The music was being bossy!
Izuku didn’t like it when the music sounded like this cause, he reached round and rubbed his bottom, usually when he ignored it when it sounded like this he got smacks. It worked like that even back when he lived with mamma and even more now he had a full pack, cause they aaaaaalways caught him!
And even he had to agree that the few times it’d happened so far in his new home, he’d earned them!
But he had some coins in his pocket, and the store was right there, just the other side of the road, and no one was looking at him right now, Shouta and Nemuri in some kind of heated discussion with all hands waving and he'd be really really fast and….
Izuku hadn’t had any dessert for three days cause of, well, he frowned, looking again at the store that was just right over there.
Jinging his coins Izuku imagined being in the store and the music got a tiny bit louder and even more bossier and Izuku frowned even harder, looking over and yep, they were still at it, even more if anything.
Feet moving in a shuffle as he imagined chocolate with peanut butter in it, the newest one out for the summer from his favorite brand, like a bar but with segments you had to break off in little fat bits and the snap was so nice between his fingers and once free each one was a shell of almost bitter chocolate and then when you bit it squished with sweet nutty goodness and now he was a few steps closer to the road and huh, how’d he get over here?
Cause now he was reaching up to press the crosswalk sign and ignoring how the music was almost wailing at him now as he bounced up and down on his toes, and then his little man went green and he took three steps and almost died on the spot when, like they were working together, the music made a scolding stern kinda noise and Shouta asked, “Where exactly are you going?”
Izuku yelped, and then burst into guilty tears!
***********************************
Sighing as he listened to his pack-sib talking about some new store, and how important clothing was, and being on brand or at least looking neat and tidy, cause of bla bla bla stupid sh*t about clothing bla bla bla Shouta kept his nose working as she yapped, having intentionally placed them downwind of their pup who had been happily playing but with little ones, that could change in an instant.
But with the wind as his friend he could keep a nose on Izuku, even if Shouta’s eyes or ears were occupied!
And it was proving once again to be the right choice because, even with a prescient quirk to clearly indicate what to, and what not to do, their Izuku was clearly contemplating mischief.
Guilty mischief.
Nemi had clearly picked up on it too because she launched into ever more wildly waving hands to illustrate her point on something Shouta wore out of necessity only! After all, clothes were protective, so that's all he wanted from them, but he too waved his hands a bit as their clever pup cast his eyes at them again, trying to properly sell the look of a fierce discussion and it worked cause with tiny shuffling steps.
Their kitten was on the move.
“So how much does he have in his pocket?”
“Mmmmmmm, enough for a snack, I think? It is nearing snack time so he’s sure to be hungry.” Watching a tiny hand rub a tiny bottom, “And he clearly knows what he’s thinking of is gonna get him in trouble.”
“Is it wrong to let him keep going?”
Shouta was almost vibrating with conflicting impulses, snatch the kitten up, drag him to safety, let him wander into trouble, scold, catch, protect - “SHOUTA, damn, breathe for me babe, good, now, no, just listen cause I know you know this sh*t!”
“It is not wrong to let people set themselves up for a lesson in doing the right thing.”
Hoping her brother would hear the hidden warning she kept going, “Izuku is in no danger right now, and knows better than to leave the park without us, and has clearly checked to see that we are too occupied to catch him so we are not setting him up to fail, we are simply giving him time to change his mind on the naughtiness he is embarked on and make better choices with his time and bottom.”
‘Like night walking, you stupid sh*t, and f*ckin' alpha baiting!’ were her unspoken thoughts on the matter of people she loves getting in trouble for avoidable actions!
“However, neither one of us has taken our eyes off Izuku, he is clearly set on his path so aaaaand he’s gone.”
She said that to Shouta’s swiftly moving form as he near sprinted, despite the signal crossing being red and Izuku following the rules for crossing a street and the road being totally empty of moving cars anyway and then she laughed, albeit a bit sadly, as their caught in the act kitten burst into noisy tears.
Muttering to herself, Nemuri watched the logical conclusion to Izuku’s brush with escaping adult supervision and asked, “Huh, I wonder if this is how Sire feels, like, all the time?”
*********************************************
“Shouta pup, did you have a nice time tonight?”
The words were mild, and calm, and in no way explained the burgeoning dread in Shouta’s chest as he froze with a near wheeze of breath from where he’d just soundlessly come through the front door, staring at the speaker, and then at the room.
Holy f*ck, every pack adult was there, how had he not noticed?
Giving a thought to his apparel and recent behavior, he smoothed a hand down his skirt - mud and blood stained the way no good skirt would usually be after a simple night out - as nerves fluttered deep in his guts.
The house should be dark and quiet, not low pools of light and people waiting for him!
“Have a seat Shouta.” and a white furred hand gestured him to, ‘sh*t, sh*t sh*t sh*t it’s the softest chair!’ New panic blossomed because the chair pack sire was gesturing him to was one almost impossible to get out of at any kind of speed, one he was usually put into for “talks” that migrated into “discussions” of recent behavior.
Behavior that his pack disagrees on. Or with.
Talks he most often tried to run from, hence the cannibal chair!
Silence fell as he sat, giving up almost instantly on his stiff posture when the chair began its slow and steady consumption of him and instead curling defensively deeper into its embrace, even though he had nothing to be defensive over!
He’d just gone clubbing!
Hizashi did it all the time, so did all his sibs, so why was he….
“Shouta, take off your sent patches please.”
Hand instantly reaching up to cover the major patches at his jaw hinge, and it wasn’t to obey with the way his arms crossed to keep both wrists covered at the same time, but the faint growl his gesture earned for himself had his legs tucking tighter, tears already prickling at his nose.
“Now please.”
It was still Nezu sire speaking, voice soft and kind and about as flexible as a cast-iron railway bridge so with deepest reluctance he picked at the edges of one of the sticky patches, taking as long as humanly possible to do it but….
They all just waited.
Once done with his neck ones he paused, hope in every line of him until he heard, this time from Chiyomum, “And the wrists too please.”
Taking those off he dragged out even longer, but as no one else was wearing any kind of patch or suppression drug or spray, he could clearly smell their patience.
Not fraying as his own would have done, just bottomless wells of: “Take all the time you need, we have all night for this.” and the urge to cry was even stronger.
Being handed a hot mug was a relief of sorts, because it meant whatever was about to happen, nothing physical would for at least an hour.
No one would ever willingly make him throw up, and being, well, he hesitated over the word but no one would have him bent over as they firmly discussed his past choices with him, not for ages now, because that position plus a stomach full of tea was a recipe for disaster so he took a careful sip, chocolate mint with honey, his favorite.
He was halfway through the mug before anyone spoke, "Shouta, did you have fun tonight?”
It was the second time the same question had been asked, and there were so many answers to that question he wasn't sure how to actually answer it. Because yes he had and no he hadn’t and….
“No right or wrong answer pup.” The deep voice near growled from the far corner, and Shouta glanced at Papa Ryou, and opened his mouth to answer when, “Lying right now would be a very bad idea Shouta, a fact I’m sure none of us need to remind you of.”
