They stay in the safehouse for another two nights. Eri and Hitoshi get the days off school, though Shouta doesn't really have the materials in this apartment to really teach them. They've already completed all their assigned homework for the weekend anyway, and there's nothing Shouta can really do to expand on it.
Instead, they use their materials to teach Izuku about their different topics, in an attempt to pass the time.
Time goes slowly, because there's not a whole lot to do — they've gotten some necessities delivered, as well as a change of clothes, but that's about it for now to cover the emergency stuff.
Naomasa texts in the afternoon, finally.
"The car's been cleared," Shouta relays to the rest of them as he reads the new message. "And for now, so has the apartment. They've lost the trail of him, but he's also apparently lost ours, so we should be alright. Eri and Hitoshi, you'll have an escort to and from school from the commission, and anytime we want to go out."
Hitoshi groans, but he knows there's no use complaining about it. It's for their own safety, anyway, and should hopefully only be for a little while. This is a better outcome than not being allowed back home at all.
"We're getting picked up in half an hour," he adds, scrolling down to read the next message. That gets them excited at least, eager to leave the apartment they've been stuck in for almost four days straight now.
They spend that time cleaning up the apartment, and then there's a knock at the door. Sansa stands before them, and gestures for them all to follow back down and out of the building.
"Here," Sansa says, passing back Shouta's phone. "It's all good, no signs of being traced."
Shouta nods, and the relief is immediate. He doesn't care much for the actual device, but there'd been photos on there that he hadn't transferred elsewhere, and they'd been at the back of his mind during the past few days, because it felt like a shame to lose them.
They get down to the street and Sansa unlocks a car. It's not Shouta's own, though he hadn't expected it to be — they wouldn't risk driving it around this area, when their suspect knows all too much about it. Shouta sits in the front seat, and Sansa relays how the investigation has gone.
"We're pretty certain he won't move too far from the area," Sansa says softly, though the car is quiet enough that they have little hope of this conversation not being overheard by those in the back. "He was bunkered down here before, and he'll likely stay around if he thinks that Izuku is around here too."
"Mhm," is all Shouta says, looking out the window so that he doesn't turn to look back at Izuku.
Sansa and Shouta fall quiet on the drive back, while Eri picks up the conversation as she speaks to Hitoshi and Izuku quietly. She knows well of the danger they're in, unfortunately all too aware of it at her age, but she's doing her best to liven the spirits of those in the car with her.
He flicks Oboro and Hizashi a message, to let them know it's safe to contact this number and that they'll be returning home for now, even though they likely know already.
They return home, and Sansa parts ways with them before Shouta can open the front door.
"We'll keep in touch," Sansa says, and walks back towards the elevator. "We'll get your car back to you as soon as possible as well. Take care, you four."
Shouta gives him a lazy salute in acknowledgment, and opens up his apartment door. He'll have to change all the locks and keypad codes, and he'll get to that once the three kids are settled back inside.
Eri immediately heads to her room, and Shouta can hear her talk to some of her plush toys, declaring she's missed them and that she's sorry for leaving them alone so suddenly. Hitoshi just bee-lines straight for the fridge, and Shouta warns him not to have any cold caffeinated drinks at this time of the evening, which takes some of the wind out of his sails.
Izuku lingers close to Shouta, not quite setting out in the direction of any room or appliance in particular, though Shouta spots his eyes lingering on the notebooks he's left stacked on the dining table. Shouta puts a hand on his shoulder, and then gives him a gentle shove in that direction, because he thinks Izuku's going to start trying to apologise to him right now.
And he knows Izuku has been itching to write, or draw in his notebooks. If they'd had to stay any longer at the safehouse, Shouta's requests definitely would have included some stationery.
Thankfully, moving him in the direction of the notebooks seems to work, and Izuku heads over that way without argument. He sits down at the table, and he reaches out for a pen immediately, already flipping to a new page. Shouta's not too sure what he's writing about, because he's never looked unless Izuku has purposely shown him what's inside, so he keeps his eyes averted.
"It's nice to be home," Hitoshi says, flopping down on the couch with a groan as he stretches. "Really nice."
"Sorry," Izuku immediately says, his pen lowering, and Shouta curses inwardly. Damn, so much
for avoiding the guilty apologies that aren't required.
Hitoshi flaps his hand around. "Literally not your fault that some psycho hunter dude is trying to kidnap you again."
"But because of me-"
"Izuku, Jesus, dude," Hitoshi grumbles, and he lazily rolls his head around to look back at Izuku. "I've got some homework for you: please work on not apologising for things that aren't your fault. You know you'll upset Eri."
Izuku does falter at this, and though his mouth is open, it seems like it's more in shock rather than like he's working up the words to refute Hitoshi.
Hitoshi turns his attention to the television, and he flicks it on. "Alright, I've got some shows to catch up on, no one bug me."
This warning does not extend to Eri, as she wanders out of her room with one of the plush toys that Izuku won from his first time at the arcade, and curls right up on the couch with Hitoshi and prods him into cuddling with her.
