Sharing the news
36. Sharing the News
“Not a problem,” said Kenji, waving her hand as if clearing the air.
“I believe you are both due for a good meal. Let’s see what we have,” said the magnetic reformee as she opened the refrigerator, “Did you two want chicken or duck?
“Oh, duck please!”
“All right, let me just heat everything up.”
Mouth already watering, Keigo went to sit on the bench at the breakfast counter and winced. He was still sore from laying.
Grabbing the cushion off the seat next to him he stacked it on top of the other and then re-sat himself gently. He’d be more comfortable on the couch but wanted to stay close to his Pack member.
“When will everyone be back?” he asked as Kenji busied herself in the kitchen.
“Hm, I’d say by six, why?”
“Want to see them, and let them know Dabi and I will be taking turns incubating as expected," and he missed them, he really did.
Kenji slid the duck into the warmer, “Have you decided how you’ll split the time?”
The blond thought about it and said, “Well, we’ll both sleep at night, so we can take turns then. And each of us can do either two four-hour shifts or one eight-hour during waking hours.”
“The four-hour shifts would probably be easier on you both I’d think,” offered Kenji.
The Avian hummed. He liked talking to the magnetic reformee. If anybody understood a person does things a certain way for good reason it was her.
When the timer dinged, she turned and pulled out the warmed duck, retrieved the other dish from the microwave and passed both plates to Keigo, “There you go, one roast duck rice bowl with green beans for Dabi and warmed raw duck for you. I bet you can’t wait to get back and check on them.”
He in turn handed the meals to several feathers, others retrieved a couple bottles of water while the blond shook his head, “No, I’m sure they are fine.”
“You two have a good bond,” said Kenji, her smile reaching her eyes.
Keigo paused before heading down the hallway to their Den, looking over his shoulder the Avian added, “He’s going to be an awesome Dad, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
—
Izuku was in class when phones started vibrating or dinging.
Checking the green haired Omega saw he’d just gotten a text in the Pack2Pack Chat. This chat included everyone in the League and Bakusquad.
Opening it he saw that it was a photo from Dabi.
On a bed of fluffy blankets and white downy feathers was an egg that looked to be the color of fine red wine, the top and sprinkled down the sides were small bursts of bright celestial blue.
Keigo had laid!
He just managed to type out a quick response expressing his joy for them and asking if everyone was ok before the room around him broke out into chaos.
Immediately people jumped up from their desks. Ochako and Tsu rushed over to him. They took turns giving him a hug, Izuku couldn’t stop smiling. Around them everyone seemed to be talking at once!
“Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty!”
“It’s larger than I thought.”
“How can you tell how big it is?”
“We need a banana for scale.”
“Really? I thought it’d be smaller.”
“Don’t be silly, there’s a whole baby in there.”
Cementos walked down the aisle and peered over Izuku’s shoulder at Ochaco's phone where the picture was still displayed, “My sincere congratulations to your Pack young Midoriya. May I continue with my lecture?”
“O-of course, Sensei. My apologies for the outburst,” Izuku stuttered out with a bow.
The professor patted his shoulder, “The excitement is understandable, but there will be time for celebration after class.”
There was a chorus of ‘Yes Sensei’s’ and everyone returned to their seats.
Reluctantly, Izuku got ready to take notes. Already knowing his mind was going to be somewhere else the entire time.
—
Tomura was working in the library (his and Dabi's office would be ready next week) when his own phone started buzzing (of course he had it on vibrate, he was in the library!). Picking up the device he saw Dabi's picture and felt pride swell in his chest.
His pack had its first pup…chick…whatever they wanted to call it. The point was the League was supportive enough for them to have young. That was important for the longevity of any Pack.
Word was spreading quickly from the League to students and teachers. By the end of the school day everyone would know, and so would parents. Which means there is no way to keep this a secret any longer. They would need to at least issue a press release.
Tomura brought up his email and was already typing out potential dates and times to the Principal. He added his own Mate, Dabi and Keigo to it as well.
—
Shouta unzipped his yellow caterpillar-like sleeping bag and groped blindly around on his desk for the annoying buzzing cell phone. Once he opened the messages, he sat up straight.
There on his screen were incoming congratulations and celebratory messages galore. For what?
It was at that moment he got a text from Keigo himself, clicking on it the eraser hero learned what all the fuss was about. The Avian had laid his egg.