Hiding behind his mug as he got his breathing back under control, knowing his scent was billowing near panic into the room now without his patches, he almost managed to come up with at least a few words when Nezu finished destroying any hope he had of getting through this unscathed by saying….
“I’ve been graphing your pings sweetheart.”
A near soundless whine pulled from him as he tried to grab his scattered thoughts, because sh*t wasn't a good enough swear right now and nothing else was coming to mind.
“We know you went out to The Mended Mask tonight, and thank you for letting us know where you were going.”
“Your wording left a little to be desired when it made it seem as if you have a sibling or two with you but, as you didn’t explicitly lie about that, this is just a reminder to be more, hmmmmm, transparent is a bad word because of its double meaning so how about we settle with honest and move on.”
‘Yes,’ Shouta thought, ‘let's please move on!’
“Knowing your dislike of crowds, and clubs, and loud music, and every single thing about clubbing, we were surprised at your choice of venue this Friday night, especially knowing your schedule has you busier on a Friday than any other day, but knowing all of that we weren’t surprised to get repeated pings from your alert, it would have been surprising indeed if you didn’t feel stressed enough in that situation to ping several times.”
“Eleven pings, to be precise.”
“While you were at the club that is, you sent a further nine pings after you left it and moved on with your evening.”
Shifting as he curled even deeper into the chair, for a moment Shouta wished he was small enough to just hide behind the now empty mug, or maybe even inside of it, but as that really wouldn’t save him, at least they were talking and not…..
And they couldn't know what he was doing on his nights out, they could NOT!
Doing a calming cycle in his head to push the awfulness of the moment away, his scent sweetening from the near panic of earlier as he managed to claw calm back from the brink of utter screaming panic.
“Oh well done pet, I was wondering how you were achieving so many fights with only single pings, that is so creative.”
The Earth crashed into the sun, the world ended, Shouta crashed and burned in that moment because….
They knew?
They knew!
How did they KNOW???
“Of course we know pup, how could we not, especially as you are so responsible as to make sure every alpha you bait eventually winds up either in a hospital or the nearest police station.”
“Omega matching your description are rare, as are ones reported to be near deathly calm after being attacked by an alpha on a night out.”
“Added to that the complaints we have been getting on the amount of work you are creating in the local precincts while you perfected your new skill, how could we not know?”
“Once we finally got the freedom to give you some of our attention, attention you clearly need and have been lacking sweet one, and for that we are truly sorry. It's simply taken this long for us to decide what to do about it.”
Entire body clenching in dread, all his carefully cultivated calm - and he’d worked so hard to fight in a state of utter calmness, to subdue the rage and joy of fighting and be cold and icy calm so as to not set the devil’s device tucked neatly behind his hipbone off. The tiny tiny thing that he loved and hated, how it kept him safe yet tattled on him so much!
And now all that work was useless - “No Shouta, self control is never useless. However, attempting to weaponize it is unacceptable.”
“As you clearly know.”
“You are old enough at twenty three to go out alone, that is not in dispute.”
“However, using that fact to get your way, to buy yourself time to engage in a risky and previously banned activity is one of the things that brings us here tonight.”
“Learning to circumvent a device implanted to keep you safe is an incredible achievement! However, it is not something you should ever have tried, never mind succeeded at.”
“Shouta pup, why?”
Wiping the first of what he suspected would be many tears from his face, Shouta managed to say, “Cause I get to fight.”
“No paperwork, no rules, no, no,” a broken sob, “no one to stop me….”
“And you’ve masked that desire to fight built into your very nature as doing a community service, haven't you?”
A tiny jerking nod, “Yeah, getting those f*ckers off the streets, teaching them to keep their bastard hands to themselves, it’s good, feels good.”
“I’m sure it is, and does.”
“However,” and the tone now from Papa Ryou was tinged with disappointment, and sorrow. “Did you think to just bring this need that's hurting you to us?”
“Oh.” A tiny sound as understanding hit Shouta’s brain like a brick at high speed. “Oh no, dad, no, I can do that, Papa, I can, ummmm, we can talk about it now, really, I’ll talk so much, like so so so MUCH and….”
“Yes,” easily breaking into the torrent of words, “tomorrow we will talk about this, at length as you work on your reflection essay” (Shouta winced, he hated those, and it was always…) “ten pages, fully annotated, with legal as well as heroic and domestic sources cited.”
“And honest Shouta pup.” Chiyomum said firmly, “All of your reasons and the emotions behind your shockingly bad decisions.”
Two adults turned to Dadzu who’d been surprisingly quiet, and he shook his head fondly, “Shouta kitten,” billows of loving understanding wafted through the air and Shouta was openly crying now, “first you’ll be putting this on.”
Lifting from his lap a mat black bracelet, delicately inscribed with gloss black flowers, Shouta shook his head in frantic denial but with utter certainty Nezu said, “Yes you will.”
“Tell me why.”
Air now thick with support and obedience scents, Shouta couldn't dig himself any deeper in his chair, so he curled himself smaller instead with a sob, but managed to say, “I’ve learned to bypass the alert device, so you need, um, n-need….”
“Something more powerful, yes.”
“The implanted device is small, and nowhere near as powerful as this is, so this one will keep track of your emotions much easier.”
“It will also track your movements for us as well. With quite some difficulty I kept you on street cams tonight, pet and we watched as you wandered into areas you are never allowed to go without the full pack behind you.”
“Not only did you go where angels fear to tread, you did it dressed to the nines and clearly on the prowl for trouble.”
“As an unaccompanied omega you’d have found trouble enough in a good neighborhood without actually hunting for it in the worst boroughs in the city.”
“So, come here.”
It was the hardest thing in the world to do, and so very easy as well to almost crawl to his sire and kneel for the bracelet to be locked onto his wrist.
“No chewing on it.” And Shouta put his hand down in an instant, face burning at acting like a kitten.
Careful clawed fingers lifted his chin and he met the bottomless wells of kindness his sires eyes always were for him.
For not-pack they were hard, and sharp, and mischievous, and for enemies they were laser sharp and so dangerous but for Shouta, every time he got himself in this position his dads eyes were so kind and Shouta broke, wailing as he clutched warm fur in trembling arms.
Being let to cry his stress out, support filling the air in scent form, Shouta eventually calmed enough to hear.
Which is when the bit he never wanted to happen, the bit he was so sure he’d grown out of, and was equally certain he’d never be free of, happened.
The dread words spoken.
“Shouta kitten, why are we here again?”
And if that wasn't the billion yen question indeed!
Kneeling on the floor, turning the new tracker around and around on his wrist, Shouta gave it some thought, because this wasn't the first time, or even the third, this was the fifth time across the past six years he’d been right here.
Oh, not with a new tracker, that really was new but he’d spent a full year learning to fool the f*cking thing inside him so….
He loved it was there, loved his pack caring so much he had it, knew someone would come if it cried out his distress but….
But indeed.
He sighed, eyes still fixed downwards, “I want help on my terms.” He finally muttered, only to wince at the familiar words from his mum, “Speak up please Shouta, not all of us have perfect hearing.”