Despite the fact they've all been in each other's space for the last few days, it's not enough for them to want to willingly separate just yet. It's like they all know they're in a precarious position, and they're all too aware of the threat that they could lose each other if they don't stay close.
Shouta goes through the kitchen and gets rid of any products that have unfortunately gone bad in their time away. Their milk was already close to expiring, but now Shouta just holds his breath and pours the small remainder down the drain, and adds it to his mental grocery list of items to replace. There's a few pieces of fruit and some vegetables, but overall it's not too bad.
It's just nice to not be surrounded by non-perishables. And Shouta has jelly-pouches, which he suspects Naomasa had taken off his requested food items when they were at the safe-house. He's not too hungry, but he still has one for the sake of it, just because he finally has them in reach once again.
They all settle back in relatively quickly, comfortable now that they're properly back in a familiar space. They still don't have the freedom to leave when they want to, but having the option with lookouts is certainly better than just being cooped up with no other option in the safehouse.
The night passes, and in the morning, Eri and Hitoshi get ready for school. There's a knock at the door, just before they usually leave, and Shouta peeks through the peep-hole to see Oboro standing there, hands in his pockets as he rocks back and forth with a grin.
"Good morning!" Oboro says, all too cheerily when Shouta opens up the door for him. He's tempted to shut it right in Oboro's face, but that's also because he hasn't had his coffee yet. Probably.
Stifling his early morning irritation, he steps aside and lets Oboro inside. It lifts the spirits of Eri and Hitoshi at least — Eri had been reluctant to leave for school because she didn't want to leave Izuku, and while Hitoshi was more or less the same, he also definitely just enjoyed getting some days off school.
Izuku walks out of the room, rubbing his eyes as he hears the commotion.
"Oh, sorry kiddo!" Oboro says, in the midst of a hug with Eri. "Did we wake you?"
"It's alright," Izuku yawns. "I usually get up earlier."
Shouta knows he didn't sleep well last night, but the bags under Izuku's eyes aren't too dark, so he knows he managed to get in a few hours at least.
Oboro hums in reply, and walks over to ruffle Izuku's hair. "Alright, but sorry again! You should take the time to live every kid's dream of getting to skip school, you know?"
"You're telling me," Hitoshi grumbles under his breath, heaving his bag over his shoulder.
"I want to go to school," Izuku mutters, somewhat shyly. Oboro laughs good-naturedly.
"Man, I don't know how Shouta ended up with two kids that are nothing like him," Oboro muses, and then clicks his fingers and gives finger-guns to Hitoshi. "You, though. You're the spitting image."
"Um, thanks?" Hitoshi says, and then looks over to the door. "We gotta go, or we're going to miss the train."
"Right, right! See you later kiddo," Oboro says, and ruffles Izuku's hair one last time as he herds Eri and Hitoshi out the door. "Catch'ya, 'Sho."
Shouta gives him a nod, and then shuts the door behind him. He suspects he'll be seeing Oboro and Hizashi quite a bit, over the time it takes for the commission to track down their guy.
"You didn't like school?" Izuku questions, contemplative as he stares at Shouta.
Shouta gives him a shrug. "It wasn't really for me, I guess. I found a better purpose outside of it."
"Huh," Izuku says, thinking it over. "You were good at it though, right?"
"School? In the academic sense, sure. My grades were decent," Shouta replies. "Why?"
"You're a good teacher," Izuku admits, and it takes Shouta by surprise.
He shakes his head. "Your experience with teachers is very limited. Believe me, I am not of standard."
Izuku frowns at him, and then folds his arms. "Hitoshi says you're better than half of his own."
Shouta groans. "That's because he's like me. That's a mix of the fact he doesn't like some of his subjects, and therefore doesn't like that he's assigned work in them, as well as the fact his personality isn't agreeable at times with other people's. And he's also had bad experiences before with teachers."
"Bad experiences?" Izuku presses, and Shouta takes a deep breath.
"Yeah. Listen, problem child. What we've experienced in the world... a lot of people will never understand that. Due to their own experiences and view of life, they end up with a different understanding of things. A lot of them don't like Hitoshi's abilities," Shouta explains grimly. He knows Izuku will, at least, understand where he's coming from — Izuku has had his own experiences of similar nature, after all.
"I see," Izuku replies softly, thinking it over with a frown still on his face. "So teachers were mean to him because of it?"
"More or less," Shouta answers. "He doesn't have teachers like that anymore, at least, but he still struggles sometimes in that environment."
"You're understanding," Izuku suddenly says. "You're patient, and you explain things well. Even when I could hardly talk or understand your language, you found ways to communicate with me. You taught me so much, and you always help me. I... I know I haven't had much experience with teachers, but I think you're definitely 'of standard'."
"Heh," Shouta can't help but say, taken by surprise. The compliments leave him a little off-kilter, almost like he's winded slightly from them. "Well, I guess it helps to have a good student."
Izuku smiles at him, and though Shouta is mildly nervous that Izuku is going to try and recite more of the qualities he seems to enjoy in Shouta, thankfully he doesn't continue.
"Well, we have a couple of days to catch up on," Shouta says, and Izuku nods in agreement, already sitting up straighter in his seat.
