Chapter Text
Hizashi took a minimum of 10 photos of Shouta holding the pup, it was for the wall labelled ‘Shouta’s Dadventures’ it had all the photos of Sho holding the younger mer that got comfy with him and then didn't want to let go. Shouta would lie about his doting face in all of the photos claiming it was a facade to make the kids feel safe but nobody bought it.
Quite a few actually imprinted on him because of his calm nature and so he actually had times that he had to keep to so he could visit all of his fostered children. Which in effect also made them Hizashi’s children so the kids often saw him as more of a mum and would look to him if Sho wasn’t around to ease their fears.
It had been a surprise seeing the pup accept such comfort from a stranger, so early on at least but Oboro quickly filled in Hizashi on how the lil mer would undoubtedly be emotionally stunted so receiving an offer of comfort at his age would most likely be very accepting of comfort like he was now or he would harshly reject it in an attempt to prove his age.
Trauma responses were anticipated so if or when kiddos displayed such behaviours they were well prepared in what they needed to do to help with their growth, a lot of the pups with trauma cases were stay cases they wouldn’t be going back to open water. They were technically considered hand reared by then because of the large influence that the staff had on their everyday life. They needed reassurance and quite often medication to help keep a hold on things like anxiety that they got on the regular, and so a lot of Shouta’s adoptive pups would often show separation anxiety to him when things got stressful.
It wasn’t too bad though they had new big water features and places for the pups to go to school and all of this was behind the scenes and funded by the humane aquarium that was the main attraction.
A lot of the older mers who had been brought in for more minor things like injuries and damaged fins would go back out to the wild, they had the offers of prothstetics to make up for damaged fins and a top quality team of doctors who specialised in working with merfolk.
Oboro had to shoot off not long after that since he received a message from Nemuri that one of the 6 month old pups seemed to be coming down with something.
Nemuri loved looking after the younger ones, she had this aura that seemed to put the guppies to sleep, she must’ve realised that one was sick when she was making her rounds bottle feeding them all.
Yamada went and sat by the waters edge he heard the occasional click and squeak assumed coming from the pup in his sleeping state.
Shouta held the kid close, rocking him ever so gently, he looked down seeing little dark circles under his eyes and a little bubble every so often leaving the kids mouth, he kept an eye outside of the tank keeping track of the time.
They had about 20 minutes until closing time so the workers would be gone soon and it would be time to get this kiddo some food.
Izuku would be getting foods high in protein and some snacks that would help him put on some weight, they didn’t want to risk putting him into a tank where he could exercise when his fins were still not working properly and he could drop a lot of weight from the stress.
He used this moment of closeness to have a good inspection of the kid, one where he was scared out of his mind and out of the water. He noted the possibility of a buoyancy issue if they couldnt get rid of the swelling, also how shallow his breaths were, it could hint at a respiratory illness or damaged gills that couldn’t provide enough oxygen to the body.
With this thought in mind he carefully moved himself whilst holding the pup to a clearer area of the tank and began to write in the sand with his fluke for Hizashi to see up at the top, he wrote More O2 breathing struggle. He had to shorten it down a little bit because he was running out of room, but he got a thumbs up from Zashi who disappeared, presumably the control panel.
The movement had jostled the kid a bit at first who whimpered softly, his fingers gripping the ends of Shouta’s hair. Frankly, it was quite adorable but he made a subconscious note that the kid was an extremely light sleeper. Which he put into play as he moved back to where he had been before to not frighten the pup.
It wasn’t long before he started to stir on his own, his grip tensing and relaxing as he started coming around, his instincts would be telling Izuku to cling onto the safe person but his rational side would probably be urging him to escape the stranger.
Shy green eyes peered up at him warily, his breathing had settled more and didn’t sound as desperate which was reassuring too as he too could feel the higher oxygen content. ‘Hey Izuku did you sleep well bud?’ Shouta ran a hesitant hand through the younger ones curls listening and catching the quietest preening sound he thinks he ever heard.
‘mmm i’ was okay’ he rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands in a very childish manner displaying how young he really was while letting out a silent yawn still staying pressed against Shouta.
‘I’m glad kid, the yellow men have gone now you don’t need to be frightened anymore they're gone for 2 days.’ The kid sulked a bit at that and he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the kid’s antics, ‘you want me to come back here for when they come back lil guppy?’
Izuku pouted even more wriggling in Shouta’s hold, ‘m not a guppy… uhm.. M-Mr Aizawa…?’
Sho’s full attention snapped back to the kid with his name, ‘yes pup?’
‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘How about we play 20 questions lil guppy, you ask a question then I ask a question, if you don’t want to answer you can say pass’
Izuku stuck his tongue out and then nodded what appeared to be a little bit of natural spunk making an appearance, so Shouta let himself sink to sit on the sandy floor as he supported the kid in his lap.
‘How are you breathing- I mean- you- b-before you had legs, I- you don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable I’m sorry mister.’
‘Hey breathe for me kiddo, I didn’t get a chance to answer yet you’re okay, I understand why you could be confused. Pass me your hand Izuku i'll show you, Izuku did as asked but hesitantly as if Shouta would take a bite at them, Shouta in fact did not nibble on the kids fingers and instead brought both their hands beneath his chin.
Izuku looked at him in surprise, his fingers gently brushing along the underside of the man's jaw, ‘you have gills too? How? Why? Why are they there?’
Shouta smirked, ‘hey I answered your question that to me sounds like 4 more it’s my turn you little cheater, Shouta’s heart swelled as that earned a tiny little sheepish smile from the pup. ‘Okay then Izuku what is your favourite colour? Aaaand it can’t be any of your colours.’
Izuku’s mouth hung open a little before he closed it and pondered the question, quite obviously he would've been going for his tail colour. ‘I like red. W-why are your gills tthere?’
‘Well my sire was a human and my mama was a mer, so I’m a mix, I still human breathe underwater so my lungs suck in and filter water but yours is even more special than mine and you don’t have to do that at all,’ Izuku nodded in agreement and confirmation, ‘and so I don’t have a tail, but I can breathe underwater, I can see clearly, I have mixed vocal cords and I have scales on some of my body like on my legs.’
The pup’s eyes sparkled at that as he mumbled to himself softly with Sho only occasionally hearing some words that related to their differences, this kid was going to be smart when he started going to classes. But recovery and mental health came first, this kid was going to be a smart cookie so he may as well embrace the problem child as is before starting his learning.
Shouta ran classes in a tank that had makeshift desks this way the pups could stay entertained and it would challenge their brains enough, there wasn’t many in his class since they tired to keep the number of stay cases down but at the current there was 12 in his class not including Izuku.
‘Alright my question pup, what would you like to eat today?’ Shouta had to stop himself from jumping as Izuku whipped his head around quickly, immediately looking nervous and visibly fidgeting in the older man's hold. He twisted one of his fins with his hand out of stress, seeming very confused at the question posed by Shouta. ‘Hey, pup be gentle it’s okay what's on your mind Izu?’
‘I uhm, I ch-choose?’ Shouta nodded, running his hand through green curls to help him settle, ‘S-shouta I, uh, I don’t kn-now what I, uh whattt I like.’ The raw confusion in his voice tugged at heartstrings, this was a pup who had been so mistreated that he didn’t know what his favourite food was and he leant into any physical contact. By the looks of things he had been fed dog food most of his life which was not good enough for a growing mer it wasn’t high enough in protein or natural oils and aquatic plants.
‘That’s okay we can find out what your favourite food is, yeah? We can show you new things to try.’ He couldn’t help smiling when the greenette gave him a soft smile and shy nod. Another red flag, he wasn’t used to people listening to his wants and needs. ‘Can I carry you up to the surface so I can get you some food lil guppy?’
Izuku giggled and honestly it sounded so pure it was like he had struck gold, ‘heyy I-I’m big n-not guppy, Shouta chuckled and then the kids stomach growled and he sheepishly tucked himself against the bigger mer, something a guppy would do when travelling with their mothers that allowed the pup to be streamline with the parent.
‘Alright pup we’re going up it’s time to get you fed.’ There was no response from Izuku but Shouta continued getting up from the sand and then swimming upwards, Izu just stayed clinging against him.
“Hey Sho it seems you have a little limpet with you there,” Zashi chuckled and the other rolled his eyes at the antics of his partner.
“It’s time the kiddo got something proper into his belly, he doesn't know what his favourite food is Zashi. We need to get this kid settled and depending on how he is when separated from me we could consider getting him a tank mate who could give comfort too.”
Zashi cooed as Izuku looked up but Sho could tell that his husband was putting up that facade for the kiddo. They both felt it deeply, this kid was safe now and he would be comforted within an inch of his life. “Well you’re in luck because tonight is tuna and kelp, so we have something new and also some high protein. It’s been deboned. We didn’t want to risk his lack of experience and swallowing something sharp to make sure he eats as much as possible but by the looks of things you don't need luck.” Zashi chuckled softly once again.
There was Izuku slowly climbing his way up Shouta in intrigue for the food that was being handed over and even from Zashi’s position he must’ve heard the grumbles coming from the pups stomach.