Nodding he managed to look up, fixing his eyes on Sire, speaking to him was always easy once he let go and started, and now was no different.
“I want help when I ask for it.”
The words sounded defiant, would have been seen as such by many pack sires, or pack dams, seen and heard as defiant yet Nezu knew fully well that was not how their Shouta meant them.
“Go on." he instructed gently, reaching out to wipe a fresh tear off his kitten's face.
“I like, l-like how you care, how you all care, it-it-its good! And I hate I disa-disa…..” Words failed his kitten as they so often did, so Nezu was incredibly grateful when his loves gave extra effort to pouring out soothing pheromones because with a few woeful sniffles Shouta managed to start again.
“I disappointed you, all of you but, I -”
“It's hard!”
“I don't want to follow the rules! Or do what I’m told, and now I have this on, it took me months, months and months to fool the alarm system, it was hard! But then I could slip away, go hunting, I should be able to dress how I want without any f*cking alpha trying to make me, make me….”
This time it was rage that clogged their kitten's voice, made his hands shake, and they all knew why.
Why he felt like this, why he’d fight anyone, them too at times and Nezu sighed, “Shouta” - “I KNOW!” Near yelling and on his knees now Shouta repeated, “I know, alright, I know I f*cked up, and broke all kinds of rules and I’m not sorry!”
“They had it coming!”
Glad to be able to derail his usually even-tempered son from spiraling into rage Nezu said, “Yes they did.”
Watching that hit land was pleasing, because Shouta needed to know they supported his activities, just not how he was going about them.
He clocked the exact moment that realization hit their so clever kitten, and the rearrangement of his entire perspective of the trouble he was in shift into a more realistic vision.
Helping that along Nezu nodded, “Yes, we agree, if anyone tries to lay hands on you for any reason, you are not just allowed to defend yourself but we have trained you for years so that you CAN defend yourself, and others.”
“The fact you are omega and the ones seeking to accost you alpha’s in no way changes how we are proud of how well you handle yourself in that, and any other situation.”
“However,” and he was expecting the wince as his tone firmed a bit more, “as I have said, you going alpha baiting is not what we are here about, is it my sweet one?”
“No,” Shouta finally managed after a few tries, “no it's not.”
“Can you tell me now why we are?”
“I lied.”
“Yes, that is one.”
Holding dark eyes with his own stern ones Nezu simply waited and eventually got, “Risked myself.”
“Yes, that's two.”
A sharp growl from Nezu had Shouta jerking his head back up to look at him from where he’d tried to duck down into hiding, and appeasem*nt scent wafted through the melange of sour unhappy smells like caramel through sauerkraut.
“Accepted," Nezu said sternly, "yet you have better manners than that and I expect you to use them. Now, continue please.”
“Put myself fi-fir-first, Sire, I'm sorry, won't do it again, promise!”
“No, I know you won't, and one of the reasons why is that when you do seek to repeat the mistakes, you’ll remember tonight and not dare to.”
“So, you lied, consistently and comprehensively to us, and to the full pack. And before you deny it, had you told any of your sibling mates the truth they would be kneeling right beside you waiting for their turn meeting the ruler or Chiyomum's paddle, and being grateful it isn't the belt!
This time Shouta did whine, a full high pitched dragging sound of misery, ending with a whimper, but he should be damned grateful he wasn't meeting a strip of leather tonight, his behavior warranted it yet leniency was also called for because…
“You care deeply, and because of that you will take more risks to help than you should. Tonight you risked too much, and lied to do it.”
“And you spent a year in the prep work for this behavior, and it started real time three months ago, with your testing the device designed to keep you safe.”
“Tonight you’ll go over papa Ryou’s knee, for putting what you wanted to do over the health and safety of the pack.”
This time Shouta’s jaw did drop, and he tried to find any words to deny what he’d done, tried and failed when Ryou’s deep voice asked, “What happens to us if you are killed out having fun baiting alpha’s, my lovely? What happens to our new kitten, deeply bonded to us all but to no one deeper than to you?”
A ragged sob tore from Shouta, and his entire body jerked as he tried to do something, to run to one of them for comfort as he’d done as a pup, or run from them as he’d always done as well when overwhelmed, and instead Nezu, with the power no one ever expected him to contain in his tiny body, simply held the hands he’d already caught and let the fit run its course.
When it did, without any upset over how much Shouta had been fighting to bolt, no upset at all because he was holding his kittens hands, and he’d never be upset at Shouta for getting overwhelmed. Nezu continued as if the fit never happened, “Tomorrow you’ll go over the couch arm for Chiyomum, for risking your health and safety engaging in unacceptably risky activities, especially when you could have come to any of us, even with how absent we have sadly been lately, and run your alpha baiting as an actual operation.”
“The night after.” a yelp and gasping plea had Nezu repeating firmly, reinforcing his words with a command scent that had Shouta settling, “The night after you will bend over the couch arm for the final one, this time for me to teach you again that lying to me is categorically the wrong thing to do in any and all situations.”
“Have I been clear enough, sweet one?”
A miserable nod which he allowed rather than insisting on a verbal answer as he’d done earlier, he asked, “Do you have any questions or anything at all to say before we begin?”
It took Shouta a long moment before he managed to ask through his tears, “Can we do it all at once? Please, dad, please, even the belt dad please….”
Pulling their kitten close, Nezu gave him a soft kiss on his forehead, and said, “No sweet one, and you fully know why.”
“Now, go to papa Ryou, he’ll start this off and tomorrow you’ll start on your paper.”
“You’re also restricted to the den until further notice, however you will be allowed to use the gym and pool and all the rest, just not go out of the home buildings, am I clear Shouta?”
A miserable “Clear sire.” so he nodded as he helped Shouta up and gave him a gentle push, “Go on, nothing gets easier waiting and certainly not this.”
Listening to their ever so special pup getting the first of his three spankings, grateful that at least this one was across a lap large enough to do the job, at least the closeness would give Shouta some comfort, even though the steady rhythm of his papa Ryou’s hand gave none at all!
******************************************
Setting breakfast out next morning Nezu watched his kittens coming in, pausing in faint alarm at the pack adults already there, because for far too long, they hadn’t been, and set that alarm firmly in place with the information, “You all have the day off, we’ll be having a full family conference at eleven hundred this morning.”
Giving a high chirping call Izuku barreled into the room yelling, “Breakest, hungry hungry!” before skidding to a halt and looking at Shouta where he was sitting, apparently as normal, and whispered, "ShoSho, you otay?”
“Yeah, tiny bug, I’m alright.”
Blinking owlishly at the omega, Izuku began to frown, “Nuhu, music says yer not.”
“What does the music say is wrong with him?” Asked Keigo, who began to grin at the death glare sent him from Shouta but Izuku frowned as he co*cked his head, listening hard when his eyes opened in horror, “Oh nooooooo, i’s spankin songs, but de after bit!”
Scooting across the remaining distance, not even seeming to notice the crimson cheeks of his omega, Izuku whispered, “Does it hurt?”
