Chapter Text
"You're distracted."
Izuku blinked and lifted his head to see All Might lingering near his worktable. Izuku was training again, broken shells littering the desk as he failed to capture the magic; and until a moment ago All Might had been reading a scroll across the room.
Izuku bit his cheek, wincing when the shell he was holding shattered.
With a sigh, he brushed the broken pieces from his hands and met All Might's gaze.
"What's wrong, my boy?" All Might asked, glancing at the shells and probably wondering why Izuku hadn't gotten the magic to work yet. Useless.
"Nothing is...wrong, but I guess I'm just wondering..." Izuku trailed off, absently picking up a new shell and turning it in his hands.
He wanted to ask about Todoroki.
About his magic, about showing him their home, about why he'd had a panic attack when Izuku was leading him here.
All Might patiently waited for Izuku to finish his sentence. Izuku slumped, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair.
"Why would someone's magic only work in their one hand?" All Might shifted with a confused look, glancing from Izuku to the worktable.
"Are you talking about yourself?" He asked and Izuku shook his head.
"N-No, it's um, for a friend," he stuttered, swirling his hands. All Might hummed in thought and crossed his arms, coughing before he replied.
"What can this friend of yours do?"
"His magic's like Kacchan's," Izuku explained, holding out his hands in a pantomime of Kacchan's explosions. All Might looked surprised and Izuku jerked, realizing what it sounded like.
"N-Not that he can make explosions! I m-mean that his magic is made with his hands," Izuku clarified. "But it only works with his right hand. Has that happened before?"
All Might paused before he slowly grinned, reaching out and putting his hand on Izuku's shoulder.
"You should bring this friend here." Izuku stiffened, staring at All Might. He had tried.
"I don't know if I could help, my boy, but I'm sure Aizawa knows about human mers using magic," he said and Izuku spluttered, pulling away.
"H-How did you...?"
"Yamada told me you asked him for help," All Might gently explained. "He said we may have someone new dropping by. I wanted them to feel welcome." He squeezed Izuku's shoulder before letting go.
"Now why don't you try again," he suggested with a glance at the shells. Izuku sighed, reaching for a new shell while All Might moved back across the room, picking up a scroll he had set down.
Izuku tuned him out and focused on the shell in front of him, cradling it in his hands and reaching for something—
He wasn't surprised when every shell he tried shattered.
**
"Midoriya, I have the day off!" Uraraka excitedly chirped as she barged into Izuku's room—surprisingly, through his door and not his window. Hands on her hips, she beamed as Iida appeared over her shoulder, adjusting a stack of scrolls in his arms.
"Uraraka, it is impolite to simply barge in—"
"It's fine!" She laughed, much to Iida's chagrin. "Anyways, we should go explore the—oh, are you headed to the surface?" Uraraka asked, deflating slightly.
Izuku had frozen when they had barged in, his satchel thrown over his shoulder as he slipped his bracelet onto the string around his neck. He had stared wide-eyed as Uraraka chattered and at her question winced, scratching his chin.
"I w-was, sorry!" He said, knowing that he had been spending less time with her and his other friends since he had started seeing Todoroki. Uraraka's face fell, and Izuku blurted out the first thing he could think of.
"You should come with me!" He squeaked and both Iida and Uraraka gaped, the former with a frown and the later in awe. A second later and Uraraka threw her arms up, rushing forward and capturing Izuku in a tight hug.
"Izuku, I can't believe you did it!" She cheered, spinning him in a circle.
"Congrats must be given, good job Midoriya," Iida added, sharply gesturing with his arms. Confused and slightly dizzy, Izuku struggled to escape Uraraka's grip and failed.
"So where's the new charm? Did you make it an earring? A bracelet?" Uraraka excitedly asked, releasing him in favor of fluttering around him and then his room, looking for a charm.
"Uraraka, I um...didn't make a new charm," Izuku said, and Uraraka stopped in her search. She tilted her head, moving back toward him.
"But you asked me to—"
"I meant..." Izuku started then flushed, clenching his hands together. "I-I've been meeting with T-Todoroki. He's friends with Momo, so I thought you might want to..." He trailed off when Uraraka's mouth popped open, and hunched into himself when she grinned.
"So you've been letting him use your charm?" She asked and Izuku nodded.
"Midoriya, are you sure he is a human that can be trusted?" Iida asked, lingering by the door.
"He's not like his father," Izuku said, flushing as he pictured Todoroki's mer form. Uraraka watched him for a moment before she nodded, heading to his window.