They pass half of the day like that, Shouta giving Izuku more materials to study, and Izuku entertains himself with all of them. Shouta logs onto the commission's network and gets himself up to date with more investigations.
Just before Eri and Hitoshi are due to come back home, Izuku's pen stills. He remains quiet for a couple of minutes, and Shouta finds himself shifting his attention to that, waiting for Izuku to speak.
"We won't be able to go to the beach again, will we?" Izuku asks, tone carefully neutral to avoid giving away his true emotions about it.
"Not until he's caught," Shouta admits, because there's no use hiding the truth. "Not back to that particular strip, at least. I'm sure Naomasa will be able to find another location."
Izuku presses his lips together, but does not say anything more as he nods in acceptance, and there is nowhere else for the conversation to go.
A week goes by.
The commission has yet to catch the man. Eri and Hitoshi are still being escorted to and from school, and if they ask to go elsewhere.
Currently, it's a little too risky for Izuku to go out in public.
"We've caught some things through the network," Naomasa sighs to him over the phone, two days after they'd gotten back home. "But now that they know Izuku can be on land, it seems like they've got people looking for him. I'm sorry, but you'll probably need to keep him home until we can dismantle their network."
Izuku doesn't seem to be agitated by the house arrest, but he does seem to be getting more reclusive, more withdrawn as the week goes by. He's getting sadder as the days go by, and his energy levels are decreasing. He's completing his usual studies with half the effort and passion, and he spends a lot of the time doodling in his notebooks or looking rather, well, lost.
Eri and Hitoshi do their best to cheer him up, asking him if there's anything he'd like for them to get while they're out. He usually declines, but they still come back with things they know Izuku typically enjoys — fairy-floss, and even some cinema popcorn even though neither of them have gone to the movies.
Oboro and Hizashi do their best as well, but it's clear that Izuku is just becoming more aware of the fact he isn't allowed out with them, and it's dampening his spirits. Shouta stays with him most of the time, only leaving to give Izuku some personal space when it seems like he needs it, and also because Oboro and Hizashi drag him out to make sure he gets some fresh air.
As the week comes and goes, Izuku opens up one of the notebooks he's been particularly attached to. Shouta doesn't mean to glance over and catch sight of it, but he sees Izuku scribbling down different drawings of things underwater. Small shells, coral, adrift pieces of seaweed. His heart clenches, and he gets up from the table to retrieve his phone, and he sends a message.
Izuku isn't allowed out, but certain other people are allowed in. So the next day, Toshinori appears in the doorway, and Shouta stays with them for ten minutes before he leaves, giving the two of them privacy to talk alone, even if Shouta doesn't understand their language.
It seems to lift Izuku's spirits slightly, as his smile starts to get back some of its usual radiance, and as he speaks, his words are getting back some of their usual speed with his excitement.
When Shouta returns after an hour or so, bringing back food for them all, Izuku hands are moving along as he talks, some of his usual animation finally coming back to him.
It's a relief, getting to see some of that usual life back in Izuku's form. Izuku hasn't gone this long without going outside, not since the first few days he'd been with Shouta, and he definitely hasn't gone this long without shifting either. It's clear it's taking a toll on him, even though Izuku always thanks Shouta every night for looking out for him.
Toshinori's visits become daily, usually an hour or so. The best replacement that Shouta can give him, unfortunately, for their usual walks or their time at the beach. After the fourth day, Toshinori quietly pulls Shouta aside.
"I am worried for young Izuku's health," Toshinori admits, whispering the words even though Izuku is respectfully not paying attention to them.
Shouta notices himself biting down, ever so slightly, on the inner part of one of his cheeks. He smooths it out with his tongue, trying to tell himself to calm down. He's been worried about Izuku's health too, after all — it's not surprising that Toshinori has picked up on this either.
"His mental health?" Shouta asks, just for clarification, and Toshinori takes a deep breath.
"Yes, but there is also the component of his physical health as well. Mermaids tend to deteriorate rapidly in their physical health if their mental health is unwell, more so than humans," he explains. "A captured mermaid... there was one, long, long ago. They did not last even a week."
Shouta's brain feels like it is suddenly full of static. Wiped clean. He leans back in his surprise, and then forward, harshly whispering.
"Izuku was caged for longer than that," Shouta hisses, alarmed.
"Indeed," Toshinori says, and he is not quite looking at Shouta's eyes now. "He is a fighter, as well as having curious tendencies about humans. His ability to shift might have also played a role in how long his body can last. Regardless, it is not good for a mermaid's health to be like this for long.
And Izuku is not used to spending this long without shifting, I would suspect. It may help if he can shift, even if it is merely the bathtub."
Shouta presses his fingers into the corner of his eyes. "Right. Okay. Thank you for telling me."
Toshinori puts his hand on Shouta's shoulder. "He will be fine, Aizawa, he is just extremely stressed about the situation, but the situation will be resolved soon."
"I sure fuckin' hope so," Shouta mutters, finding himself glancing back at Izuku. He looks okay, his head down with Hitoshi's headphones over his ears, head bobbing along slightly to the music playing.