Wanting to actually curl up and die Shouta channeled his inner grown-up, scooped his kitten into his arms, knowing all the biology and cultural bias of why he wasn't Izuku’s listed parent, because he, just like all of his sibs, were too young still to be legal parentals as long as there was a pack alternative.
How his parents were the listed sires and dam of their newest kitten, and how that was okay, was good even but he still felt the twist of almost pain at how much he loved their tiny kitten.
Enough to whisper back, “Yeah, hurts.” And to not combust when tiny fingers patted his face with a mournful sigh, and an even tinier “Me too.” even though it’d been Shouta himself to give the spanks, all six of them, to a still clad bottom, right there at the park crosswalk the day before.
So Izuku in no way at all still hurt but Shouta leaned down and scented the kitten, making sure to tickle as much as anything else, and then let the newly revved up missile loose to pounce on Hizashi before being scooped by papa Ryou into his special chair.
All the while his own ass DID burn, the hard chair doing it no favors, and the knowing glances from his pack sibs even less so.
Grateful when Sire called them all to order, he managed to eat, braceletted arm rubbing up and down his thigh, the hard ring a constant irritant to go along with his ass.
The relief of getting off that chair was almost as great as if he was suddenly let off tonight's spanking, but life didn't work like that so, at least for a short while anyway, Shouta could lean on the wall and not add to the general f*ckery of his life.
Sullen and pouting and not even bothering to hide it, for a brief moment at least, because of last nights, “Shouta kitten, no more patches or suppressants, for the next six months at least. We’ll be talking about this with the full pack in the morning, until then come here sweetheart, let's get you to bed….”
That had been last night, the bombshell still echoing through him this morning.
No patches or suppressants meant no hiding his scent or emotions at home which was actually worse than going naked in a crowd.
But if Sire said it, there must be a good reason, and even if there wasn't, Shouta would obey, he’d just, well, moan non stop about it but only to himself, and very quietly lest he earn a brief reminder of obedience to go with all the rest he’d gotten for himself.
Watching Hizashi lunge for the best chair, the brief tussle for possession with Oboro, he smiled when Hizashi got it but that fell away into what he hoped was now a calm dignified expression as he stood waiting for the family meeting to kick off.
Because “Kittens who pout get extra spanks!” and while that was a statement and fact from his very early days in the pack, he’d not forgotten it.
Silence fell much faster than expected or so it seemed to his distracted wayward thoughts, his sibs could clearly see and smell that something was up, but this couldn’t be about Shouta’s own activities, so what the -
And then Pack Sire Nezu, diminutive in stature yet a figure who loomed large in their lives, looked at them all and asked in rock solid disapproval, “When exactly did you all decide we three are stupid, blind, and neglectful?”
Looking at each one for a long moment, he continued, “Now, so we get this started off properly, every single one of you remove your patches, and later bring your suppressants to Chiyomum for her to dispose of properly.”
“Yes, taking a half dose might have gotten you away with masking if the three of us were nose dead, but kittens, no…. just…. No.”
Shamefaced glances and hesitant fingers tugged near invisible patches from under clothing specially chosen to hide them, and Nezu let his disappointment fill the air, having them all curling smaller in what had been comfortable seats yet now felt precarious at best.
“Dadzu, why’re dey all smellin like dat?”
“Hmmmm, oh, here, papa Ryou will break down each thing you smell and tell you about it, and then someone in the room will tell you why they’re feeling the emotion in the first place.”
“That way you learn what it all means and they start learning better.”
A gasp, and big green eyes looked at them all in shock, and then the kitten leaned over and asked, “Has dey been bad like me yes'erday?”
“No little one,” Ryou growled, “not a single one of them has been bad, or ever will be bad, but they have made a few shockingly foolish choices and been very naughty indeed.”
“Now, do you smell the bitter smell, like burnt eggs? That one is….”
Listening to papa Ryou listing each emotion, and what it smelled like, and then each of them having to give a reason they were feeling like that, Hizashi knew this was going to end badly, and judging by how Shouta, comfort kitten down to his bones, was still choosing to stand, things had already gone badly for him, last night by the smell of it.
A brief gallop across the race track of his conscience led him to a few things he’d rather his parentals not find out about, especially the….
That thought was broken into pieces at a single glance from his pack sire, and Hizashi held up a hand, hoping to just get this over with but let it fall when he was told, “No sweet one, let papa Ryou finish with Izuku and then I’ll speak next.”
Watching each of his grown kitten squirm and stammer as they explained emotions to their newest kitten, his big innocent eyes and hesitant questions sure to feel like salt on open wounds, Nezu spared a furious through to how badly they’d earned this but the anger was brief, and aimed as much at himself as anyone, and he breathed calm, literally as Ryou put extra effort to scenting the air, and eventually the educating Izuku on emotions in scent form bit was done.
And while not a single of his cubs had lied as such, not a single one, Shouta excepted of course, had told the actual truth.
A long pause as Nezu looked at each of his kittens, and his heart hurt.
He fully knew why they had reached this point, and how a brand new kitten was kicking off even more behaviors in his grown kittens, most of them bad, or no, not bad! Nezu gave a mental laugh at his automatic correction, just poor choices.
Confused choices as well but all confusion ended today.
“Kittens,” he started firmly, “as you all know, the three of us have been involved in an operation, one we were vital in, and while no one expected it to last more than a few months at most or to eventually span most of the globe, it’s taken almost a full year but at last, several weeks ago, we brought it successfully to a close.”
“And no, we will not be talking about it with you, no one needs that.”
“We didn't let you know we were finished with it though so we could get a read on you all, an honest read, and then Shouta brought us our wonderful little Izuku," (“Me me Shou bug brought you me!!!”) "which was a marvelous magic moment indeed.”
“However, behaviors you have all been engaging in, ones if we had been properly present in your lives this last year would have been nipped in the bud have instead been allowed to flourish and now you have all had a deep rock to your instincts.”
“In a good way, however it has combined with the lack of proper oversight and made a few things worse, while making a few better.”
“Life is always a mixed bag, after all.”
“Having let our pack structure lapse as we did, bonding Izuku was near perfect to help begin healing the breach, and please kittens, do not say the breach wasn't there, and isn't still there, or else why the patches?”
“Honesty begins at home, as does healing.”
“For starters though we will be dealing with Nemuri.”
Seeing his pack sister curl into a huddle, Shouta was at a loss to figure out what she’d done, how on earth….
“How long have you been worried about Shouta’s habit of alpha baiting sweetheart?”
Shouta’s head turned with all his age mates as they stared in shock, him at her, and his brothers at him, mouths open to say….
“No!" Nezu near barked, "All of you, now is when you listen, if I want you to speak I will ask you a question, am I clear?”
The air was nearly solid now with his own command scents, backed up by his mates, and Izuku was already sound asleep from breathing it.
Command fragrances tended to put very young kittens to sleep, and he’d already been up since four am, Nezu just grateful he too was semi-nocturnal, just to help keep their little one occupied in the wee tiny hours of the morning.
They also had all his older kittens nearly limp in submission, which he had to admit was good to see.
Little brats, all of them, taking advantage of his being too busy to ride herd on them!
