Just A Myth | Shota Aizawa

Chapter 5

Third person pov

Turns out, Aizawa didn't have to worry about Atlantis hating him over Uno. The merman won every time. Shota was still trying to figure out how, but it was to no avail. The mythical creature didn't seem to understand the concept of cheating, and was far too cheerful for him to suspect any foul play either way. The merman was untouched and untainted by the horrors of the human world. He was like a ray of sunshine in a world Aizawa had grown to view in a shaded light. It made Aizawa's perspective shift. He realized that, maybe, this world wasn't as bad as it seemed. There was good in it. 

"Just wait here." Atlantis looked excited, his blue-ish green eyes swirling with anticipation. Aizawa had taken another week off to spend more time with Atlantis, successfully scaring Mic and Midnight so bad they came to his apartment again. That time, he was dressed in something not so colorful, though he beard remained as evidence that they hadn't hallucinated the sight of him walking down the hall in vibrant beach wear. Aizawa insisted he was fine and not having a crisis of any kind. He could tell they didn't believe him.

"Alright, alright. Are you going to tell me what it is?" Aizawa snorted, observing his tailed friend. It felt easy to care about Atlantis. With Hizashi and Nemuri, he was begrudging. Here with Atlantis, things felt freer. Natural things came smoother, and felt more right. Maybe it was due to Atlantis' lack of judgement. Aizawa could stare for hours upon hours at him, and the merman wouldn't say a word. No weirded-out looks or flat glanced that conveyed a clear message: stop. He was simply fine with anything and everything. Which was actually mildly concerning, but... nice.

Atlantis had an amazing tail. In general, he was flawless, but that was besides the point. His scales reflected beautifully in the water when he twisted and swam just beneath the waves. The human part of his body was lean but strong, and his hair was impossibly soft. His bone structure made him look exotic, like a water nymph. He'd never seen anyone quite like him. His skin, too, was different. At least compared to Aizawa's it was. Shota had never really touched anyone else. With Atlantis, it was easy to lie on the deck and bathe in the sun, with their arms pressed against one anothers.

"I'm going to get it right now! I'll only be... three of your minutes." Atlantis' voice had the undertone of a whine, but he was smiling brightly. He was getting better at the concept of how humans told time, which made Aizawa smile all the more. "I'll be back!"

Aizawa found himself grinning as Atlantis ducked under the water. The merman darted for the entrance of the cove they were in. His heart was thundering in his chest as his tail beat against the waves. He hadn't realized how amazing it was to have a friend before now. Sure, he remembered those from his pod, but this felt different. Everytime Shota came to visit him, he'd find himself smiling until his cheeks hurt. And when Aizawa smiled, his heart would soar. He'd never felt like this before! It was exciting, and new. It made him giddy, and he never wanted it to end.

The group of chattering dolphins only got louder as he approached. They were a flock he'd swam with before in the past, and they always made an effort to shift their course about so they'd run into him, if they heard rumors about his location from other sea life. The ocean was a massive place, but that didn't mean Atlantis didn't have some friends. Shota was just a... special friend, that was all. They weren't quite the same species, but they were close enough for it to matter.

"Come on, you guys. He says he's never seen a dolphin up close before." Atlantis spoke in a rushed, exuberant tone. The pod of dolphins stirred happily, grateful to see their friend, a child of the sea, so happy. Merfolk were to be treasured by all the life in the ocean. Merfolk were the ocean's very essence in a living, breathing form. They did not just live within it. They were everything the sea had been, was, and was going to be. They were aquatic miracles. It was an honor to be addressed by him as though they were somehow equals, or on the same level.