"If he's a friend of yours, then I'd love to meet him!" She giggled, already out the window and swimming back and forth in anticipation. Izuku glanced at Iida, not wanting to exclude him, but he raised his hand and shook his head.
"Thank you, but I must see to my duties first. I am sure I will meet him eventually," Iida said before he backed away and shut the door.
"Come on, Midoriya!" Uraraka said, excitement vibrating off her and into Izuku as he joined her. She cheered, then Izuku led the way to the surface, hoping Todoroki wouldn't mind.
When they reached the surface Izuku asked Uraraka to stay back until Izuku could introduce her. Uraraka puffed her cheeks and pouted, but she didn't protest and Izuku sighed in relief before he breached the surface and headed toward the beach.
Todoroki was sitting in the sand, drawing something with a stick when Izuku called out and waved. Todoroki startled, looking up and wiping away whatever he had been drawing before he called back. Another moment and he had shed his shirt, already wading into the water.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," Izuku said when Todoroki reached him, passing him his bracelet. Todoroki frowned, shaking his head as he put on the bracelet and took care of his shorts.
"It wasn't your fault," he said, shaking himself out as he legs turned into a tail and his fins spread out around him. "I...was thinking too much."
Izuku bit his lip and nodded, moving away from the shore while Todoroki followed.
"I'm glad you're not mad. But um, I hope you don't mind that my friend wanted to meet you? She's really nice and excited and if you say no I'll tell her to go home so it's okay if you don't want—"
"She wanted to meet me?" Todoroki asked and Izuku stilled, faintly nodding. "And she's a mermaid?"
"Yeah."
"If she's your friend, then I trust your judgment," Todoroki said and Izuku blushed, shaking himself before he looked over his shoulder and called for Uraraka. They drifted for a few moments and then Uraraka swam into view.
She grinned when she saw Todoroki, and was swimming around him in excitement before Izuku could stop her.
"He's like a koi, Midoriya! You didn't tell me he was pretty!" She chirped, laughing as she moved back to Izuku and playfully bumped his shoulder. Todoroki stared and Izuku blushed, covering his face with his arms.
"Oh my god Uraraka," he whined, unable to look at Todoroki. "He's not some...you can't just—" he broke off with a frustrated noise.
It didn't help that he agreed with her. Between Todoroki's hair and matching tail, Izuku had to remind himself not to stare at the blotches of color on Todoroki's scales, or at the way his long fins moved like a wave when he swam.
He was pretty.
Surprisingly, Todoroki laughed.
Izuku uncovered his face in time to see Todoroki cover his mouth, hiding laughter and a smile that left Izuku reeling.
Oh.
"Are dappled patterns uncommon?" Todoroki asked, still smiling. Uraraka blinked before she unfroze and nodded with a giggle.
"Yup! Most of us have only one main color," she explained, gesturing to her own tail. "I'm Uraraka Ochako, by the way. Pleased to meet you!"
"Todoroki Shouto," Todoroki replied, and Izuku finally relaxed. In contrast, Uraraka leaned against Izuku's shoulder and poked Izuku's cheek.
"So what's your magic like? I can negate gravity!" She said before she dipped toward the ocean floor and scooped up a rock. "Watch this," she said, motioning for them to follow her as she popped her head above the water.
They followed, and Uraraka waited until they were watching before she threw the rock into the air.
It didn't come back.
Izuku laughed at Todoroki's shocked expression, biting his lip to stifle the sound when Todoroki made a face.
"That's...impressive," Todoroki offered. Uraraka grinned and waved her hand, gesturing toward Todoroki.
"What about you?" She asked before Izuku could stop her. Todoroki hesitated, looking down at his hands. Izuku moved to explain when Todoroki lifted his right hand and touched the surface of the water.
Ice shot from his hand, freezing the water in a long arc.
"That's amazing" Uraraka breathed before she looked between his hands. "What about your—"
"It doesn't work." Todoroki's voice was clipped and Izuku winced, rushing to clarify.
"He can only do it with his right. I—I was going to take him to see Aizawa to see if he knew why," Izuku explained and Uraraka nodded, tapping the side of her face.
"If anyone would know, he would," she echoed. "You haven't shown him our home yet, have you?" She asked Izuku and he shook his head. Uraraka grinned and glanced at Todoroki, reaching out and tugging him forward.
"You're going to love it!" She said before she let go and dove under the water, her tail flicking water into their faces. They both stared at where she left before Todoroki turned to Izuku.
"I'm...it's not a problem if I..."
"You're more than welcome to come," Izuku smiled before he gently tugged on Todoroki's arm and pulled him under.