Well, they were all going to find out today why that had been a terrible idea!
“Nemuri, how long sweet one?”
“Ummmm, for, well,” seeing her try to find any way to not answer Nezu gave a bit more effort to his command stance as he caught her eyes with his, feeling his mates fall in through the emotional link of their bonding and his beautiful, soft hearted and secretly shy kitten caved with a cry, “I’m sooooory dad, for ages, he’s been worrying me for ages, I could see what he was doing and tried to get him to talk about it but he shut me out and the others have been shutting me out too and I didn’t know what to do!”
Letting her calm down slightly, seeing all the boys with clear tears in their eyes matching her own, Nezu said, “Nemi pet, why didn’t you come to us?”
Wiping her streaming nose his daughter managed to say, “Didn’ wanna get them in trouble an you were so busy, didn’ wanna distract you all.”
A stab to the heart that was, he felt it slice through his and his mates hearts, a blade of ice, and he gave a hidden sigh and said, “Papa Ryou will be giving you what you’ve earned because you well knew that something had to be done."
Keeping eye contact he continued, "But before he does, last night Shouta went alpha baiting, dressed as beautifully as only he can manage, and took himself to Daiyu Provence, alone and with no back up.”
“He too chose not to come to us with his escalating issues with aggression, exacerbated with the near feral need to protect our new kitten.”
“The urge to protect has misfired slightly, as it has in all of you, and he is currently standing due to being still sore from his first spanking over his behavior.”
Seeing them all flinch at that he reiterated, “Yes, first, he has two more to get through, and when it’s time for his one tonight you will all join him in here for it, the only reason you weren't present for his first one is you were all sleeping and we were loath to wake you.”
“Nemi kitten, Shouta could have died last night.”
Seeing her press both hands across her mouth in horror Nezu didn't soften his words in any way, “Not only could he have died last night, he could have any time he went out self medicating as he worked through his aggression issues alone.”
“Had you brought it to us, yes, he would have been in trouble for his shockingly bad choices, but he would have been safer, and we could have helped him much sooner. And your other brothers, we will be getting to what they have been up to as well but….”
“Sweet ones, it is not telling tales if one of you is in mischief and one of you knows about it.”
Letting that sink in he finally said, “Now, over to Papa Ryou please Nemi kitten, and as he spanks you I want you to remember that being a pack-sibling means your safety is as important as theirs, your heart and mind are as important as all of ours, and had Shouta died all of you would have been savagely hurt by that, as would we.”
“Pack safety overrides every other thing in life, especially keeping secrets for your sibs and hiding your fears and hiding anything you are up to that might get you hurt or sick or injured or killed.”
“Now, all of you sit still while Nemuri gets what she’s worked very hard to earn.”
“And Shouta, if I smell a hint of you beating yourself up over your sister getting her just punishment for HER actions and choices, you’ll be over the arm of the couch before you can say erase.”
Not letting Shouta’s eyes go until he nodded, head twisted to the side to expose an appropriate amount of throat, and he nodded with a smile, “Good, good Shouta, very good.”
All of them stood witness to Nemuri having her hands held for a long moment as she and Papa Ryou talked briefly, shared a scenting and then, with an ease Nezu both loved and sometimes rued for his own agonized back side, his biggest mate simply picked up their daughter and placed her across his lap.
Already knowing the undergarments she preferred, the demure trousers were pulled down and out of the way and the thong left in place.
It was no protection, not in the way, and Ryou’s hand, large enough to cover her entire bottom as if she was still a tiny kitten, landed with a sharp smack.
It was followed by several more, and she was soon wriggling and yelping, then sobbing and wailing as each spank landed firmly, Ryou taking very little time to reduce her to the level of a properly chastised kitten as she wailed her regrets and poured appeasem*nt/regret repentance/resolve into the air.
Judging by scent alone Nezu gave a sharp nod as Ryou landed the final spank, right across both sit spots, and smiled as they let her calm before being re-positioned into a familiar warm cuddle.
One down, all the rest to go.
“Shouta,” he reminded softly, “who’s responsible for Nemuri’s actions?”
“She is.” his sensitive omega kitten almost whispered.
“Good, and who is responsible for learning the lessons she earns?”
Wiping his eyes with both hands, Shouta managed to say, “She is, dad, she is.”
“Good boy, that is exactly right. Now, all of you breathe, nice and deep, good, very good.” As once again he and his mates had poured support into the air, he was pleased to see all the kittens relaxing a touch again.
Izuku, tucked away on the extra soft basket chair in the corner, hadn't even moved at all the noise, and clearly was still sleeping deeply.
His being awake would in no way have changed or stopped the day's activities because pack is pack, from the youngest to the very oldest, but it would have dragged it all on a bit too much as they explained each step to him so it was good he was such a heavy sleeper.
With Nemuri tucked across Ryou’s lap now, snuggled into his arms, Nezu stared at the remaining four of his boys, having already sorted two of the five kittens out.
Putting them all back in their place, all of them still so very young, heroes yes but always his kittens.
“Who next?” he asked, tone mild, and as expected all four raised their hands, sharing a wry and faintly panicked grin between them as he said, “Keigo kitten, tell us please.”
Wanting to bang his head on the table because their ever so free spirited kitten had, in a move similar to Shouta’s, been night wandering.
As the youngest of the litter, only seventeen, not yet even faintly interested in sex or the posturing that came with it, he’d simply been night flying.
For hours.
With the spot of, fortunately careful, vigilante action here and there, not stepping in himself but instead calling it in with a burner phone bought for the purpose.
“Clearly you have as much energy to burn as Shouta, and as much self control to circumvent your tracker, oh no, of course, sorry sweet heart, that is not something you’ve been doing on purpose. Have you?”
Seeing blank shock on everyone's face Nezu explained, “Shouta has been practicing a zen-like meditative calm to allow him to beat the hell out of importunate alpha’s and not trigger the bio alert.”
“You, however Kiki, have always possessed that calm, innate from your bird of prey mutation, hence being able to hunt the night and not alert any of us.”
“As I know you’ve all spotted Shouta’s new bracelet, you too will be wearing one from now on sweetheart, as indeed will all of you, until we know full well that you can each and every one be trusted again without it.”
“Being so much larger it can track not just your biometrics but also your location, and will give us a map of your day to day.”
“I am sorry our enforced absence has made this an unavoidable option but, in life, we do as we must.”
“Now, Nemi kitten, go sit with Chiyomum, Papa Ryou needs his lap free for Keigo. And Kiki, place your feathers in the box and come here, I’ll put your bracelet on for you before papa sorts your spanking.”
Their Keigo was so sensitive, still so fragile at times, in no way shape or form would they have him anywhere other than a lap for this, at least until the kittens had settled back properly into their place in the pack, bonded heart and soul deep in the protective arms of their pack sires and dam.
Watching the repeat of Ryou carefully holding Keigo’s hands, placing him carefully into place, and then, with still so terribly careful hands to layer on an appropriate level of fire across their chicklets now bare tail end, Nezu and Chiyo pumping the air full again of support/love devotion/reassurance.