Toshinori pats his shoulder, and then lets his hand drop. "You care for him, and that is enough." "Not just me," Shouta says, following Toshinori as he stands up.
"No," Toshinori says softly. "I suppose not."
Toshinori crouches before Izuku to get his attention, and gives him a farewell for the day.
Not long after Toshinori has left, Shouta sits beside Izuku.
"You can shift in the bath," Shouta tells him, not offering it as a question for Izuku to refuse. "Just make sure to mop up any water that spills, so that no one slips."
Izuku has stilled, not even blinking as he stares at the wall in surprise.
"Um," he manages to say, swallowing down something in his throat. "Is that okay?"
"I just told you it is," Shouta says, heart clenching at the fact Izuku is so hesitant to do so even with permission, and it's clear that he's only just holding back his excitement at the thought of shifting.
Even if it's the bath, where he does not have nearly enough room or freedom.
Shouta mentally curses himself out until he's hollow, because he should have noticed. He should have offered this long, long ago. Of course Izuku misses shifting — of course he is missing a part of himself. Izuku is not only trapped in this apartment, but he is also trapped in his human form that he has not spent his entire life knowing.
"Thank you," Izuku whispers out, already looking over to the floor of the bathroom like he's imagining it already. Shouta nudges him off the couch.
"Go on, it's fine to go now," he says, and Izuku looks back at him with a sheepish smile before he scurries into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Shouta listens out for the sound of the taps turning, and the water filling up the tub.
Minutes later, there is a splash and a small clatter, possibly Izuku's tail knocking something off the edge of the bath.
"You all good in there?" He calls out regardless, just in case. "Yes!" Izuku's bright voice yells back. "Yes, sorry, all good!"
"Alright," Shouta says, just so that Izuku isn't left without a reply, and turns his attention to looking into more investigation files.
When Izuku does come out of the bath, he looks a lot better. His skin no longer looks as pale, and it's like he's managed to take a walk in the sunshine even though he has not been able to for almost two weeks. His smile is more of a grin, and it's clear that even in the bath, the shift has helped tremendously.
The next day, after Eri and Hitoshi find out about the bathtub shifting, they come back home the next day with two bags between them. In one, given by Eri, they have small bath toys — picked out by her as well, most likely. Sinking toys like pieces of coral, and floating ones like fish and squeaky ducks, and Shouta isn't sure how Izuku is going to manage to fit them in the bath alongside his tail, but Izuku still looks incredibly excited and loves them, so he's not going to question it.
Hitoshi's bag contains a variety of different items. One large, almost oversized, fluffy towel, because they've all recently discovered Izuku quite likes the texture of similar fabrics. There's also small snack-packs of dried seaweed, and Izuku lights up and immediately goes through one of them.
"Thank you so much," he says, almost tearing up in his gratitude.
"We'll get you back to the ocean soon enough," Hitoshi replies, basically throwing the words over his shoulder because he doesn't really like hanging out in the room with turbulent emotions. "So hopefully this helps for now."
"It does," Izuku swears, and Hitoshi's smile is a proud and private one.
"When we go to the beach again, we'll get lots of other things!" Eri promises. "Like... like beach- balls, and snorkels, although you don't need those, but it'd be fun to swim out underwater with you!"
"Snorkels..." Izuku repeats, thinking, and his eyes light up as he remembers. It's been a while since they've gone over what ordinary humans require to swim in the ocean. "Oh! Yes, and then I can show you all the nice places!"
Shouta is going to have to remind Izuku that most snorkels can not go underwater, but he's not going to disrupt the joyous atmosphere that's now in the room, so he just remains quiet and watches as Eri and Izuku both talk excitedly about visiting the ocean next time.
It's not ideal, but they're doing the best with what they can currently offer, and Shouta just hopes that for now, it is enough.
Somehow, Shouta finds himself roped into lessons with Toshinori and Izuku about their language.
"I do not think I am actually even capable of making that noise," Shouta says, when Izuku repeats a strange series of clicks that Shouta can't quite figure out how to replicate with his own tongue. At this rate, he's starting to think mermaids have different tongues, as well as entirely different mouths.
"Nonsense," Toshinori dismisses with a laugh.
Shouta sighs, because he knows by now that he's not going to be able to get out of this. Besides, it's an honour to get to learn a language that very few have ever known, outside of mermaids
themselves — an honour, but fuck, it's a difficult one to actually figure out. "Break it down further for me."
Izuku is patient, demonstrating how his tongue twists as best as he can. Shouta feels a little ridiculous trying to mimic it, but thankfully it's only Toshinori and Izuku that are seeing him pull such faces.
That doesn't last long.
Once Eri and Hitoshi find out that Shouta has had lessons in the language, they demand their own lessons. So Toshinori now comes over later in the day, still early enough that he can talk privately with Izuku, but late enough that he's still around when Eri and Hitoshi both finish with school. With proper time dedicated to it, they start to all pick it up a little better than their previous attempts.
It's still going to take them a very long time — none of them quite have the affinity for different languages like Izuku has, as it turns out he's now also working on his English as well. Naturally, he's excelling at that as well, and Hizashi is absolutely loving that.
