Chapter 2-~Make some bacon and I'll put it in a pancake~

Fumikage was…confused, to say the least.

Here were the ruthless conquerors of Japan, the leaders of the Paranormal Liberation Front who have killed hundreds-possibly thousands -between them ^[1] .

And they were all sitting around a dining table eating pancakes, for dinner.

Fumikage ate through their own stack (plain aside from some delightfully tangy spread called quark that they enjoyed) slowly, watching the others as they ate, you could tell alot about someone from what they ate and how they ate it, something he had learned in his foster care days. 

Twice was the least surprising (aside from the fact that he was alive) he constantly chatted with the other league members, contradicting himself every other sentence, he even contradicted his own toppings. Marshmallow fluff, soy sauce, peanut butter and chilli flakes. Fumikage shuddered as they imagined the clashing flavours, coupled with the way the fluff and peanut butter would gum up his beak? No thank you.

Toga was next and hers were surprisingly simple, only a small sprinkle of sugar with some lemon squeezed over her pinkish-red pancakes (her’s had blood mixed into the batter, but that was to be expected, Fumikage wondered if she simply preferred it or was incapable of digesting food without blood being present in some way) she caught them looking at her and smiled wide, her enlarged canines glinting in the light, she waved at him. And against his better judgement, and to the amusement of Dark Shadow, Fumikage waved back.

Takami-sensei sighed from where he was sitting next to his apprentice, he had chocolate chip pancakes with banana slices and rashers of bacon absolutely drenched in maple syrup, an indulgence his Commission approved nutritionist would never have allowed, in the back of their mind, Dark Shadow clacked her beak in agitation at the mention of the Commision. She had always expressed her dislike of the organisation far more openly than Fumikage ever could. 

Takami-sensei was absentmindedly eating his pancakes as he stared at the only empty chair at the table, right across from his own, and Fumikage knew why. One of the first things he and his mentor had done when he brought them both here was check up on Dabi, bobbing in a tank of amniotic fluid, a nearby heart monitor the only thing indicating he was alive. They were uncomfortable standing there, feeling somehow that Dabi was judging them despite being totally unresponsive, but Fumikage knew his mentor needed to know that his three favourite people were safe in his territory. So he made sure to maintain his composure to the best of his ability, whilst also trying to reign in Dark shadow as she tapped against the glass with her beak.

Fumikage was broken from their memories by the harsh sound of metal scraping on porcelain, his eyes snapped over to Spinner, who cleared his throat once he knew he had grabbed everyone’s attention.

He drew a breath “we need to do something about class 1-A”

Fumikage’s breath caught around a warble of fear, Takami-Sensei had promised him that the league wouldn’t kill any of his classmates, but he knew there were fates worse than death.

Spinner continued, oblivious or uncaring to Fumikages plight. “I was monitoring them again today, and they're just getting more restless and desperate, it’s only a matter of time before they do something stupid” he paused to rub the back of his neck, a nervous tic, Fumikage’s eyes narrowed, just what was he going to suggest?

Spinners eyes darted over to them for a brief moment “i think it would be good if we let them see their classmate-”

Takami-sensei slammed his hand down on the table, cutting him off. “Absolutely not”

Spinner hunched his shoulders slightly “it would only be a few hours, and we would be there the whole time”

Takami-sensei wasn’t backing down though “you saw what happened in Isamu, you know that people aren’t above using kids to try and get at us ^[2] ”

Spinner clicked in the back of his throat “U-A is the most closely monitored school in the country, we have every possible entry point on the entire campus covered 24-7, you yourself have put sentry feathers in the vents to keep people from using them, it’s highly unlikely that anyone is doing anything in there without our notice”

Takami-sensei’s feathers puffed out as he dug his talons into the italian maple “and i was the most closely monitored asset of HSPC! But that didn’t stop me from feeding you intel!”

Fumikage shrunk into their seat, they felt like they were a child again, even after all this time spent away from the foster homes. He still couldn't stand people fighting like this, Dark shadow writhed in distress, swelling outwards from the shadows of his cloak, ready to shield them both if things got physical.

But Takami-sensei wouldn't let things escalate that far, right?

The table groaned and creaked as claws dug further into its surface.

Right?

“Enough, both of you”

Fumikage looked over to the head of the table where Shigaraki sat, he was looking at his two subordinates expectantly, having put away the hand-held gaming device he had been fiddling with all night.

Takami-sensei and Spinner both took a step back from the table.

The Emperor sat up in his seat and looked over to Fumikage.

“Hey kid, what do you think?”

 Fumikage felt more than heard the way his beak clacked shut, Shigaraki was just, letting them voice their opinion on the matter? Even though they were enemies only a month ago?

…Their sudden inclusion must have been some sort of test then, a way to see where Fumikage’s priorities lie.

If he said he wanted to see them then Shigaraki would know he could still use them as leverage, but if Fumikage said he didn’t want to see them, would that give the Emperor the push he needed to start using harsher tactics? What was the correct move here?

His flock classmates were depending on him, he was the only thing holding back the League, if he slipped up they would all suffer.

What was he supposed to do?

What was the right answer?

What was-

“Here!”

Fumikage jerked as Dark shadow screeched from where she had manifested behind him, he hadn’t even felt her manifesting from the darkness within him, how deep in his own head was he just now?

Shigaraki cocked a (non-existent) eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue.

Dark shadow rose up slightly “We can bring our friends here! That way we can see them and be safe!” she chirped, before quickly turning to Takami-sensei.

She grabbed his hands in hers, shooting him a pleading look, “please, Sensei? It would make Fumi so happy if we could see our friends, he misses them”

Fumikage watched in mild embarrassment as Sensei's face crumpled. If there was one thing Sensei couldn't say no to, it was Dark Shadow’s puppy eyes ^[3] .

Spinner hmm'd thoughtfully from where he stood, “it would take a while for us to set up, and transport would probably be a nightmare , but” he looked over to Fumikage. “It's doable”

Shigaraki smirked from his chair “it's settled then, we’ll give the 1-A brats a guided tour” 

He jabbed a finger at Fumikage’s plate “now hurry up and finish your food! Kurogiri worked hard on those”

Fumikage looked down to the plate of (probably a little bit soggy) pancakes, the quark had melted and it was pooling on the plate, he jabbed his fork into the stack and looked up to the rest of the table.

They had all gone back to their idle chatting, Spinner was leaning into Shigaraki’s space, showing the Emperor something on the tablet that seemed to be all but physically attached to him. Magne (who was also alive somehow?) Twice and Toga were talking about going to the mall tomorrow, even Takami-sensei was talking quietly with Dark Shadow as he ate (and Fumikage made sure not to listen in through their bond, his sister deserved privacy like anyone else).

Fumikage chewed his pancakes thoughtfully as he contemplated his situation. On one hand, he was able to avoid being seen as a potential threat by the League, on the other, he had agreed to having his classmates tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire. And there was no way for him to make sure they didn’t get burned.

He had no idea how the League or 1-A would react to each other's presence, whether or not they could be civil with each other or if they would have their own private Liberation War on their hands.

Fumikage swallowed, if this went well, then it could lead to Shigaraki giving 1-A a longer leash. He might even decide to let them go home to their families instead of the dorms, if it went poorly, his classmates could go from proverbial prison to actual prison. Gods know that the PLF were itching for an excuse to fill up the re-constructed Tartarus. 

Fumikage sighed through his nose and took another bite of his pancakes, the plan was already in motion, all he could do now was hope for the best.

End notes