#pack 1-a

I saw @omega-multiverse​‘s post on formal pack structures here, and it got me thinking about what Class 1-A’s structure would be as a pack, so here we are:

Some parts of this chart are a little confusing so let me explain what’s going on.

Because the pack is so large, it’s been broken down into four sub-packs, with Todoroki, Kirishima, Shoji, and Satou as each sub-pack’s head alphas. This was mainly done to keep order. Thanks to the alphan natural instinct to lead, it would’ve been near impossible for one or two head alphas to keep the other six or five alphas of the pack in line; the pack would’ve collapsed within weeks.

Iida and Yaoyorozu are the head male alpha and head female alpha of the pack. Each sub-pack’s alpha is underneath one of them, while they are on equal standing with one another. They consult each other on pack-wide decisions, and while they have the power to make decisions for anyone in their sub-packs, they normally consult each other on those decisions as well.

For an example of how the structure of power works, take this scenario; Kaminari has received a courting gift from Shinsou, and it has to be decided if Shinsou is a good enough candidate to mate into the pack if the courting is allowed. Because Kaminari is in Kirishima’s sub-pack, it is first Kirishima’s decision. He will consult Kaminari, Sero, Bakugou, Ashido, and Jirou, and then make a decision. If he decides Shinsou isn’t good enough, the courting ends there. If he decides Shinsou is, the decision goes to the head alphas.

If Kaminari was trying to mate with someone in one of Iida’s sub-packs, let’s say Midoriya, the decision would be all Iida’s, as both Kaminari and Midoriya are under him. But because Shinsou is an outsider trying to mate into the pack, the decision must be made by Iida and Yaoyorozu unanimously.

(This is the completely logical progression of this scenerio, but in reality the decision would be mainly left up to Kaminari and Kirishima, Iida, and Yaoyorozu would just agree with his verdict because they’d all think he was the authority on decisions about his own relationships).

---

Shinsou creeps in after Denki one night, shoulders hunched and expression wary. He looks like he's completely out of his element, like he's walking into a minefield, and when Katsuki looms in front of him, he watches the other boy reel back like he's expecting to get punched.

Before he can open his mouth to sling shit, before he can even attempt to gain his bearings, Katsuki growls. Loudly. It's wordless and animalistic, an Alpha wolf squaring off against an intruder. Shinsou falters, taking a slow step back, and Katsuki matches him with a step forward. He growls again, lower, deeper -- closer to a snarl when those defiant violet eyes lock on him and the other teenager instinctively (thoughtlessly) tilts his chin down just enough to protect his throat.

Behind Katsuki, Denki is shifting anxiously, soft little whines giving away his distress. Shinsou fixates on him and moves to step around Katsuki, ignoring him in favor of soothing the omega.

Katsuki's bark is loud and sharp. His teeth snap shut barely an inch from Shinsou's cheek, and the other boy stumbles sideways, anger flaring in his eyes. He growls at Katsuki, cutting himself off and blinking in surprise. Katsuki's grin is wide and wolfish, his teeth bared as he stalks closer.

Shinsou holds his ground, but he's wavering. He knows what this is -- Denki's already told him, because Katsuki encouraged him to. If he wants to come, if he wants to join, he has to know what he's walking into. That was Katsuki's only stipulation.

He's been able to sniff out an Alpha personality since he was three. He knew what Shinsou was the moment he met him, and this is Katsuki's pack. This is his territory. Either Shinsou fights him for rights, or he submits and accepts that Katsuki leads this group.

Shinsou submits. Katsuki can see the humanity dim in his eyes; watches the bright, feral gleam of a predator unfold. His rumble is closer to a purr, rough and feline, when he averts his eyes and offers Katsuki the vulnerable line of his jugular.

Satisfied, Katsuki crowds into his space and licks across his pulse point; knocks their heads together lightly and rubs his scent across Shinsou's face before retreating. The panther's scent will blend with the rest of the pack-scent in time. He'll become one of them, and only absolute betrayal or his own decision will ever change that.

Once he steps back, the rest of the pack flows forward around him to welcome their newest member. Shinsou looks stunned at first, but slowly, with each new scenting, he relaxes until he's almost smiling.

"So," Katsuki rumbles, letting the others herd Shinsou toward the couches while he follows behind them, his shoulders relaxed and his mood content. "What do you want to know, Shinsou?"

Curled up on the couch with Denki on one side and Sato on the other, Shinsou looks up from where Kirishima's propped his chin on his knee and meets Katsuki's amused, indulgent stare.

"Everything," he says. "I want to know... everything."

Rumbling, Katsuki leans against the back of Shoji's chair and rests his chin on the tall boy's head. Deku looks up at him from his spot between Shoji's legs, scarred fingers carding through Iida's hair; the class rep's head is resting on his lap, his long body stretched out and tucked partially under the coffee table. Shinsou takes it all in as well, marveling at how absolutely tangled up in each other they all are. Eventually, his gaze returns to Katsuki, and he notices the way those violet eyes drop just enough that they aren't meeting his in a direct, challenging stare.