By the time Naomasa texts him next, Shouta is almost competent at making a majority of the different alphabetical sounds in Izuku's first language.
The next update, at least, is promising. Naomasa says they're closing in, and hopefully this will all be put an end to soon enough.
The news invigorates all of them, getting them excited. Eri and Hitoshi don't mind their followers, as it's usually Oboro or Hizashi accompanying them, but they do miss having Shouta and Izuku tag along with them.
"Let's go to a cat cafe," Hitoshi says.
Izuku almost blanches. "I don't think cats like me very much."
He's had some experience with them, as Shouta sometimes takes him to go visit some of the stray cats around the block and feeds them. They're very interested in Izuku, usually watching him closely and hungrily. One of them has gone to bite Izuku, though, so it's made Izuku a little apprehensive of the creatures.
Eri laughs, and innocently says: "They'd like you a lot! I think you'd smell like fish to them."
"Oh my god, Eri," Hitoshi wheezes, and Shouta has to hide his own amusement by putting a hand over his mouth and acting like he's not on the verge of laughing as well. Eri doesn't quite know what it is that she's said for a few moments, until it suddenly clicks, and she whirls around to face Izuku, completely mortified.
"I don't mean that you're a fish!" She desperately tries to rectify, though Izuku just seems more lost than ever. "I just— um! Cats have a better sense of smell, you know? And they might be able to smell that you, um, have a tail! Like... not like a fish, but... also kind of similar to a fish."
She's deflated by the end, slumped over, resigning herself to her comment. Izuku is just blinking at her, still confused.
"Do you think that Tamakawa can smell it?" Hitoshi asks into the open air, and Shouta has to look up to the ceiling. God help him.
"Hitoshi!" Eri whispers, and hits Hitoshi on the arm. "Stop it!"
"You started it!" He points out in retaliation, and Shouta breathes out a long stream of air. It trembles slightly, and it takes everything Shouta has in him not to laugh.
"Behave," he warns firmly, managing to get himself under control and thankfully sounding strict enough that both Eri and Hitoshi cease their back-and-forth.
"Cats like fish?" Izuku asks, and fuck. Drop it, problem child, for your sake.
"They do," Shouta replies, and quickly moves the topic along before it can devolve again. "Izuku,
is there anything in particular you'd like to do once you're allowed back outside?"
"The beach," Izuku immediately says, and immediately his cheeks flush red, a little embarrassed by being so quick to speak.
Shouta nods. "Of course. Anything else?"
"Crepes," Izuku adds. "I'd really like another crepe."
"We can do that," Shouta assures. "While we're out, we should also get you things to properly decorate your room. Things you want."
Izuku's eyebrows furrow. "I have everything I want?"
Shouta exhales a long stream of breath, reminding himself that he can despite the fact it feels like
he's been winded. This kid.
"Oh, but you can pick out new bedsheets!" Eri says excitedly, turning to Izuku and grabbing his
arm. "Whatever colour you like! You can get different patterns, or even a photo!" Izuku blinks. "I can... do that?"
"Of course!" She replies. "You can get new pillows, and new clothes you like, and..." She turns to Shouta, then, waiting for him to add to the list.
"We can start with small things," he says, because he knows it's best to minimise the chance of Izuku feeling overwhelmed. "It is usual for teenagers to start deciding what they like, and how they would like to decorate their space. It's your room, after all, so you are welcome to change or keep whatever you like."
"I see," Izuku says, stunned, but his eyes are widening as he thinks of all the possibilities before him now.
"It'll be fun!" Eri declares, and Izuku nods because he knows better than to doubt Eri.
"It won't be long now," Shouta finds himself saying, even though he doesn't usually like to make promises he cannot guarantee. But he trusts that Naomasa will handle this, for Izuku's sake, and he trusts that this is a goal that will be seen through.
Thankfully, he's proven right.
Two days later, late at night, Naomasa calls him. Shouta picks up, and carefully makes his way out of the room without disturbing the three that have fallen asleep in their various positions across the couch while watching a movie together.
"Thought you'd like to know," Naomasa greets him with, and his voice doesn't have that usual tight
tension running through it, and Shouta feels hope begin to sprout. "We've dismantled the network, and we've caught him."
Shouta breathes out in relief.
"Thank you, Tsukauchi," he says, because he's been waiting for this, but now that it's here, he almost doesn't quite know what to do. He'd been expecting the call to come through during the day, perhaps, when Izuku was around him to share the moment. But right now, Izuku is asleep, limbs tangled up with Eri and Hitoshi's own, and he is deeply asleep.
Now, it is only Shouta awake, the only one in this household that knows the news that they've all been holding out for.
"We'll keep some look-outs in the area, just in case, but you should be all clear to go back to your normal lives," Naomasa's voice comes through the phone, startling Shouta from his thoughts.
"Got it."
"Goodnight, Aizawa," Naomasa ends the call with, and Shouta hangs up and pockets his phone, and takes a moment to let it sink in.
He's tempted to let them sleep for a little while longer, but the way they're currently sleeping is definitely not good for their backs. So he gets to waking them, carefully moving away the bowl of snacks that are resting a little too close.
