep sense of belonging. 

****************

Life Day, the day when a child turned six and was deemed physically and mentally stable and most likely to live.  The crashing birth rates, global chaos, climate change, quirk wars, the return of all the old scourges of disease/hunger/filth/violence made birthdays meaningless, what point in celebrating the birth of a child when that same child would most likely be dead by age three.

Instead they focused on the age a child was most likely to survive from, which was roughly six years of age so THAT milestone was when gifts were commonly given.

*******************************

Murs: a gender neutral term, first coined with the influx of breeding adults right before the end of the world that was, a combination of the Eastern terms Kun, San, and Sama with the Western Sir, Mister, Miss, Mrs. and Mam.

It gives honor to the one addressed, yet takes nothing from the one so addressing and thus gives respect to all.

*******************************************


Matsunaga Mai - head accountant for House Aizawa, old, female, beta, trusted deeply and fully, has watched Shouta grow from a baby to the pride of them all, she loves him very much indeed, and was very very proud of him the day he made right his mistake.

Chapter Text

House Shigaraki was empty now of evil, of the sickness bred and fostered by a life so old it made Nezu's teeth hurt.

Empty of all joy, a once human who’d actually renamed itself as All For One, an endless cancer that, as the word crashed and burned around him, had bedded in, a bunker designed and build to his order, quirks, human servants, money, all had been poured into the project…..

Nezu had contemplated the power source after his forces took the House and it’s hidden base, stunning indeed, and the computers it had powered for the long long years, all the knowledge available up to the moment the global networks had failed, and then it devolved into local items only, still important, but to go from worldwide to just one island alone, as he’d scanned some of what was there Nezu had been shocked, it almost hurt, that cutting off of the world…..

And when he had time, when they all recovered from the fight, Nezu spent time with the new to him system, the new to him information, and learned so much he'd never ever dreamed of!

Because laid out as if just for him, was the map of the end of an entire world.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 

The end began with big ag, as it was called back then, the practice of millions of tons of chemicals, each one worse than the last, being poured across the world, all in a supposed attempt to grow enough food for all.

It was a lie of course, as most of the power plays of that time were.

It was all about power, and money.

Because done right, done without chemicals and simply using - and paying for - a bit of extra labor, and just a little bit of thought, the land would have grown enough for all.

Skyrocketing mortalities from new diseases, the resurgence of old scourges, a plummeting birth rates…..

A species itself trying to survive.

Mutations first, seemingly out of nowhere.

Well, that's what the powers that be said anyway as they tried to round them all up.

But mutations had always shown up in the human race, just, never quite so many of them, all at once.

Climate change ramped up, sea levels rising, entire nations sinking beneath the waves, and quirks, a glowing baby was blamed on bio-luminescence, just another mutation, but the levitating child, now, she was hard to explain away and even when she was disappeared by her government, it was already too late, rumors went wild.

And then it was a few here, a few dozen there, the age of four becoming a nightmare for parents, trying to hide what their children were, hide them from the fear, and the aggression that fear had always caused in the human race.

Riots, violence, protests both for and against the new kind of humans.

So much violence.

Decades of it, and things tried to settle down, but then people discovered a new kind of human had been there as long as the others, those with secondary genders, instincts so strong they could snap and go mad, feral it was called by those that had it, senses so keen they could, as our pets always had, smell emotions, and simmering tensions got ever more tense.

Numbers going against so-called normal humans at last, they didn't have numbers on their side anymore, flash points forming around everything bad one could imagine, horrors indeed…..

And then, as if it all wasn’t bad enough, the first fishing boat disappeared.

No one noticed, other than the families of the missing, and the insurance company, that is.

But then another one was gone, and then another.

Rogue waves were blamed at first but then it happened right across the world, no mayday cry, no cry for help, simply boats never returning to port.

Weather changed again, and again, planes crashing, travel becoming so much more dangerous.

And then a ship was gone, a mayday cry, “Something's attacking, we can't see it, help us!” and then nothing.

Just empty waves.

Societies began crumbling under the weight of trying to keep going, people banding together based on kind, rather than blood, families split asunder.

Ship after ship after ship going down, no one knew what was doing it, research vessels going down too, the Calypso joining their numbers to universal mourning.

But global commerce ran on shipping, not air travel, and more ships sank now than reached their destinations.

Any deeper than fifty feet to the bottom and you may as well write a vessel off, and then….

It took over a hundred years, the world teetering on collapse, diseases from out of time returned, joined with hunger, millions dead, billions even, no way to get rid of the bodies, violence still erupting as each kind of human blamed the other.

They might have saved it, saved some of it anyway, each nation pulling back, giving up on ships and shipping, take care of our own became the cry, and it all hung by its fingertips above a yawning crevasse and people thought they might do it, might live on but then the ground began to swell.

A beautiful place, Yellowstone, sacred to many, beloved by even more, a team of scientists screaming the warning but too late, too late.

Yellowstone Winter.

The blast was heard and felt right around the world.