And when Keigo got too wriggly and clamped a protective limb across his ass as he was want to do, Chiyo easily moved to take his hands, to give the verbal reassurance needed keep him in place as Ryou carefully caught all the tail feathers trying to shield his near scarlet ass in one careful fist, lifting them out of the way.
Keigo still had trouble not blocking a spanking, yet none of them would add extra for that, it really wasn't his fault. Papa Ryou simply finished the spanking, secure that his mate would keep Kiki’s hands out of his way, and that he would keep their lovely fledgling’s tail safe as he made sure to finish applying the perfect amount of fire to teach the lesson properly.
Glad they were all three home at the same time at last, that the endless op was finished and behind them, Nezu sighed a breath of relief for another of their beloved kittens being finished.
Sorted.
Now calming and deeply repentant as he was comforted and soothed.
It took time but it was time well spent.
Suspecting already what the other three were up to in their spare time, glad they’d already rebuilt the big nest in the corner of the room because they’d all need it after this. Once Keigo was settled enough Nezu said, “Good, good Kiki, everything will be better from now on, we promise.”
“Now, you three,” he gestured to the near-panting from increasing nerves trio, “the couch you're sitting on, I need you to lift it out of the way, good, just like that.”
“Now, Nemi, if you’ll take Izuku to the big nest, and Kiki joins you both, you’ll be able to see and smell from there as we sort this naughty trio out.”
“And you three, in your own words.”
Hizashi looked to both sides at his equally shamefaced brothers, and hesitant fingers all drew out matching packs of….
“Cigarettes.” Chiyo said in deepest disappointment, because knowing something and it’s being proven were totally different, especially when it was your precious heart-children doing it.
“Yeah, it’s why the spray blocker too, ummmm, and - ”
“There's more.” Ida said, voice a bare whisper, and Oboro nodded, eyes fixed firmly on the floor.
“All of you, if you can do the behavior, you can look me in the eyes as you tell us about it.”
Voice a near bark with his own emotions, all three flinched back yet snapped their eyes up, frantic to not earn more, to not upset anyone more because they could clearly smell how much they’d already done that.
“Now, one at a time, Hizashi, you’re eldest, you first.”
Harsh perhaps but for their eldest kitten to allow his younger sibs to not only smoke but to - “We’ve been going to raves.”
Head up and eyes firm, for all his hands were trembling as they gripped the hem of his shirt, Hizashi said, “On different campuses, and a few clubs where they don't card properly.”
A surging of scents was the only thing that met that statement but it was enough to have all three near wetting themselves as they fully presented their necks, Oboro managing to gasp, “We never got drunk, not properly but….”
“But?”
“We’ve had a few near misses, on our way home.”
Hizashi, always brave, usually after getting in trouble rather than keeping himself out of it, listed for his brothers how many parties they’d crashed across the past year, and the close calls they’d had, including once escaping a full police raid and no fewer than five attempted mugging as they wound their tipsy way home.
And the far more serious one of an actual abduction.
Holding his emotions in check with every fiber of his being, feeling his self control holding his mates to a state of calmness as theirs assisted him in turn, Nezu simply breathed through the intense reaction of learning his beloved kittens, three parts drunk on a substance forbidden in all ways to them, being snatched out of a party after drinking spiked drinks and waking cold and trussed up and deeply frightened and….
“It was one way to handle a hangover, I guess.” Oboro tried to infuse the moment with some humor that fell flatter than if he’d not tried at all, and he muttered “Sorry.” and sniffled.
Finally adding, “It was really scary.” and bursting into tears.
As the second youngest he tended to be emotional, and this was not just emotional but deeply traumatic, and needed careful handling and for all they’d known and suspected of what the three had been up to, this information was utterly unexpected.
For now though, “The three of you, are you up to dealing with the smoking now, because we will deal with the drinking and parties and all the linked issues later, once we have looked into it properly.”
And they would, and there would be counseling and help as well as epic spankings involved, for now though, as expected, all three said, hesitantly, “Can we sort it now, please?”
“Of course sweet ones, now, as you fully know why we are upset at your decision to smoke a substance proven harmful, Oboro, you go to Papa Ryou, Tensi, Chiyomum will handle you, and Hizashi, come here kitten, you and I have something to get through.”
“Later we’ll make sure all these poisonous evil things are disposed of, for now, trousers down and bend over the couch arm please, you know how.”
Hefting his ruler, knowing how much his kittens hated it yet how devastatingly effective it was, he placed it across shivering, pale - for just a moment longer - buttocks, and said firmly, “Yamada Hizashi, what on Earth were you thinking to start smoking?” And brought the ruler down for the first of many!
Later, with all of them finally in the nest, hiccuping sobs still breaking into quieting breaths, joining his mates as they poured bonding scents into the air as they groomed almost asleep kittens, his heart was almost broken, was near gouged out and bleeding….
Failed.
He’d failed them all so badly.
Yes their job was important, and he and his mates had saved so many people, rescued so many, closed down dozens of slave routes in a single decisive blow that might keep the vial trade in check for a while, yet his kittens paid the price for it, paid the price in a fading of the pack bond, a fading of -
“Nezu pet, do I need to put you over my knee right now or are you able to let the guilt go?”
The question was an honest one, because even he could smell the stink of himself, and see all his kittens staring at him, the matching anguished guilt in their eyes for having caused such distress, and Nezu managed a choked sob as he reached for his Shouta, closest, and carded frantic claws through his hair, rubbing wrist glands across his Omega son’s neck, moving on to the others, scenting them one by one as heavily as possible.
Ryou and Chiyo did the same, layering parental fragrances across them all, each other as well, and bit by bit Nezu calmed, gentled his frantic movements, began to breathe properly.
His calming down soothed the rest, and it took very little time for all of the kittens to fall asleep, leaving just he and his mates awake.
“I meant it lovely one, I can feel how much you think you failed them, yet here we are, dealing with it as a pack should, and that means you and your emotions as well, if it’s needed.”
“For the next week we will remain locked down, no work, just as relaxed as possible, well, dealing with Shouta kittens spankings won't be very relaxed but once done that will leave just the other three to deal with.”
“Tomorrow we'll sit them down and get all the details, find out how they escaped, what happened to the ones who took them, and sort them with therapy. I’m thinking Deliahs Service, they deal with kittens of heroes and with working as well as retired heroes all the time, I know they have several there that will be a good solid fit for our pups.”
“Oh Nezu love, come here, you did not fail, we did not fail. Yes, the pack bond faded, they got into troubled waters much deeper than expected, but they are alive, we have a new kitten, and feel….”
Closing his eyes Nezu felt along the pack bonds, “Already the bonds are stronger, healthier, the pups more solidly in place, by the end of the week the bonds will be healed, and we can work on getting them all fully involved with our work at last because they all need the structure now.”
“They clearly need some hard graft to deal with their excess of energy and aggression as well as being close to us at work, as well as play. The agencies we placed them in while we were so busy clearly did NOT keep them busy enough if they could get up to this much mischief in their spare time!”
