Third person pov

The next morning made Atlantis into a ball of nervous energy. He got up feeling anxious and unsure of what to do with himself. Though against all that should've been feasible, his hair was perfect. Shota could not for the life of him understand how that was possible. He went to sleep with it silky, smooth, and untangled, and he fell woke up like that. It was atrociously unfair and incredibly attractive both at the same time. He'd tried asking Atlantis how he managed to wake up looking so perfect, but the poor merman had only looked confused and cocked his head like a confused puppy. Aizawa had melted just a little at that.

"Pants." Atlantis frowned at them. Aizawa had helped him into one of the brightly colored shirts he'd picked out. Unsurprisingly, he'd been drawn to the vivid hawaiian ones in Walmart of all places, where Shota had taken him to get some food to go in the fridge and cabinets. The shirts were hideous. Absolute eye sores. But the way Atlantis had lit up when he saw them-- how could Shota possibly refuse something like that?! If Atlantis wanted to experience the surface through clothing that would make anyone cringe and mismatched socks, then so be it.

"We have shorts too, if you want them." Aizawa had woken them up a little bit earlier so they'd have a bit of extra time. While Aizawa was fully aware of Atlantis' situation and how he was feeling about all this, nobody else was. They had to act natural and try not to give themselves away. That meant showing up on time as usual and giving Atlantis some tips on how to answer some of the hard questions that could potentially be thrown his way. "Either way, you can't go in your underwear."

"They're just... odd is all." Atlantis sniffed, tugging at the pants. The material felt somewhat soft, but not as soft as some of the other fabrics he'd gotten to touch. It was made out a thicker substance Shota called 'denim'. "Can I wear sweatpants? Like you?"

Shota snorted, looking down at his hero costume. Mic had always told him it was nothing more than a glorified pair of pajamas. Aizawa had always denied it to high heaven, but after Atlantis' innocent comment he was starting to think maybe his boisterous blonde friend had a point. Either way, Atlantis looked adorable as he contemplated his options. Shota couldn't help but eye his legs. They'd already showered together, which had been a new... experience. A good one, of course. But Shota couldn't help but notice that despite not ever having had legs, Atlantis' were extremely muscular. As in, he had thick thighs. Not that he was complaining! Just... making observations.

"Yeah, you can wear sweatpants. We'll do these ones. They'll go okay with the shirt." Aizawa claimed, though he was far from sure. He knew literally nothing about matching clothing together. Nemuri and Hizashi had both called him lost causes in the department of clothing because of how bad he was at choosing his own outfits. He could only hope he'd have better luck with Atlantis, seeing as the poor merman had absolutely zero idea what he was going into. He just smiled and nodded, giving Shota his full trust without any doubts. It was slightly terrifying, but also flattering. 

They got ready a little quicker after solving the clothing situation. Atlantis watched from the bar in absolute awe as Aizawa made some eggs. Shota didn't know how to cook much, but just seeing how mesmerized Atlantis appeared was enough to make him consider looking online for a few videos. They talked and joked, and Shota told Atlantis more about the world as they ate. The man listened with rapt attention. That was one thing that had always made Aizawa's heart swell. Atlantis never failed to give him his full attention when it called for it. He'd never had someone seem so immersed in what he was saying before. It was... a nice feeling.

"I'm scared." Atlantis shook out his hands as Aizawa shut the door to the apartment and locked it. "What if I don't do well? Or what if I hurt someone on accident?! I don't use my... my quirk often. Who knows what it does." Atlantis shook his hands out, brows furrowing. Shota pulled Atlantis into his side and gave him a brief kiss on his head, which made the merman peer up at him with those big, seaglass eyes of his. Honestly, Shota's heart couldn't take this sort of thing. 

"You'll do fine. I'm sure it'll just be Recovery Girl showing you the ropes, so there's nothing to worry about." Shota assured softly, grasping one of Atlantis' hands in his own. The poor merman looked so ruffled by this whole thing. Being plunged into a world full of other people after previously living in one without them had to be terrifying. So many new things to take in and figure out. The dynamic here was a lot different than the one in the ocean was. "I'll be in the building if you need me. I'll be checking up on you as often as I can, too." 