They all start to wake together, one movement causing a chain reaction, and they all stretch and groan and blink at Shouta still half-asleep.
He is very, very glad that it is a Saturday night, because it means they have the entire Sunday to do whatever it is they wish.
And Shouta knows exactly what's first on the priority list for all of them.
"Hey," he says, and he can't quite hide his smile. "How does going to the beach tomorrow sound?"
Izuku shoots up at that, narrowly avoiding hitting his head with Hitoshi's. Whatever tiredness had kept his eyes half-lidded has disappeared entirely, and he's wide-awake now.
"Really?" Izuku asks, disbelieving.
"Mhm," Shouta confirms, knowing his pleased smile is still on his lips. "We're in the clear. They've got the guy."
"About time," Hitoshi says, and falls back to lie down again.
"You get to go back to the beach!" Eri cheers, though some of her words are slurred in her tiredness. Izuku laughs, and opens his arms for Eri to fall into them. She does so easily, a wide smile on her face as she clutches him tightly. "I'm really happy."
"I am too," Izuku whispers to her, and presses his face into her hair as he tucks her closer.
Shouta lets them have the moment, but it looks like Eri and Hitoshi are about to fall right back asleep, so he stands up and holds out his hand. "Come on, problem children, let's go to bed and get there a little earlier, alright?"
He almost fears that Izuku won't get any sleep with the amount of energy he now suddenly has,
considering he basically bounces to his feet, but Shouta supposes there's not really much he can do about it. Regardless if Izuku gets that sleep or not, he will be wanting to leave as soon as possible, and Shouta can't blame him.
Izuku carries Eri to her bed, gently dropping her down on it. Following them, Hitoshi also manages to stumble to his feet, but he heads straight to his room and folds right back down onto the bed.
Shouta lingers in the hallway, and as he suspects, Izuku heads right to him once he's done putting Eri down to sleep.
"They really got him? They got everyone?" Izuku's voice is quiet, not wanting to disturb Eri or Hitoshi.
"They did," he answers. "Tsukauchi just called. They've dismantled his network as well."
"So... I'm safe?" Izuku tentatively asks.
Shouta reflectively looks at the wall, thinking for a moment. It won't help him to lie, he decides.
"We're going to try and make sure you are, yes. These underground networks sometimes have webs that we aren't aware of, and we can't let our guard down just because we've broken one down," he replies, and Izuku nods along, biting the inside of his cheek. "You are a mermaid, after all, and we can't disregard the danger that puts you in. But we're going to do our best to make sure they never, ever, touch you again. Do you believe me?"
"Yes," Izuku says, without hesitation. Shouta raises his eyebrows — not in doubt, but just encouraging Izuku to properly think about the answer. Izuku takes a moment, and then nods as he repeats his answer. "Yes, I believe you. I know you'll do your best to keep me safe."
"Good," Shouta says. "Because I will."
Izuku smiles and ducks his head slightly, and Shouta resists the urge to ruffle through his hair.
"I should probably try and get to sleep," Izuku says, head gesturing to his door. "Thank you again, Aizawa."
"You don't need to thank me," he sighs, because protecting his kids — well, that's the bare minimum. Of course he'll provide that. He shouldn't be thanked for it.
"I know," Izuku replies, and then slips inside of his room. He closes the door slightly, but not completely, and Shouta hears him get into bed and settle. He's surprised Izuku is going so willingly, but Shouta reasons that he's probably just going to sleep to make tomorrow come even sooner.
So Shouta does the same, setting an alarm for an earlier start than usual, and goes to sleep.
Izuku is basically bouncing in his seat as they drive again to the beach. Naomasa has cleared it, saying the beach should be safe, but they should just be aware of their surroundings. He'll look for more spots, he promises, but he's a little tied up with the whole case at the moment.
And Shouta doesn't have the time to wait, so he heads to that same, familiar strip. Izuku rushes
ahead once the car is parked, though he slows down and helps Eri down the trickier path anyway.
"Just go," Shouta tells him, taking hold of Eri's hand. "We've got her."
Izuku looks between the water and Shouta, and his mouth opens like he's about to ask a question, one last request for permission, and Shouta just gestures his head to the water. Go.
Thankfully, Izuku listens. He basically throws off his shoes as he runs to the water, and it makes for an amusing image to try and watch him take off his pants as he runs. He doesn't even waste time with the usual fabric, and throws his clothes back in the sand as he runs right into the waves and dives into them.
Izuku hasn't been able to practice much, with his shifting — the bath doesn't provide much space, after all, and constant shifting just disrupts all the water and makes it more difficult to keep his head under, as he's told Shouta.
And yet, by the time he dives into that first wave, his legs have become a tail before they've even followed the rest of his body.
Eri and Hitoshi are grinning widely, all of them pleased to see Izuku so happy. They take a little more time to get into the water, making sure they're covered in sunscreen, and help Shouta lay out the towels and bags. Eri pulls on a sunhat, and she takes Hitoshi's hand as he walks into the water.