He’d sent confirmation that he was doing well, and had called the Doctor with the update. The Doctor would be making a visit to UA that evening to take measurements and a scan of the Egg, as well as perform a checkup on Keigo himself. The Principal was already aware and had approved the visit.
—
Tues 10:45AM
Eraser: “My congratulations to you both. I was wondering why my phone was going off like a pachinko machine.”
—
Keigo felt his shoulders creep up. Shit, all those alerts must have driven Eraserhead nuts. He quickly typed out a reply…
—
Tues 10:45AM
Hawks: “I am so sorry! Everyone got really excited.”
Tues 10:46AM
Eraser: “No need to apologize. Good news is always welcome. Since you are texting I take it you are back in your right mind for the moment?
Tues 10:46AM
Hawks: “I am.”
Tues 10:46AM
Eraser: “And you really are doing alright?”
Tues 10:47AM
Hawks: “Yes. Dabi is incubating right now while I take a break.”
—
This information made the corner of the Omega’s mouth quirk up. He knew the former arsonist had doubts about himself being capable, but like Nedzu said. Kids change things.
—
Tues 10:48AM
Eraser: “Who started this text avalanche?”
Tues 10:48AM
Hawks: “Dabi sent a picture of our egg.”
Tues 10:49AM
Eraser: “Ah, I missed that. It was lost behind all the messages, resend please?”
Tues 10:49AM
Hawks: “Here!”
- - - Hawks has sent a photo - - -
—
Shouta opened the file, glad he was alone. If anyone but Hizashi saw the smile on his face they would never let him live it down. Speaking of, he still needed to discuss Eri’s situation with his Mate.
—
There was a knock at the League Pack’s door.
Iguchi and Jin looked up from their work in the kitchen. They were preparing to cook up nikujaga with thinly sliced marinated beef and mixed pan fried vegetables, steamed rice, chilled Tofu with Chili garlic soy sauce and Clear Soup.
The League had learned a long time ago that less people in the kitchen was better, too many and they started bickering and the food suffered. Their meal was more often burned and served late than it was edible and on time.
“Must be the Doctor,” says Jin, washing his hands so he could answer the door.
Iguchi had just been chopping vegetables to size, so he wiped off on a towel and texted Dabi to let them know.
“Thank you again for your help,” said a woman with turtle-like features dressed in a white coat and carrying a medical bag. Behind her was Kenji, holding a much larger silver suitcase style bag with wheels and a handle. The Alpha was so strong, it had been easier to just carry it.
“Nonsense, you are here to see to the good health of our Packmembers, that makes you our guest of honor!” says the broad woman, setting the case down inside the apartment.
“It’s good to meet you,” said Jin, having moved out of the way, “Do you need anything before getting started?”
“No thank you dear, I’d like to see the new family right away,” they said.
Dabi had come out to greet their guest. They had to be careful with this part. The Doctor needed to enter their Den. Both he and Kei were very territorial right now. They agreed Dabi would handle bringing them in, “We are right down the hall Doc.”
“Ah Dabi, good to see you. Please scent my coat,” the Alpha did as asked and helped wheel the large suitcase down the hallway.
Knocking on the door Dabi announced them. Then they waited.
Keigo felt his instincts flare, he didn’t want to let anyone in their Den. Shaking his head hard the blond had to remind himself it was just Dabi and his Doctor. No one was going to take away their chick. After a breathing exercise to help calm him, Keigo called out, “Ok, you can come in, just move slowly.”
The door opened and Dabi stepped in first, blocking them from view just in case. The Doctor behind him chuckled, “Slowly? I am a tortoise mutant, that’s the only way I can move.”
There was a squawk from across the room, making the two look over at the nest.
“Was… was that a joke?” asked Keigo, sitting up with a smile on his face.
The Doctor peered around the Alpha, “Ah, hello dear, how are you feeling?”
—
Upon seeing his Doctor, Keigo ducked back down. His feathers fluffed and sharpened as he swept his wings around to cover their nest, a low hiss escaping as his eyes focused on the Physician as if they were prey.
A moment later the blond gave his head a good shake and said embarrassedly, “S-sorry! Sorry. I’m a bit defensive I guess. Just, my instincts are still kinda strong and they don’t really want company right now.”
The Doctor slowly made their way over to the nest with Dabi right beside them, “That’s quite all right dear. If you need me to stop, or leave, all you have to do is ask. I’m only here for the health of you and your chick. We all want to make sure they are doing well, yes?”
