Work Text:
When you got there, it was packed .
Beach towels covered every square inch of the sand. The shore itself was surrounded by waddling toddlers and their sunscreen slathered mothers. Dads were huddled around in groups catching up, while their teenagers laid under shaded umbrellas and palm trees, trying their hardest to look suave and uninterested.
“Um..” Izuku mumbled, giving you a look of concern.
“Yeah…I know,” You replied with an even more disturbed expression. Because of his hero work, he was more used to dealing with swathes of people. You however, as a freelance artist, were not. At least not like this.
“Come back later?” He asked, turning to you for approval.
“Absolutely.”
By the time you two came back it was golden hour. The sun had started to lower and the sky was smeared with vibrant shades of magenta, vermillion and pink. Izuku was carrying the majority of your belongings. Two bags on one arm, one large bag on the other, and your hat lying atop his head. You had offered to carry your share but he refused, considering the fact that the past week had been absolutely exhausting for you. Demanding customers, art block, and a bad on-again off-again cough had you beat into a state of submission. You didn’t even try to argue when he took all of your bags in a big sweeping motion as you were walking towards the beach.
By the time you all had finally found the perfect spot and gotten settled, the sun was even lower in the sky. The shades of magenta and orange were now deeper in hue, resembling more of a saturated plum or terracotta. The clouds resembled half-dissolved cotton candy melting into a lake of colors. The ocean below reflected these colors vividly, seemingly swallowing the sun in its midst. There was darkness where the water beat against the sand, where many bits, bobs, rocks and shells were washed up.
Among the variety you could spot a small blue dot, crawling around haphazardly. “Zuku!” You whipped around and pulled him in close, guiding his eyes to where you had seen the thing. “You see that movin around?” Izuku squinted his eyes, laser-focusing in on the spot you were pointing at. A tiny blue crustacean was making its way along the sand, searching fervently for a new shell to take cover under. You quickly made your way towards it, Izuku in tow. “It’s so little !” You gasped as you crouched down to examine it. “Let’s go find it a home.”
And so you did, searching among the rocks and litter for a shell that could shelter the cerulean creature. The shells you found were varying and beautiful. Izuku found two spiraling turban shells and one banded tulip with warm brown stripes. You were able to find a mesmerizing pale white conch and a beige turban shell.
The two of you gathered the five shells together and presented them to the crab like an offering, waiting patiently for its response. “What do think its name is?” you asked him. “Hmmmm..maybe…” Deku leaned down to study the crab even closer. “Maybe Zeal? Because he runs around so much.” You smiled at him. “I like that.” Zeal had tried on all the shells except the turban you had picked out. Gingerly, he nudged himself into the opening of the turban, his little body snug against the walls of the shell. “I think it fits!” You exclaimed.
He too, appeared to be quite happy with his new abode. He faced you two then shuffled away, seemingly acknowledging you for efforts. “Bye bye!” You whispered to him in the voice you only used on babies and animals.
Deku enjoyed experiencing this curious, bright-eyed side of you. The way you were with animals was the way he was with heros: filled with child-like wonder and an urge to learn.
Now that the hermit crab excursion was over, you two needed to actually unpack your things. You helped him unpack all of the towels, lotions, sunscreens, and other things that mostly belonged to you.
Decidedly, the heavy-weight sunblock you packed was for Izuku, not you. At this point, considering the time of day, he wouldn't really be needing it. That and your sunglasses stayed in the embroidered tote. The only item left to unpack was the small buttercream camera you bought a few years back to capture moments just like the one in front you.
Izuku was staring out into the distance with a sprinkle of sand in his inky green hair and a golden tint to his skin. A spray of freckles decorated his dark yet soft features. He looked relaxed as he studied the sky, a small content smile spread across his face.
You discreetly held up the digital camera to him, gazing at him through the viewfinder. “Smile,” you said with a toothy grin, snapping a quick picture before he could shove the camera out of his face.
“Hey!” he let out a burst of laughter, grabbing the camera and running off with it. Soon enough you two were at it, tumbling and wrestling across the entire beach.
“Give it!” You yelled, pursuing him as he booked it down the shoreline. You were aware, of course, that he would be significantly faster than you considering his training, but nonetheless, the chase was thrilling. There was at least a 20 feet gap between the two of you. He was so confident, in fact, that you wouldn’t catch up to him that he turned around and started taking pictures of you running after him.
“Bitch-!” You turned into overdrive, using the little energy you had remaining to sprint towards him and lunge like a cat in the savannah. Naturally, he dodged out of the way, leading to you fall flat on your face. “Y/n!” Izuku yelped as he crouched down to aid you in your struggle to regain awareness. You looked up at him with vitriol in your eyes.
“Go to hell.”
“Babe.”
“Gimme’ that damn camera.”
Your words were laced with venom but you couldn't help but chuckle with him as he helped you up. “You okay love?” he said with sincerity, carefully dusting the sand off of your hair and face. You let out a grunt in response. “Ill take that as a yes,” he giggled. A small smile started to creep up your face and you let it, rather than subduing it.