It's significantly warmer than the first time Shouta first came here, and though Hitoshi still has a full-body shiver the moment the water touches his feet, he doesn't hesitate nearly as much to wade into it. Probably because Eri is pulling him along, and Izuku is circling his way back around to them as well.
Izuku's laughter echoes up amongst the cliffs, and he happily pulls Eri and Hitoshi a little further into the water to swim with him. Their laughter joins his own, all of them happy and together under the bright, shining sun.
Eri and Hitoshi come out to reapply their sunscreen, and they manage to coax Izuku out of the water to apply a layer of his own. He has the tendency to tan, rather than burn — and he's probably protected on some level, from the sun, being a mermaid and all, but Shouta also isn't going to play around with it.
Hitoshi passes Izuku a towel to wrap around himself, and Izuku walks back up the sand with a beaming grin lighting up his entire face. His hair is dripping, and he hasn't gotten a haircut in a while, and the curls are long and dripping down onto his face and shoulders and covering his eyes. Still, he hardly seems to mind, and just shakes out his hair, and Eri laughs as it sprays her.
Shouta packed some food as well, because he had the feeling they'd be here a while today, and he manages to get them all to sit and take some bites of the fruit while it's still relatively cold from the ice-packs.
Izuku's eyes hardly ever break away from the waves, like he's trying to paint the memory of this moment into his mind forever.
The sight of it brings forth a conflicting storm inside of Shouta. He's glad to see Izuku back in the water, and it's clear that Izuku is happy to be back in it too. It's clear that his soul still resonates so deeply with the water, back in his first home.
Shouta feels hesitant at the thought of separating Izuku from it again, now that he's seeing Izuku back with the water.
He makes a quiet promise to himself, that he won't let Izuku go this long again without the opportunity to go into the ocean. But he worries now that Izuku might just be thinking the same — that it might not be worth returning to the land, now that he's been stranded on it for so long.
It's Izuku's choice, and Shouta tells himself that he needs to accept that.
"We should definitely buy that beach ball," Eri says, watermelon juice dribbling down her chin and fingers. Shouta doesn't bother getting her to wipe it off — she'll be back in the water soon enough, anyway.
"Or some kind of watersport ball. Beach volleyball?" Hitoshi suggests.
"Pretty sure that's played on the sand," Shouta says, and Hitoshi gives a small shrug.
"Close enough, I guess," he mutters, and lies back down on the sand. He's like Shouta, in the way Shouta knows he'd prefer to lie up on the sand and nap rather than splash in the water, but still Hitoshi gets up when Eri and Izuku do, and he follows them right into the water as well.
Izuku tires himself out, a couple of hours later. Hitoshi has ended up beside Shouta, lightly dozing on his towel, and Eri is building a sandcastle right near the line of the shore. Izuku eventually walks out of the water, exhausted but satisfied, and helps Eri finish off the castle before they both head back up to Shouta and Hitoshi.
"Your shifting is still at the same level," Shouta remarks, having kept count over the day, and Izuku nods. "That's good."
"Yeah," Izuku replies, visibly relieved. "I was worried, but... I guess once I've got a handle on it, I can manage it no matter how long it's been."
They pack up, and Hitoshi stretches out with a groan and eventually gets moving as well. "Slushies. I'm craving a slushie, right now," Hitoshi says on their way back to the car.
"Are you, now?" Shouta asks rhetorically, voice neutral enough even though he's already thinking about which way to drive to hit a place that sells them.
"Mhm," Hitoshi drawls. "Maybe some ramen. Oh, wait. No. Crepes."
That's a bit of a switch, as Hitoshi does usually prefer the saltier foods after the beach, and though he likes sweet drinks, he usually doesn't lean to sweeter foods.
Shouta knows why he says it, though, because he's noticed Izuku straighten up slightly, no longer letting that exhaustion weigh down on his shoulders so much. He's perked up in interest, and he spots the self-satisfied smile Hitoshi is now sporting out of Izuku's sight.
"We'll see," Shouta says, except they all cheer, so clearly Shouta needs to work on being less transparent when it comes to them.
When they finally make it back home, tired out and full from crepes and other small treats that Shouta had let them get, because Izuku had wanted to wander a bit now that he was properly out once again in the world, Eri crawls on the couch and takes a nap. Hitoshi isn't far behind, though at least he makes it to his bed.
Izuku sits with Shouta at the dining table, eyes bright. The water and sunshine have done him wonders, and he's basically goddamn sparkling right there in the middle of the apartment.
"I just... I wanted to ask," Izuku says, and that brightness is starting to dim now because of his nerves coming through.
"Anything," Shouta prompts, when Izuku seems to trail off, unsure of how to pick it back up.
"With... The ring that kidnapped me are all dealt with," Izuku states, though he flicks up the end of his sentence like a question, so Shouta nods.
"Yep," he says, when it takes Izuku a moment too long to pick up the rest of his sentence. It seems to get Izuku back on track, thankfully.
"And I'm... still welcome to stay?"
"Yes," Shouta replies easily and firmly.
"With you?" Izuku elaborates.
"Yes. With us," Shouta repeats, and gestures around him. Though it makes something ache inside of him, there's something that he's been thinking about, since he caught Izuku looking out at the waves like he was trying to memorise them. "However, this is your choice in the end. Izuku, if you want to resume your life back in the ocean, you can do that. It's your option."