That made Keigo’s instincts take a turn. Yes, the chick’s health was VERY IMPORTANT. And this person was a Doctor, here to check on their chick, make sure they were strong. Yes. Good. Yes.
The Doctor started by giving Keigo a pelvic exam. The Alpha spent most of that time determining the pile count of the rug. Dabi did assist in setting up the scanner, and Keigo then got an ultrasound to check his insides as well.
They asked if the pair had engaged in coitus yet. Dabi and Keigo both confirmed they had not. The physician just nodded, ignoring their rosy cheeks, saying the Avian passed his exam with flying colors and they could at any time now.
Keigo was cleared for sex, great. That was the last thing on his mind right now as his golden eyes watched the Doctor approach their egg with a scanning wand.
Dabi, sensing his tension, put both hands on his Mate’s shoulders, holding him in place with a firm grip.
“It’s fine Dove,” whispered his Alpha, soothing pheromones surrounding them, “We’ll get to see the chick. There, look at the screen.”
The physician had frozen the image, and selected to print the photo. Sure enough when Keigo glanced up he could see the form inside of the egg. A small person, much more defined than the first photo. You could see eyes, hands, feet, and formations that most definitely looked wing-like.
“We made that,” said Keigo in awe. It still felt so weird. Not bad, just, unlike any other thing he’s ever experienced.
Dabi gave him a soft smile, “You did all the hard stuff Dove.”
“Shut up.”
Dabi planted a kiss on his Mate’s cheek.
While the couple were distracted, the Doctor got busy taking the egg’s weight, diameter, shell density, thickness, and other measurements without any trouble.
Placing the printed photo in an envelope they passed it to the couple, “You are both in good excellent health. Keep taking care of yourselves. I will see you again in four weeks. As always, do not hesitate to call me if there are any changes.”
Dabi helped the tortoise mutant pack up the larger equipment. Then he escorted the Doctor back to the living room.
—
By that time Tomura had come home. He was seated on the couch typing on his laptop. The Doctor had to admit, they were interested in meeting the so-called Symbol of Fear.
“You are welcome to join us for dinner,” said Tomura. He closed the computer and set it aside on the coffee table in order to give their guest his full attention.
The physician bowed politely, “Thank you, but I have plans this evening.”
“A hot cup of tea before you go then?”
The former villain wanted to talk, thinks the Doctor. There didn’t seem to be any ill intent, the others in the pack kept doing what they were doing. It would be rude to refuse a second time.
Very well.
Taking a seat on the couch the Doctor nodded and said, “Yes, that would be lovely.”
One of the Pack members cooking brings them a tray with hot water, cups, cream, honey and sugar and a small box of different teas. They choose a simple green tea. Together the two take a few moments to fix their drinks.
“I wanted to thank you,” says the former supervillain, “Without your help Keigo would be in a cage right now, and I mean that in the most literal sense imaginable.”
The tortoise mutant looks over at the former villain. Keigo and Dabi had always spoken of the man with a kind of brotherly respect. You know the type. Where they can pick on each other in good fun all they want, but the moment an outsider says two words against them, they’ve got each other's backs.
“I was just doing my job…”
“No you weren’t.”
“Pardon?”
“Just doing your job has a bare minimum. It’s punching in and punching out, it doesn’t include making house calls or remembering patient’s names. You’ve gone above and beyond. You treat my Pack members like human beings, and not just criminals. If there is ever anything I can help you with please don’t hesitate to reach out,” says Shigaraki. Lifting his mug he takes a sip.
They fiddle with their mug. The tea is good and the Doctor is grateful to have it to help settle their nerves.
“Are you familiar with the Hippocratic Oath?” they ask.
Shigaraki leans back and nods, “I know the basic premise.”
“The Oath says many things, and it’s been revised over the years. Throughout history it has held on to several core values. To ethically, and I think, morally prioritize our patient’s health with the help of their input and our knowledge. And to apply our skills while avoiding senseless harm,” they said, putting their cup down.
They hope Shigaraki understands, being a Doctor isn’t just a job for them. It’s a higher calling they take to heart.
The pale Alpha considers the tortoise-like physician. “I see.”
A few more moments pass. They finish the tea while behind them the sounds and now smells of food being made continue.
“Well,” says Tomura as he stands, the Doctor getting up as well. “We don’t want you to be late to dinner.”