“It will be okay.” Gathering Chiyo closer to him, Nezu already snuggled into his other side, Ryou rumbled, “And rest assured, we will deal with your guilt very soon indeed if you don't let it go properly. For now though, we all need to sleep, let the bonds heal.”
A jaw cracking yawn as his large mate snuggled down deeper and Nezu too yawned, relieved to know if he didn’t sort his emotions they’d be sorted for him.
His pack had his back. Even if his ass might rue the fact, his heart reveled in it.
Pack was the foundation, and fixing it was the only important thing in existence now.
**********************************************
The music wasn't really sure what to sound like, cause ouchie!
Waking snuggled in the big nest again was perfect!
Having a big kid room was nice and all but the big nest was bestest of all, and they’d all eaten, and had another nap, and the air was sweet and rich and zingy and then zaowwwie and then aaaaaaah and soft and nice and good and the music was rolling like distant thunder and soft like a hug.
That bit was great!
Watching his Shoushou get spanked wasn't great, it was owie, and he’d cried.
Shoushou’d cried too!
But Siredadzu told him about it, and why, and even the music had to agree that going dangerous places - like the cross walk to the store - without permission got you spanked.
And then it was more tears and the air went all sweet and dreamy again, music wawwwwawwwwing like a wave and he was asleep again.
This time when he woke up the music was stronger, happier, much more sure of what it meant, even if Izuku didn't understand.
But that was okay, papa Ryou was good at explaining, so was everyone, and that was good, if he needed to he’d ask, but for now he'd feel the new thing the music was doing.
It wasn’t just in Izuku’s ears now because he felt the new feelings in his chest like the music sounded.
The music was somehow touching him, and his family, he could feel them so strong, so good.
He didn't have enough words!
Sitting up he asked, “Papa, wha’s a word for good?”
“Hmmmmm, well, there is fine, and happy, powerful, principled, ethical, and many others. Why do you need words for good, sweet one?”
“Oh, cause da music is all inside me now, an touchin you all, an it’s good good good.”
“Ahhhhh, then I have the perfect word, Pack.”
“Pack?”
“Yep, what you feel is the pack-bond. I’m sure your song loves it, I love it too. We had a problem with the pack bond, but it's healing now, feel it, close your eyes and feel.”
Izuku did and then laughed, “I like that!”
“Oh sweetest little Izuku, so do we all!”
“Now.” His papa asked, "How do you feel about waking everyone up for food?”
Izuku, and the music, felt great about pouncing everyone awake!
***********************************************
Leaning on the counter, one hand curled around his tea, Nezu felt deeply at the pack bonds, near thruming now with power, near healed in full.
Being forceably put into their rightful places not long after bonding a new kitten was speeding the healing beautifully!
Hizashi carried Izuku upside down as he squealed, Shouta, still slightly tear stained, no one gladder his three spankings were over more than Nezu, despite how he was sure Shouta himself was thrilled to have them behind him at last.
A faint grin at the only three still to finish their spanks for the bad choices they’d made, but they too would finish soon but drinking and risking their lives to do it?
Yeah, not on his watch!
Seeing them duck their heads away, baring necks, he could sing for joy because he felt it as well as saw it, the coiling mix of emotions they were feeling.
Shame, dread, longing for it to be over, a certainty of care that was as relieving as it was awful….
He sent reassurance through the bonds, saw and felt them settle into acceptance.
Tomorrow they’d meet their fate and then it would all be done.
Over and done and healed at last.
Pack, it beat with his heart and sang with his joy, and everyone smiled.
****************************************************
The music was jangling.
A worried sound, high and shrill but without direction, unlike how it had just been as he swung as high as his feet could take him, the swinging swooping song now lost to the clashing notes.
Swing coming to a stop, Izuku frowned, listening.
It was new, this song, but it had elements - he smiled at the big word, he was seven after all, time for some big words if you asked him - of the danger-song, warning-song, and the help-me-song but all mixed up with lots of new stuff.
Standing he knew Shoushou and Zashi saw him cause they were coming over, so he closed his eyes and turned a circle and the music shifted a bit but not much until he turned to face the street and then it screamed!
High and shrill and Izuku was running as it screamed and screamed and screamed and he was grabbed but that was okay cause he was pointing and yelling go go go and they already knew to follow the music even when they couldn't hear it so they ran, so fast they might as well have been flying!
Yelling STOP STOP STOP when the music lost the way, turning until it caught again, it was the help-me-song now, all frantic galloping heart beats and drums and they ran and ran and ran!
Izuku was so glad for his pack, cause they knew and believed and trusted and loved him and he never got away with anything but he also had so much support and they helped him all the time!
Like now as long strong legs pounded a near silent rhythm and then, yelling -
Izuku could hear yelling over the music and the voices were loud and angry and the music was frantic and he was pointing but he didn’t have to as Hizashi smashed the door of a ground floor apartment into splinters and then they could see the yelling was from a big alpha and smaller alpha and a tiny kid, smaller than Izuku who was trying to scream but the music had to do it for him because he was all straps and things on his head and tears and snot and “HE can't breathe!”
The music was making Kacchan’s can't-breathe-song now and Hizashi had lept in and made the one holding the kid up by one arm drop him and was fighting both the Alpha’s and there was a knife and Shouta was fighting now too after pushing Izuku out of his arms and away from the adult bodies fighting and Izuku used the training he’d had for a solid year and jumped and grabbed and rolled and his own knife was in his hands and he was so careful.
So careful!
As he cut the straps, fabric and plastic and leather didn't stand a chance against the knife he’d gotten for his seventh birthday, or the training he’d already had with knives, but a knife didn’t care what it cut, Izuku had to care for it and not cut this kid that was trying so hard to hold still but was turning blue and starting to thrash in panic.
Focusing on the job, not the spanking he’d got for playing with the new knife and cutting himself with it earlier, but thinking about the sting of a spanking helped him not panic about what he was doing so as soon as he got all the straps and stuff off he helped the kid crawl to the corner and crouched with a snarl to face the room.
Keeping the kid tucked behind him, and protected him until the alpha’s were both down, as were the two beta’s that had come running at the sounds of the fighting, all of them cuffed and police called and Shoushou and Zashi were there and the kid was crying but silent, heaves and shudders and Izuku reached out and said, “It's okay, you’re home now, you’c’n be ours, the music says so.”
Which is how Izuku got a new little brother with pretty purple hair who was super smart, and Kacchan got a new friend to play with every day after school, even if the first time they met he’d crossed his arms with a pout as he said “Someone six is too young to have any fun with.”
Once he learned Hitoshi ALWAYS found him when playing hide and sneak, it became a proper challenge, and Kacchan was always up for a challenge!
0000000000000000000000000000000
Holding hands on both sides was amazing, perfect even, and knowing Hito was healthy and growing properly now was even better, cause the check up at the doctors was perfect.
They’d spent loads of time watching the wall of fish swim and dart and the flowery things Shoushou called coral, and then looking at the picture book that said, All About Coral Reefs that was on the table right in front of the tank and they could match pictures up with the things in the tank….