Too much ash in the air, all planes grounded, most of what were in the air at the time crashed, any that landed had their passengers stranded, alive, but lost.

No ships because any that left port made it no farther than a hundred miles off shore, no planes due to ash in the air, no communications getting through, the volcano’s blast had killed it all.

How long it lasted, no one knew.

When the dust settled, literally, it was a different world.

-------------------------------------------------------

One person had survived though, survived because he’d seen it coming, not in its final form but clear enough to have taken advantage of the invite that saved so many, he’d gone in disguise, and bedded in, and prospered.

--------------------------------------------------

Pre age-of-chaos, Nezu decided to call that brief moment of hope….

Fifty years from the end, although no one knew it at the time, Japan’s Emperor stunned the entire world, saying any woman of child bearing age that immigrated to Japan and contracted to bear viable offspring, of ANY kind of human, would be give housing, a living wage, free education for those same children, free education for herself once her children were all of school age, and would be “Honored above all others!”

And despite the savage push back they got from conservative governing bodies, their own as well as across the world, they also got their reproductive humans, and a birth rate that exceeded the death toll for the first time in generations.

Across those final decades, over eleven million reproductively viable female immigrants (and gendered reproductive males once they too stood up for their rights) landed and were housed, and produced children, and indeed, while they may not have been honored above all others, they were the saving of a nation, and actually seen as such.

So when Yellowstone winter hit, and the world ended, the population of Japan was strong, and healthy, and many survived.

0000000000000000000000000

Taking a break from the new computer system, back in his House for a few days to recover - his pack demanded it, and he too agreed, hard work demanded rest - leaning back with food and a hot drink, Nezu thought about his own life, how he'd researched almost as long as he’d been alive, or at least as long as he had language, and could ask for the stories from those around him.

Because the world was littered with the remains of one that went before, and it was like an itch he couldn't scratch, the not knowing.

His best guess on how long it had been since the world was global was a thousand years, give or take a few dozen decades either side, but he'd no way to prove it, and almost no one cared anyway, other than a few rabid historians, and him, anyway.  And even proving it now meant very little, in the big picture anyway.

Now cities ruled, five in total, concentrating most of the population.

Houses ruled the cities, older than records gave, but strong leaders kept people alive, then, and even now.

Tech had never totally disappeared, and quirks made for strange bastard hybrid items, like the ring - or as it turned out, the rings - of Shigaraki, the archives held within the two of them stretched back five hundred years, at least.

And now, cities were patchworks, for every five streets a band of farmland wrapped around them, providing food for the city that didn’t have to travel at all to be reached by those that needed it, and the garden bands prevented fires from ravaging miles of city-scape.

And stretched around the cities themselves were bands of tiny towns, their produce pouring into the cities because the garden belts could only do so much, every day seeing the Edge Markets thriving as thousands of people shopped and sold and bought and stole and quarreled and lived life at full volume.

Nezu loved the edge markets.

Well, he loved much about them anyway.

Curled in front of a crackling fire, he tipped the two rings from side to side, watching the fire sparkle deep in the memory stone set in each, wondering how many people it took to create them, how many quirks.

He remembered how many it took just to create him, and modifying life was easy.

Smiling he remembered his village, their sheep so many different colors, like flowers, so bright, so vibrant, colors that needed no dying, simply spinning and weaving into cloth, blues, reds, purples, bright sun shine yellows, a rainbow indeed, all the children on duty as herders, and they were an alert system as well, each one with a horn to blow when the wild dogs - or worse - would attack.

At the end of the world that had been, life, all life, fought to survive, and while humans used their brains and compassion to make it through the collapse, dogs used teeth, and numbers, and a relentless urge to survive.

Big animals now, packs themselves never very large, twenty was a very large pack indeed, but so dangerous, smart, cunning….

They targeted any domestic dog, sending bitches in heat to lure out the males, killing any domestic they caught.

Farmers fighting a war no one from a city could ever understand, and his village had several quirks that they thought, if they worked together, could make for the village a super guard animal.  Because if it worked for sheep, surely it would work for this too.

Smart enough to foil the dog packs, big enough to fight them off, gentle enough to be left even with the very youngest and oldest members of the village, loyal and safe and trusted.

Any animal they could get their hands on were trialed, it was more art and guesswork than science.

Nezu didn’t remember being born but he remembered the children.

He’d been given to them, tiny and soft and fluffy, a reject for the guardian project but too cute to dispose of.

He’d loved them, loved them all.

But his creators got it wrong, used too many species, their product was too unstable, too volatile, all they’d created had to be hunted down and killed, mad, they all went mad.

Nezu ran.

Only nine summers old, not even able to speak yet, he'd heard what was to happen to the others as he curled in the dark with the children. He often listened to the adults in the evening after the little ones slept, no one had ever caught him doing it, and so, with the inadvertent warning, he ran.

River traffic was safe, what ever lived in the oceans never touched fresh waters, he stowed away on a barge, kept hidden, made it to the city.

His city.