He walks them to the door and bids the Doctor good night.
—
Dr. Garaki's footsteps echoed down the empty corridor. He shifted the large briefcase from one pudgy hand to the other and adjusted his large round glasses.
Fluorescent lights flickered overhead as the short mustached man made his way down the seldom used hallway in the basement of the renowned hospital in Jaku City.
The Doctor chose to work with AFO as a means to a goal. It was through him that the Doctor had been able to perfect his method for safely removing quirks without killing the host.
After that collecting quirks for his experiments had become far easier. That combined with his work in the hospital provided plenty of… raw material for his greatest creation.
Nomu.
If AFO was the Demon Lord, the Devil of the modern world, then Dr. Garaki was God himself. It had taken him decades but he could finally do it, he could finally create living creatures of immense power, without that pesky 'free will'. It took a few tries, a few... unsatisfactory experiments, but he got there.
Stopping in front of an old door, too rusty for the shiny new keypad attached to it, the man pressed a series of buttons and let himself inside…
AFO may have an impressive array of commandeered quirks, but the Doctor had been developing his own collection for just as long and for a very different purpose. With Nomu, Dr. Garaki could bring his own army to life.
Nomu were better than traditional military in every way.
They could eat nearly anything, they didn’t talk back or disagree or disobey. They did exactly what you ordered them to do. Obedient weaponized soldiers. Even if you ordered a Nomu to walk into a lake and drown, it would do so without question.
Near HighEnd Nomu could execute more complex orders, and even work together in a unit. They also possessed copies of a valuable regeneration quirk making them more durable than their predecessors.
Then there were the High Ends, the veritable Generals. These were made from the corpses of bloodthirsty villains. These Nomu were stronger, smarter, able to strategize and even speak. They retained some remnants of their original personalities, but when their master gave them orders they had no choice but to obey.
Though Dr. Garaki’s first experiments hadn’t turned out the way he’d expected… the comatose immolated fire user, and the boy with the cloud quirk… their data assisted in perfecting the final product.
Motion sensitive overhead lights came on as he walked forward. In the darkness ahead of him was highly specialized machinery, used to house the powers he’d extracted.
AFO thought his quirk was unique, but nobody is that special. Modern technology can bypass, automate, reproduce, accelerate and improve at a far greater rate.
Fast enough to reach perfection?
Dr. Giraki knows, objectively, that he was better than any quirk or any combination of quirks.
Reaching the specific series of storage pods he’d come here for, the Doctor set his briefcase on the floor and opened it.
Over the next hour he moved methodically down the line. In total Dr. Giraki removed ten containers and slid them into the ten fitted slots of the briefcase before snapping it shut.
This was the final series of Quirks he needed to infuse into the Near High-End Nomu.
He walked back to the old worn out door. Opening it the Doctor paused. He turned and looked back into the room to appreciate his collection for a moment, before shutting the door and once again shrouding them all in dark isolation.
—
“Quiet down everyone! Quiet down!” called Midnight, cracking her whip to get everyone’s attention, “It looks like everyone who RSVP’d is here, let’s begin!”
“Where are we going to start?” asked Denki.
The Thirteen produced a sheet of paper and a pen, “How about with attendance?
She passed the sheet around for everyone to sign in. When the heroine got it back the names on the page were Midnight, Thirteen, Snipe, Ashido Mina, Uraraka Ochaco, Aoyama Yuga, Kaminari Denki, Kendo Itsuka, Kmori Kinoko, and Neito Monoma. It was a good group, she thought.
Mina was super excited to help plan the event. She had been dreaming of this for years. It was going to be great, she knew it. She looked across the table and spotted Monoma, but Kendo was here so it should be ok. Were those two dating yet? She wondered.
“This is going to be so much fun!” whispered Kinoko to the brunette gravity heroine next to her.
Ochaco smiled, “It is. I’ve always heard stories about the UA Senior Dance, but never dreamed I’d get to plan one of them!”
“Now what do we do?” said the copycat snidely.
Yuga spoke up, “Mes amis, If I may. I have taken the liberté of making an outline of important items to address. We can add more if we need, oui.”
Monoma scoffed, “And what makes you think you're qualified to do that?”