So with that Sho let himself sink further in the water and returned to his position near to the pups nest before leaning on the glass and positioning the pup in his lap.
‘You ready to try some tuna lil guppy?’
Izuku huffed humorously at the guppy comment but then nodded sniffing at the food that Shouta handed over, the pup took a tentative lick and then looked up to Shouta with wide eyes. It tasted good.
He then reached eagerly towards the food so Shouta began to pass him little chunks which he’s chew on for a few seconds and then give puppy eyes to him for another piece, he wanted to tell the kid that he didn’t need to do that and that all this food was for him but that didn’t matter too much. Right now it was important that they got the guppy fed and down for a nap, Oboro suggested that he might suffer from insomnia or another issue with sleep from the lack of schedule and punishment for not following commands.
It was another thing they would need to remove from all of the programming that Izuku had been forced through but with this trio helping there was no way that this kid would do badly, he would be getting slowly better from here on out.
Once the bucket was finished yawns escaped the kid and he clung tighter as Shouta put the bucket away but also made even less effort to move himself around, he was utterly exhausted and frankly it was quite adorable he was really showing his age as he cuddled closer practically asleep as he was returned to his nest.
Izuku curled around his own tail in a foetal position and then all was quiet except for the soft breaths and occasional bubble that would drift from the corner of his gills.
‘Sleep well pup’ Shouta bid him a quiet goodnight and made sure he was all snug before swimming up to the surface and letting Zashi help pull him from the water.
“Well that went well Sho, it’s nice to see we have a new child-”
Shouta looked up from getting out of his tail, “Hizashi he needs a parent so someone has to step in as the parent, im not going to bring in a surrogate he seems perfectly content.”
“Yea he does now that his dad fed him and tucked him into bed.” Hizashi teased and so Shouta swatted at him.
“You're just jealous that you don’t have adoptees.”
“I do have adoptees, it's called being the husband to a man who is a traumatised kid magnet.”
“Wow Zashi that was a low blow, my kids are wonderful regardless of their flaws i'll have you know.”
The pair then continued to make their rounds with both of them occasionally dropping by the recovery tank to keep tabs on the pup, he was in his early teens, yes they knew that but he barely acted older than a halfling. Halfling being a term to describe a pup who was halfway to their adult shed, so Izuku’s behaviour to the whole team displayed as though he was around 8 or 9.
When Izuku woke he was alone and in the dark again- he didn’t like the dark, he had just seen his mama being ripped away again, he whimpered and warbled calling out to her desperate to hear her respond and say how she was just out of the nest stretching.
But she wasn’t there, was everything with Shouta a dream? It was cruel, he didn't want to wait to learn new tricks, he wanted anyone, he wanted Tenko to feed him snacks.
His stomach rolled painfully, rumbling for food but no matter how he knocked their secret knock on the glass the boy did not appear to his aid.
He continued to cry out for his mama curling tighter into a ball in his nest, he had the necklace from her clasped in his fingers not caring that the sharp points dug in.
At this point he was calling out just as a child would, a repetitive instinctive but sharp sound that would travel far in water frequencies, this way a mother would not miss the sound of her pup, each sound was different and would tug on maternal instincts.
But no matter how he called there wasn't any call back from his mama, the water was different and his den felt empty, it was comfortable but it didn’t feel like home. Amidst his pained calls he found his mind begging to go home, he didn’t want to do it like this anymore, just comfort and familiarity.
That was all he wanted.
Rubbing his eyes he began to stiffly and painfully attempt to move around this cube of water, it was hard his body was heavy but also seemed to float slightly. Either way he pulled himself the best he could which didn’t get him very far, he found himself half submerged in the bottom sand and stuck he couldn’t- he wanted out.
His cries grew more panicked and frantic as he moved himself as much as he could to try and escape but instead only found that he sunk further. In his thrashing- well as best he could thrash he collided with something round, he couldn't see it but the lights flickered on and he winced from the sudden light. He could hear a quiet buzz and he slipped away into his own mind before he could even realise where he actually was.
He was back pinned in his small dingy tank, his hands were pinned with scratchy twisted fabric, he had swiped at one of his handlers the day before and so now he was immobilised.
He deserved it though, he shouldn’t have attacked the people who took care of him, well at least that's what he heard from the occasional other mer he was placed next to in an attempt to correct his behaviour. He supposed they were right, these people kept him fed and in return he had to perform.
The water began to tremor, the surface tension breaking, there was someone approaching his tank.