Izuku lets out a breath.
"I missed the ocean a lot," Izuku admits, and he clasps his hands together on the table and stares down at them as he wrings his fingers over each other. "I... I really did. The last week has been hard. But... once I was back in the water, it didn't quite... it didn't quite feel like home, anymore. Or... no, it does. It feels like a home, a place I know well, but I don't think it's my only one anymore. I don't think it's the most important one."
Izuku is clearly nervous as he admits these words, and he still doesn't quite look up at Shouta as he says them, or as he finishes.
Shouta makes sure he's finished before he leans forward, and he lightly clasps his hands over Izuku's own.
"This is your home, too, Izuku," he reassures, and tries not to let the overflowing tidal wave of relief flood his words. He doesn't quite think it works.
Izuku looks up, eyes almost hidden behind his curls, and he gives Shouta a warm, slow-growing smile.
"Home," Izuku says, in the same way he used to repeat words when he first heard them, like he was testing them out, pulling apart their structure. "Home. Yes. This is my home. You are my home."
"As you are ours," Shouta responds, eyes flickering purposely over to Eri, who's soundly asleep on the couch, and then over to Hitoshi's bedroom door. He used to close it, but Shouta has noticed he hasn't done it nearly as much since Izuku came into the house.
"Thank you," Izuku says, and he ducks his head — not to hide from Shouta, not really, but just to give a moment to collect himself. "I— thank you. For everything."
"You're part of our family," Shouta gently reminds him.
Izuku's hands move slightly, jostling Shouta's own. He moves them until he can grip Shouta's hands, holding tightly, as his head ducks further into his chest. His next breath is shaky, watery. Shouta sits with him as he breaks, ever so slightly, as everything finally crashes over him.
And sits with him as his resilient, strong, brilliant kid, builds himself right back up again.
Izuku rarely goes to the beach alone these days.
He doesn't go quite as often, anymore, either. He's got school, and has made an almost alarming amount of friends there, and is otherwise just busy with study or social events to make proper time to make the drive. So they don't make the trip as often as they used to, and when they do, they always have someone join.
Usually, it's more than one person. Most often, it's Eri and Hitoshi, who come along pretty much every single time.
Hizashi and Oboro join in too, when they can. They're both getting busier again with more work, new leads to follow, more networks to chase down. Shouta is the same, though he hardly goes far from his home now. Only when it's an emergency, which always seems to be in the ridiculously early — or late, depending if Shouta goes to sleep — hours of the day.
Izuku's taken an interest in Shouta's field of work, too. Shouta suspects that in future, Izuku will end up working in it, or relatively close to it. But there's years before Izuku will make that decision.
Toshinori has taken to coming along to the beach, too. He visits Izuku often, and Shouta is getting a little better every time at understanding their conversations. He's hardly fluent, but he suspects it's going to take a long time for that to happen.
When Toshinori comes with them, he does not get into the water, not properly. He will sit at the edge of the water, the waves crashing against his feet, but he will not ever properly enter it. Instead, he will look at the water before him with some kind of melancholic longing, and Shouta would almost think these visits would hurt him, if it weren't for his large smile and laughter when he watches Izuku play in the waves.
A shoulder knocks into his own as a person takes a seat beside him, and Shouta tilts his head as Oboro sits close.
"Keigo says congratulations on the adoption, by the way," Oboro tells him, all too amused. Shouta's not even surprised that the news has already spread, and that he's apparently not the first to know about it.
It probably wouldn't have happened without their help, anyway, so Shouta is grateful for them.
The final approval has just come through within the last ten minutes — when Izuku gets out of the water, Shouta will tell him. But right now, it's just a light, happy feeling he's carrying in his chest, looking at his three kids messing around in the water together.
His family is whole, complete. Officially and legally, now.
"Tell him thanks," Shouta says, because he'd like to do it in person, but he never seems to be able to come across Keigo when he's called in.
"Already did," Oboro replies, stretching out his legs and drinking in the sunshine.
They are rarely at the beach alone, but it is even rarer to get every single person that is part of their family like this all together.
Hizashi and Toshinori are playing with Izuku, Hitoshi, and Eri all together. Oboro has just taken a small break from it all to sit beside Shouta, not letting him be alone in this moment of happiness.
"Bet on paying the ice-cream if he cries?" Oboro asks lightly, and Shouta nudges Oboro, perhaps a little more strongly than he should.
"I'm not going to bet on my kid," he huffs.
"You just know you'll lose if you take that bet," Oboro replies with a laugh.
Like Oboro has started a chain-reaction, everyone else starts to head up the beach, walking back over to where Shouta has been lying all this time.
Izuku is walking over to him, sure-footed and confident with every step.
Oboro gets up, just to give them the moment to talk quietly between each other, and Shouta is grateful enough to him that he'll end up paying for that ice-cream anyway.
Izuku smiles at him.
Here, before him on this beach, is his family.
"Izuku," Shouta says, unable to help but return Izuku's smile. "I have something to tell you."