Under the table Ochaco and Mina each took one of Yuga’s hands and gave him a nod in support. He sat up straight and explained…
“I’ve attended many events like this in the past, and ma famille plans extravagant parties several times a year,” Yuga explained, his cheeks turning pink. He didn’t like to brag about his parent’s wealth in public, but it seemed this time it was necessary.
“That’s great initiative,” said Snipe, taking the paper the belly lazer heroling passed around.
The group took a moment to read the list, then Kinoko asked, “Do we want to start at the top and work our way down?”
“That makes sense,” said Kendo, the people around her nodding.
Midnight smiled at the blond boy, “Since it’s your list, why don’t you keep us on topic for each item. We also need someone to take notes?”
Ochaco held up her hand, “I can do that!”
The x-rated heroine passed a notebook and pen to the young women, “Perfect! Let’s get planning!”
—
“First item, how many people will be attending?” said Yuga.
Denki looked confused, “How would we know that?”
“There’s no way you can predict who will go,” huffed Monoma.
Midnight grinned as she pulled out more paperwork. As she passed it around the heroine explained, “I have access to how many students attended for the last five years. I ran the numbers comparing it to the sizes of the graduating class. We can safely estimate about 100 students will attend, twenty percent bring non-student dates and we plan to have ten or so chaperones present.
“Wow, I didn’t know you were good at math,” said Denki without thinking.
Mina punched his shoulder while Monoma laughed, “Good one sparky!”
Snipe had to hide his smirk with a fake coughing fit that no one fell for. The only sound after that was Ochaco’s pen scratching against paper.
“I’m good at a lot of things you don’t know about sweety-pie,” said the x-rated hero, grinning viciously.
“Let's move onto the next item,” interrupted Thirteen, gesturing to Yuga.
“Ah, Oui. Location?” he looked up at the adults again. That was usually decided by the school.
“Right,” said Snipe, “We were able to book one of the venue’s we’ve used in the past, Musutafu Tower and Convention Center. That has to be booked pretty far in advance, so I hope you all are ok with that.”
“Sounds good to me,” says Kendo.
“It gets better! We also negotiated a 40% discount for Mated pairs who book two nights or more!” said the x-rated heroine.
"What if they only stay overnight?" asked Kendo.
"25% discount."
Kinoko shrugged, "Not bad."
“That’s awesome!” said Mina. Ochaco bit her lip as she was writing, that would probably still be more than she could have afforded anyway. She and Tsu hadn’t mated yet, at least she can avoid that discussion.
“A lot of people will really appreciate that Midnight, thank you,” added Kendo.
Yuga cleared his throat and continued, “The next item is Theme.”
“Oh boy.”
“Let’s do Enchantment Under the Sea!” cheered Mina.
“That could be ni…” started Ochaco, but she was quickly cut off.
“Naw, I don’t want to dance around a bunch of fish,” said Denki, making a face.
Ochaco frowned, everyone did have very good ideas. There was one she really wanted to suggest, but too many people were talking at the same time…
“I think Carnival would be fun! All the colors and sparkle!” chirped Yuga.
“Everything is sparkle with you!” bit Monoma, “I say we do a Masquerade!”
“What about Hollywood? Classy and glamorous!” said Kendo.
* Crack! *
The sound of the whip silenced the room. Midnight smiled and sat back down.
“Ochaco, sweet heart, you look like you have something to say?” said Thirteen.
“Oh, um, well I was thinking maybe we could do Fantasy Forest? I just think it’d be so pretty, with all the flowers and trees. We can make all kinds of props that glow! It would really make the night feel magical, you know?”
“Oooh, yes, I like that too!” said Mina, bouncing excitedly in her seat.
Monoma scoffed.
Kendo and Denki seemed doubtful, but Kinoko was smiling.
“Why not take a vote?” drawled Snipe.
—
He counted the votes twice just to be sure, and then announced the winner: Fantasy Forest.
Ochacho felt giddy, they liked her idea! They moved on to the next item on the list,
“Colors,” said the lazer heroling.
“I can handle that!” said the copycat. Monoma pulled up his laptop and did a few searches, then he turned the computer around to present three potential color pallets for the event based on the Theme. They quickly went to voting again and selected one to move forward with; Hunter green and emerald, deep red tones, deep purples, earthy browns and gold accents.
Ticket sales was just the students dividing up who would man the booth during student lunches. Tickets would also be sold on the school website through the student portal, and in the school’s main library at all hours.