“See? There’s that smile,” he said, grinning. “Shhhh shut up.” you said, gently shoving him. Despite his best efforts, you were still covered in sand. Izuku was brushing more and more off your cheeks and shoulders but more would seemingly reappear from thin air. “Y’know what? This would probably be a good time to get in the water,” he suggested. You nodded in agreement, walking towards the water languidly with Izuku in hand. He let you lead him towards the shore, following behind like a stray puppy.
The golden gleam of the sun gave you a luminous glow. Your umber skin soaked up the sun’s rays, making it appear to be a rich, almost iridescent body of melted bronze. Your dark brown bikini matched the undertones of your skin perfectly, purely by chance.
You had ordered it online and were terrified it wasn't going to come in the right size, let alone such a spot-on color. The first time you had put it on with all your waist jewelry and accessories, you had been close to tears gazing at yourself in the mirror. Izuku was there too, and you had actually seen his eyes become glossy as he came up behind you in an embrace.
Even now, despite the fact that he's seen you in it plenty of times, he blanks out and gets a little flustered following behind you with the way the sun is hitting every inch of your body.
Izuku is thrown back into reality when the cold water hits his feet and he hears you exclaim “It’s cold!”
He gives you a small smile. “Well, of course it's cold, baby. We just got in.” You turn to give him a look. “I do not need your attitude right now.”
“Uh huh.”
He’s right though, because after a few minutes of wading around, the water feels like a warm bath.
“Zu’ c’mere,” you called, dog paddling toward him as best you could. “Why’d you tell me to come over when you were already on your way?” You wanted to roll your eyes at him but you were too focused on your swimming.
Izuku used every ounce of self-control in his body to not laugh at you.
Despite his efforts, a small snicker came out, which turned into a burst of laughter. “What?” you spit out, frowning, still haphazardly doggy paddling toward him. “Nothing! Nothing. It’s just..” He covered his mouth and moved toward you, pulling you towards his chest. “You just..” Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
“What!”
“You just look so silly when you swim babe.”
You kissed your teeth. He erupted into a fit of laughter, pulling you even closer to him as you feigned indignation. “I'm sorry it’s just the way your head bobs-”
“Izuku Midoriya.”
“Yes?”
“Stop talking.”
“Okay, okay, my bad.” He wiped away the tears in his eyes. You stayed like that for a while, bobbing in the water like apples in a barrel, bantering back and forth.
When you two finally decided to call it a night, it was late . No one else was at the beach, just the two of you. As you dried off and discussed dinner plans, Izuku popped up in glee. “We have leftover katsudon at home!"
“Yeah!” You replied, smiling. “Yeah!” His face was beaming with pure joy. Suddenly, your heart was flooded with love and admiration. You beamed back at him, flashing your pearly whites like no tomorrow. “You're so cute zu’,” you remarked as you made your way to him. “Am I?” He replied. “Yeah. Yeah, you are.” You climbed on top of him, straddling him at the waist. He helped you get settled, pulling you forward into his lap. He invited you to him, hands falling on your midsection as they always did. Once you were snug, you held his face in your hands like a bowl of china, lightly caressing your thumb across his cheek as if it would crack at the softest touch.
He leaned forward, capturing your bottom lip in a gentle pull. You gravitated towards him as he pulled you into his orbit. One of his hands was wandering around your waist as the other slowly caressed your thigh, drawing small circles over it. Time felt meaningless in the moment. Izuku had always been the gentle type, so when his lips slid over yours it felt just as tender as the first time he kissed you.
Your hands were at the nape of his neck, sweeping up and down, up and down. His skin was soft and malleable from being in the water for so long. “So soft,” you mumbled against his mouth. He responded with a low hum as he pulled you impossibly closer to him.
You reached for his hair then, sifting your fingers through the inky green tufts. At his scalp, you made short pulling motions. When you did this, he squeezed your waist and let out a faint noise that let you know you should probably finish this off at home. You slowly pulled away, which caused him to let out another noise, one of disapproval. “Mm mm. Let’s go home first zu’,” you said, sighing. You gazed upon him, running your fingers through his soft damp hair. He looked back at you, still drawing slow circles into your thigh. “Okay,” he whispered gently, moving out from beneath you.
Once you two got home, you showered together, finding sand in places you didn't think possible. While getting dressed, Izuku heats up the leftover katsudon and puts some grapes to the side for you to share.
It was one in the morning now, and you were falling asleep on the couch, struggling to keep your eyes open as you ate. You were sat directly beside him, thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder. When you looked to your right, you saw that he had nodded off mid-bite. You couldn't help but snort at this. You gently rocked him awake, and gingerly pryed the bowl out his hands to put away in the kitchen. “Come on zu’, let’s get in bed,” you said, dragging him up and away from the living room. He hummed in response.
He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close like a stuffed animal once you were in bed. You melt into him, becoming soft and pliable in his arms. “Goonigh luhleh,” he slurred out sleepily. You understand his words to be “Goodnight lovely.”
“Goodnight zu’,” you replied, letting out a deep breath, and settling into an even deeper slumber.