Shaking his head at how long ago it was, almost a hundred years he’d lived, no idea how long his life would last, no one left to ask, but he felt as he always had, fast, strong, a savage heart and a nurturing nature, very cat like in so many ways he often laughed, although he had no idea if any cat went into the making of him.

Softer than any cat anyway, yet his fur shed rain and grime with a simple shake, and he was disproportionately powerful for his size, he could kill a grown man without effort, if he so chose.

Yet children were his weakness, he loved them so much.

It was children that led him to founding his own House, right in the center of the city, an area no one ruled, a place where young life meant nothing at all, he’d had to save them, find them, care for them, rule the area completely that all the kittens would live.

He’d done it.

And now, not only did he have his own area’s children in his care, he had Shouta, and Hizashi, and Nemuri, and Oboro, and Kiego, and Ida, and now Izuku and Hitoshi, all of them tied tight into an unbreakable bonding, complete with a combined extended pack bond of almost fifty security trained and seasoned secondary genders, with him at the head of it all, now controlling the largest, most powerful city in what had once been Japan.

Seven houses when he added both Yuki and Momo Yaoyorozu, who now led what had been House Shigaraki, plus his own House which gave them the majority of the city, not even counting the rest of the Houses minor, and commerce, that owed him allegiance through deals and favors.

Sighing in relief that he’d done it at last, linked all their houses into one big House, taken control, that they would rule, and rule wisely, not as single rulers of tiny territories, but as a council of leaders, because many minds and hearts ruled with less chance of going astray as one person alone did.

How funny that his lifelong interest in how the world worked, how and why it existed in its present form and how he could change it for the better had led him to the hidden library of evil, and from evil he could coax light to shine, the light of truth.

Sighing as he felt Shouta and Hizashi approaching, felt their firm intentions of making him stop working, although he’d long ceased any actual work to sit and ponder new knowledge gained, he smiled as they opened the door, feeling his welcome at them as he said, “Yes, yes, I’ll stop for a while, but only if you join me for tea.”

Sending the invitation bond wide, the thunder of feet incoming made him laugh, carefree and joyous.

Life was just as good as he’d always dreamed it could be, even if it took work and effort, it was so worth it!

Of course, now they were almost settled, had the reunification of Japan well on the road to being, there was the rest of the world to think about.

Ignoring the suspicious glares at his innocent expression, he said, “If we wanted a fleet of airships both domestic and global, how many cities would it take to make that happen?” and watched the chaos unfold!

000000000000000000000000000000000

Looking out the window at the slashing rain, sipping a very hot herbal blend, Nezu let his mind wander, all along what he'd just discovered about mutations, and how they came to be, and were still progressing, wondering how someone as evil as that monster had so much useful information.

And LOVING the rights of possession that gave he and his pack total ownership over it all....

*-*

Tracing mutations back, as near as Nezu now could tell - during the Great Chaos of the middle part of the 2000s, the ones that could be traced to an actual source started with prolonged contact with an animal!

The Head of House Sakamata, his friend Kugo who went by the stupid nick-name Gang Orca, now that Nezu had so many many more records to use, traced right back to a water park, one that had a pod of Orca and a trainer, young, female, diagnosed infertile and yet, she not only conceived yet did so thrice, all three (two girls and a boy) had dolphin mutations and had no problems having children of their own when they grew up enough, although getting partners was a problem.

They went into hiding when anti-mutant sentiment reached an all time high, finding sanctuary in the republic of Ireland of all places, the family migrating from there three generations later to Japan when it gave sanctuary to all new human versions, as long as they could make babies anyway, in an attempt to gain enough people to continue to be a viable country.

Viable countries had a birth rate rather higher than its death count, after all.

Every mutation Nezu could, using his new records, actually trace back to its very first one, contained an infertile human woman, and contact, prolonged, with a single animal species.

There were so many many different mutations now, they were still cropping up, brand new ones all the time but sadly so many of them didn't survive due to simple incompatibility. A shrew yes, because while it would lead to a tiny baby, and a small adult, Shouta had a shrew-mutation collector in fact, she was only three feet tall and rightly feared, but an elephant?

No.

No human could carry to term an infant that large, even if it was only a fraction of the size an actual elephant calf was, it was just too big for a human body to hold within it, as were hippos and rhinos and things like giraffe’s.

It was only luck that had that young woman working with pigmy dolphins, allowing her to have infants small enough for her to carry to term.

Over time the size of wombs changed to fit the woman or man’s body (secondary genders made everything so much more complicated. After all, Shouta himself was confirmed able to carry a baby to term while being absolutely male), allowing larger and larger mutations to survive the gestation process.

But bear mutations were all going to be smaller species of bears, Gang Orca used makeup to give the signature white patches to his face, horses were totally unknown as mutations yet dogs and cats galore existed, as did so many many others.

Sighing at the mountain of work he still had to do today, he stopped daydreaming about how people, some at least, were the way they were today, and got back to work.

An airship empire didn't just build itself!