Denki and Yuga took on the lighting. They would be responsible for coming up with clever ways to bring some kind of light into their evening forest theme. After some discussion it was agreed a few good ideas were glowing mushrooms, glow worms, fireflies, fairies, and more. They really got on a roll with that.
Kinoko, Mina and Ochaco were going to construct the table centerpieces. They took some time to come up with a few ideas, eventually deciding on one that wouldn’t get in the way of people trying to talk to each other across the table.
Monoma and Kendo agreed to come up with a couple “Photo Opps”. Places where couples and friends could take pictures to remember the night.
Everyone was going to help construct the decorations for the evening. They would need to set aside a few days to get the majority of that done.
For entertainment they voted for a DJ instead of a live band. After heavy discussion where Denki and Mina had to be reminded this wasn’t about your favorite music, it was about music popular enough that everyone could dance to it, they decided on a few local top choices. Thirteen said she would reach out to see who was available.
Then they reached the part where they had to pick the food.
“Buffet style is the best for a diverse group like this,” said Yuga, knowing just how much his hero classmates could pack away at a meal.
Monoma was leaning back in his chair, feet crossed and on the corner of the table, he sat up at that comment, “Finally, something we agree on!”
Snipe passed out copies of the catering menus from the convention center, “I couldn’t agree more, let's select what we are going to offer. The center does small bite sized appetizers with drinks as people arrive, then they open the hall for dinner. Dinner remains open for about an hour and a half, then it is cleaned up and dessert and coffee and tea are served.”
“When you say drinks, you mean what exactly?” asked Denki, eyebrow raised.
Midnight shook her head, “You are all still under age, they will be serving sodas, punch and mocktails.”
He and Monoma both pouted. The girls rolled their eyes so hard you could practically hear it. Everyone already knew that someone would sneak something in, legally the school and center could not be the ones to provide it.
“Ah, moving on,” said the blond with the lazer, “What should be served as the Amuse-bouche?”
The group read that section of options, and selected five items to be offered up with the mocktails.
Monoma said if they weren’t getting real drinks, then they could afford to add a couple more dishes to the dinner. No surprise everyone agreed with that. Midnight promised she would speak with the Event Planner at the venu.
They set the date for their next meeting, it would be in the art department so they could get started on making props.
—
For those who would like to see them, Ochaco’s notes:
Committee Member Attendees:
Professors: Midnight, Thirteen & Snipe
Students: Ashido Mina, Uraraka Ochaco, Aoyama Yuga, Kaminari Denki, Kendo Itsuka, Kmori Kinoko, Neito Monoma
Expected # of Attendees: ~130 Total ~ 100 Students, 20 Non-Student, 10 Chaperones
Based on class members and attendance from previous years gathered by Midnight.
Location: Musutafu Tower and Convention Center. Mated Pairs permitted to rent rooms.
Student Discount: 25% discount for one night, 40% discount for two nights.
Midnight and Snipe were able to negotiate with the Event Planning Team at the Center.
Theme: Fantasy Forest, Enchantment Under the Sea, Masquerade, Hollywood, Carnival
Colors: Hunter green and emerald, deep red tones, deep purples, earthy browns and warm metallics like brass & gold
Ticket Sales: School Website, During School Lunches and at the Main Library on Campus
Students to staff the booth in the lunchroom for the next three weeks:
M - Kaminari Denki & Uraraka Ochaco
Tu - Aoyama Yuga & Kmori Kinoko
W - Kendo Itsuka & Neito Monoma
Th - Kmori Kinoko & Ashido Mina
F - Aoyama Yuga & Kendo Itsuka
M - Kaminari Denki & Kmori Kinoko
Tu - Kmori Kinoko & Ashido Mina
W - Kendo Itsuka & Neito Monoma
Th - Kaminari Denki & Uraraka Ochaco
F - Kendo Itsuka & Neito Monoma
M - Uraraka Ochaco & Kmori Kinoko
Tu - Aoyama Yuga & Ashido Mina
W - Kendo Itsuka & Neito Monoma
Th - Kaminari Denki & Kmori Kinoko
F - Kendo Itsuka & Neito Monoma
Lighting: Use glowing mushrooms, fireflies and glow worms near light sources. Fairies, shooting stars, reflections on ‘water’. Pillar lighting on the ‘trees’. Denki and Yuga