They’d both been sad when they got called in but the Alpha was one they knew, she was really really nice and moved so slow and talked all the time like Zashi and Boro did and then they both got a sucker, lemon for Izuku and raspberry for Hito, and they got a “Clean Bill Of Health” until the next time.
Sire had already explained that cause they’d not been taken care of properly when tiny they had to see Dr Tsura more than most pups but that they’d soon outgrow it and not to worry so they didn't, they were just happy each time to see the fish again.
Now though was the bestest part, Hito on Shoushou's hip, free hand holding Izuku’s hand on one side and Zashi holding his other one and every five steps they both lifted him up and he yelled "WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”
Hito said wheeeee too but tiny, cause he still didn't talk loud, but he was talking more and singing some too, he sang great so Izuku sang with him, and they'd even gotten Kacchan to sing too, and the music loved it when they did that!
They were on a new road now, cause their usual ice cream place was closed but the phone said there was another one close, although how the phone knew Izuku wasn’t sure and then, like a squawk, the music made the go-there-sound.
Tugging to a stop Izuku looked at each place he could go cause a street was a big big place and it wasn't this store or that store or that door or oh, it was across the road.
"Which one kiddo?" And Shoushou was kneeling to ask, and Zashi was standing guard so no one got close and Izuku pointed and they all crossed the road, looking both ways and talking about it, waiting until Hito said they should go and then telling him what a good puppy he was.
Looking in the window Izuku said, "Is it music? Cause that’s a violin, isn’t it?”
"It sure is kitten, and that’s a violin too, and over there's a guitar, and that's" - "Zashi, how bout we just go in?”
"Oh, GREAT!" And Izuku was swooped up and in they went.
They spent over an hour, a wonderful beta salesperson helping them as Izuku tried every instrument in the place, some of them several times, and the music did it with him, and eventually he settled on a guitar, a keyboard, and a violin.
Even though some of the traditional instruments were amazing, the music said the three he’d chosen were the right ones.
Right for what he wasn't sure, and then, like the music only just thought of it, he was called back to one side of the store, and the drums had to be tried again, until he found the right ones, and they too were added to the collection.
"All done Zubug?” and Hizashi wasn't in any hurry, Shoushou either, so Izuku spun on the spot, and the music said check out - the check-out-song was one of the most boring of all but he grinned at it now cause he had such amazing family to just let him listen to the music like this.
"So, I’m not even gonna guess, which one is for who?"
"Oh, they’re for all three of us Zashi, we’s all gotta learn em so we can know which ones we like bestest. Best, I mean. But," Izuku leaned close and grabbed Hizashi’s ear, whispering right in it, "Tha violin is for Kacchan cause he c’n breve, breathe I mean, as he does the bow thingy, an tha drums is, no, are for Hitochan cause they c’n make noise for him, especially on the days he can't do it himself, and tha guitar an' keyboard are for me, or mebey someone else, don’n know yet but, ummmmm."
Leaning back and looking worried now Shouta leaned in and asked "What's wrong Kitten?" and Hitochan yawned and nodded cause he was thinking the same question.
"How’ll we learn em?”
"Oh baby, that's easy." Izuku's mouth opened in shock as Shouta went on, "I play your two instruments just fine, so does Zashi, and Oboro is amazing on drums and violin and," he pointed, "that one and that one too so once you get a bit bigger we might try learning a few traditional tune makers but for now, even Nemi could teach you how to play, Sire thinks music is important for every kitten to learn so we all play at least two each."
"The parentals were just waiting for everything to settle down for a bit before starting, but I think your music got tired of waiting!"
Arranging for it all to be sent to the house, carrying the now very tired kittens, everyone settled on a tiny cone for the walk home, lest anything more upset tired tummies.
0000000000000000000000000000000
The new school was amazing, like, properly awesomely amazing!
It was right across UA plaza, on a diagonal line so it had the large public park on one side, the plaza as it’s front and a row of business and shops to the other side and Pack Sire Nezu had started it, just for Izuku and Toshichan!
Well, he said it was for any kids he could find that needed a properly safe space to learn in, cause people were stupid and mean sometimes and Izuku had to agree because when kids asked him what his quirk was, and he said "I hear music no one else can." Yeah, some of them got really really mean about it.
And while he and Hitoshi and Kacchan never got in trouble for fighting, they did get in trouble if they did it wrong.
The right way was to find a grown up and get help, cause then they could use words and no one got hurt.
The wrong way was to ignore the right way and just jump into the fight and kick and punch and roll like they’d all three been taught how to do, and it was even worse when he started biting, which he always did in a fight.
The first option got them a nice snack and a fun talk on what the cause of it all was and what they thought it all meant and all the rest of the things his pack talked about but the other way got their cuts and scrapes cleaned - ouch that stung - and bandaged....
And then corner time which was awful!
And then a spanking which was even worse!
And then a talking to about what and why and how and how else they might have handled it.
And as it was usually Kacchan who started it all off when kids got all pissy with him 'n Hitochan for having mental quirks and then Izuku biting and then Hito piling in….
Rubbing his bottom as they wandered the halls of the new school on their tour for starting tomorrow, maybe next time he’d just bite Kacchan instead of the big bully that hung out at the store and liked to start stuff any time they got permission to go as a group and spend their allowance on sweeties.
That way he’d only get no desert for biting instead of all the rest of it.
Still, he shared a smug glance at his litter mates as they toured Sires new school, because watching that nasty beta run for the hills the last time really had almost been worth it!
And now it was first day, for both him and Kacchan AND Hitoshi even though he was a full year younger, because it was the school's first day too!
And while it was hard to sit still for so long after being out of school for so long over summer, they had run-round breaks every hour, for fifteen whole minutes!
Dadzu said it was cause kids had too much energy and needed to shake it lose and also that, despite what regular schools thought, the science and medical field all agreed, kids got more done when they were happy and took lots of breaks and had snacks and were relaxed so that was what he was creating, a happy school.
Looking at all the other kids in his class, and how big the smiles were as they sang a song about sunny days, clapping in most of the right places - the little brown cat girl got it right the entire song, she was so smart he loved that and the crow headed kid and his sister who was a shadow got it wrong as much as Izuku did but only half and half, which was so funny they laughed too, and one of the kids looked like a peppermint sweet who hadn’t smiled the entire time was almost perfect with his clapping and he hummed along with the song with his eyes crinkled up even without a smile and Izuku could hear his song and it was all relieved for some reason as well as happy and -
"Zuku? Hey, songs over, you're staring at everyone again."
"Oh, sorry!" He jumped over to his seat in three hops and they moved onto something else that was just as much fun and the day was just as amazing as the music said it was gonna be when he got up that morning.
And when the bell rang to let them go, he was scooped up and swirled around, just like Hitochan and Kacchan and he yelled like Zashi liked to do about how amazing the day had been.
Later when they ran and ran and ran in the big kids park beside the school, several of his new friends there too, Izuku took a break to pant and think how amazing his life was now, how happy he was, and then with a crow of success he tagged Kacchan (who was the devil to catch) and was running away fast as fast with the music singing so loud it was like the whole world was as happy as he was!