Something long slipped into the water and he immediately tensed it was their spark machine, the one that made him burn and twitch even when it wasn't there.
It was thrust downwards and against the softer scales that transitioned his scales to skin, the burn was immediate, his muscles contracted, he bit his tongue letting the water around his face turn pinkish. He scratched at the board below himself tearing chunks in any attempt to relieve the crippling pain that stabbed all along his body.
He felt his hand move to something softer, it was as if he could feel a heartbeat in his confined space, his hand flexed and managed to grip what felt like hair with his other hand. His hands weren’t bound-
“Oka- l- g-py,” Mermish broke in and out as his eyes drifted open and closed trying to figure what was going on, what was going on…
“You’re okay lil guppy we’ve got you” he heard it all-
“Sh-shoutaa”
“Yep that’s me pup i've got you, you’re safe here, we’ll get you feeling better” a gentle hand settled in his curls and he let himself preen almost silently at the feeling, his body going lax and feeling began to rush in once again.
He opened his eyes and green eyes made contact with steely grey ones, he became aware he was being cradled, an elbow behind his head and an arm supporting his tail. One hand was gently cupped to Shouta’s chest which was clearly where he had felt the heartbeat, his other was somewhat tangled in the man’s long hair.
He looked further and noticed another person in the water. It was the blond person who had given Shouta the tuna- they must be mates he concluded but it didn’t stop him from nuzzling closer to the man holding him and eliciting a whimper in anxiety from a stranger.
“Zashi you’ve been spotted love” Shouta spoke in a relaxed manner letting out gentle rumbles to soothe the pup.
Hizashi had an orange yellow fluke and tail similar to that of a golden panchax, the fluke wasn't as well defined and flowed more in the water.
Instinctively Izuku knew that Hizashi was more motherly and feminine than Shouta, mer had a spectrum meaning he possibly was intersex or a bearer. His mama had taught him about these things in their short time together; she had wanted to make sure he pup was well prepared for life.
“Hey little one, you feeling okay? You managed to hit your panic button accident you’re okay now, the blonde spoke soothingly and in return Izuku trilled softly curling further into Shouta’s arms, the blonde was nice but he knew Shouta better and so for now he was content where he was. Not quite ready to use more words yet, which the pair seemed to accept, easily taking each response in their stride.
Shouta and Hizashi had headed back to their flat after Izuku had fallen asleep after trying tuna for the first time, it had been adorable and since it had been around closing time many of the staff had come to see how the newest member of their growing family was getting on.
They got home and fixed something simple for them both to eat, Shouta proceeded to shower and then they both decided it would be best to retire for the night.
“Hey Sho, you think the pup will be okay on his own? He seemed pretty relaxed with you around him, do you think he’ll be okay through the night?”
“He should be fine Zashi, he’ll sleep through, if not ill eat a hat.” That was all the blonde got out of his husband before he got pulled in for cuddles as they both drifted to sleep.
2:38 am
Hizashi sat up hearing calls in the night, they were high frequency, calls that you would only get from a pup. Their apartment was above the aquarium so they were used to hearing the pups and mer moving around at night, so Hizashi forced himself to relax it was probably one of the babies, Nemuri was on her night shift so she would be on it.
He pushed his face into his husband’s neck, Zashi was also half mer and fell into both the intersex and bearer side, the mer genetics were significantly stronger than human so for the pair of them the only thing that was completely human was part of their breathing systems and their legs but everything else lined up with mer anatomy. So when a pup would call out it pulled on his heartstrings and his instincts to mother as pack animals it was normal for other bearers to look after other pups as everyone would have a role.
Within mer structure this would mean that if he were in a proper pack he would be a caretaker as his fins were not made for hunting and so he would be left to care and protect the pups.
Which when it made full circle meant that calls for comfort would easily wake him and all he could do was huddle up with Shouta and try put himself at ease that another caretaker was with them, it usually did the trick but this was relentless.
Then Shouta’s phone rang, the tired man reached over and looked at the caller ID “it’s Nem” was all he said before he picked up the phone. “Nem this better be importa-”
Muffled voice was heard down the phone that Hizashi couldn’t pick up, “okay we’re coming now,” Shouta said urgently before standing up and ending the call. “Izuku is having problems, it's not looking good. He managed to hit his panic button.”
The pair made it to the recovery tank in record time, inside they could see some pinkish cloud coming from Izuku’s mouth and hand, he was trapped in the sand and twitching in almost seizure-like activity.
They wasted no time changing into fins and submerged diving down to carefully lift the pup into Shouta’s arms, no matter how his instincts complained, the pup knew Shouta it made it safer for the pup when he came back to.