Table Centerpieces: Glowing ‘fairy hutches’ made of wood lanterns with LED candles inside, above branches wrapped in gold, pink or green fairy lights. Kinoko, Mina & Ochaco
Photo Wall: Think, walking down a path in the woods in the evening, with fireflies, and cute little animals, very Disney Princess. Provide headbands with different animal ears for people to use as props. Monoma and Kendo
Decorations: Construction of props like tree trunks, branches with leaves and flowers and fairy lights to help set the mood, weeping willows, moss, tall grasses, fake animal props, etc. Everyone
DJ: Thirteen to reach out to the top choices. DJ K, Saki Suzuki, Yume Watanabe, Yuki Tanaka
Dinner: Buffet Style
Amuse-bouche
Tempura bites (V)
Tartines with Ceviche Beef and wasabi avocado
Gyoza (V)
Stuffed Mushrooms (V)
Tempura Shrimp Skewers with Wasabi
Mains & Sides
Sushi and Sashimi
Soup Station: Miso Soup (V), Udon (V) & Soba (V) (Cold noodles with different broths and toppings available)
Create Your Okonomiyaki Station (V)
Yakitori with choice of a hot, sweet or mustard sauce
Negimaki (beef wrapped around scallions)
Kakuni Bossam (Braised Pork Belly) with Soy Eggs
Teriyaki Beef Carving Station, choice of hot, sweet, or savory sauce
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce (V)
Grilled Corn (V)
Steamed Seasoned Bok Choy (V)
Sesame Miso Green Beans (V)
Agedashi tofu with black pepper broth (V)
Several Rice Stations (White, Red & Black) (V)
Desserts
Flower Themed Wagashi Platters (V)
Mini Taiyaki (Red Bean & Custard & Matcha) (V)
Mochi (Vanilla, Strawberry & Taro) (V)
Green Tea, Mini Cornetts, Monaka Platter (V)
—
Tomura was sitting in the Pack’s living room with his quirk suppressing bracelets off, once again practicing with number two pencils.
He was trying to control Decay before it reached the pencil without Izuku being present. He was already confident he wouldn’t turn his Mate into dust.
Everyone else, well. He wasn’t there yet.
While he was doing this Jin walked by. The older man was on his way to UA’s Landscaping department where he was working this week. He’d always enjoyed being outside, and he knows he’s not the brightest bulb in the bunch and didn’t mind manual labor. The Beta found it gratifying to see something completed through good old fashioned hard work.
He paused to watch their Pack Leader struggling.
It made him think about how things have changed. Having a safe place to live, regular meals, and receiving decent medical care, even seeing a shrink for the first time in his life, had all been tremendously helpful.
Jin’s face was uncovered more and more these days, but he still carried a mask or handkerchief half tucked in his back pocket for when he felt overwhelmed. His therapist said not to be discouraged if he never gave it up completely. The goal wasn’t to get rid of it, but to rely on it less.
The only thing he wanted now was to somehow let Shigaraki know how much he appreciated all that he’d done for them. That and someone to come home to at night, like the boss had, he thought with a tinge of jealousy. Maybe someday… It was good to have hope again.
Tomura hears the chair in front of him get pulled out, looking up he sees Jin take a seat.
“Hey boss.”
Tomura frowned, he knew they all still look to him for leadership, but he wasn’t their boss anymore. He was their Pack leader, but that wasn’t the same. He didn’t want to dictate their actions like AFO had his. They were free to make their own choices.
“Jin. You don’t need to call me that anymore,” continued the younger man, “Please call me Tomura, or Shiggy if you’re more comfortable with that.”
“Sure thing… Shiggy. I wanted to take a moment to say thanks,” said the Beta.
Ruby eyes finally looked back up at him.
“I can tell you think you don’t deserve it, but you don’t get to say how we feel. We’re a bunch of broken people, you and I know that. We fell through the cracks. Never thought I’d have anything like this, ever. So thank you,” said Jin, cheeks turning a little pink with embarrassment.
“I… I don’t really know what to say,” admitted the young Alpha.
Jin chuckled, “That’s alright, you don’t have to say nuthin’. You’ve already done enough. We know you care about all of us, or we wouldn’t be here with you.”
Actions, thinks Tomura.
“Thank you Jin. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Naw, we’re each working on our own issues. It’s gonna take time. It’s a real privilege though, to have a Pack to come home to,” says the Beta, getting up and heading to the front door.
That it was, thinks the Alpha as he watched the older man leave.