"Okay." Atlantis said in a mumble, allowing Aizawa to lead him out of the apartment building. UA wasn't far. They started walking in silence as Atlantis dwelled over the day to come. The merman kept his gaze trained on the sidewalk as they made their way to UA. A few of those things called cars whizzed by, which was terrifying to say the least. They weren't like the ships that bobbed in the water with a motor to steer them in the right direction. They were more driven, and faster because of the traction the road provided. While they did provide sufficient transport, they seemed dangerous.

Aizawa felt jittery about the day as well, but he didn't let it show. He wasn't sure what would happen if the rest of the staff knew about Atlantis. They were good about keeping All Might's secret. It's not that he didn't trust them, but there was a presumed traitor in their midsts. Atlantis' powers spanned beyond what a normal quirk would allow him. There was something otherworldly in him that Aizawa didn't want falling into the wrong hands. The idea of Atlantis being hunted for what he was was struck cold fear in Shota. He didn't even want to think about it.

"...How does school work?" Atlantis suddenly asked, his voice quiet. Aizawa wasn't sure why he did what he did next. Maybe it was the stress or the suddenness of the question, or the way he said it. He couldn't help it. For some reason, he burst out laughing. Atlantis looked offended, but cracked a smile nonetheless. A flustered one, but he liked seeing Shota happy! "H-Hey, don't laugh at me!" 

"Alright, alright." Aizawa snorted, squeezing Atlantis' hand. "I'll give you a rundown."

The rest of the walk was full of Aizawa doing his best to illustrate an accurate picture of UA's educational system. Atlantis seemed confused, but he was a quick learner. He wasn't afraid to ask questions, which saved them both from a lot of confusion on both sides. Listening to Atlantis marvel and speculate over how their world worked was both interesting and adorable. When did anyone ever experience something like this? Atlantis had literally no knowledge on how their school system worked. He knew vaguely that there was some form of something called a 'government' that regulated the way things were, and he knew cars existed, and had some knowledge of different foods and beverages because of pollution, but... it was simply fascinating. That's the only way Shota could put it.

Recovery Girl was eagerly waiting for them when they got there, standing outside her door with her syringe cane and her eyes searching for them. It was pretty obvious to see she was desperate to hook an apprentice. Atlantis was a great option. He was engaged to another employee for one thing, which already made him fairly trustworthy; especially since Aizawa of all people was vouching so hard for him. Not to mention his quirk. God, Recovery Girl hadn't seen it in action yet, but she had seen the results of it. She'd brought Aizawa back from the very brink of death. He was up and walking off not even an hour after being dragged out of the USJ! It was phenomenal. 

"Atlantis! You made it." Recovery Girl eyed his outfit but didn't say anything. Shota decided maybe he shouldn't pick the merman's clothing out anymore. "Come along, come along. I have a lot to teach you! It's better we get started now."

"R-Right." Atlantis answered meekly, shrinking in on himself and glancing nervously at Shota. He hadn't parted from the man since coming into contact with him at the USJ, and he wasn't keen on the idea even if he knew Shota wouldn't be far. He knew he had to eventually, but that didn't mean he couldn't be nervous about it! It would be fine. Right? Yes, right. Things would be perfectly okay. If he called, Shota would come running. The pearl would allow Atlantis to know where he was.

Shota gave Recovery Girl a glance before planting a quick kiss on Atlantis' cheek. The woman looked mildly surprised despite knowing they were going to get married. Shota decided it best to ignore her. "I'm on hall 1, if you need me. Just follow the hall until you find a room labeled 1-A, alright? It'll be printed on the door." Shota brushed some hair out of his fiance's face. "Will you be okay?"

Atlantis smiled in a nervous way and nodded, reaching forward and giving Shota a quick hug. The man returned it with a quiet sigh of relief, patting his back softly a few times before they parted. Atlantis tried to look reassuring, but Shota was very clearly worried. Recovery Girl watched their reluctance patiently and with some amount of amusement, eventually shaking her head and ushering the merman inside. She'd never seen Shota look so much like a kicked puppy before.

Recovery found out quick that Atlantis, though he acted rather shy, was actually a very enthusiastic and eager person once you coaxed him out of his shell a bit. That made his impending marriage to Shota Aizawa of all people even odder, but she wasn't about to judge. Instead she took time introducing herself properly and telling him a few things about herself. He did as well, easing up ever so slightly as he glanced around. It was going fairly well at first, all things considered. Or Recovery Girl had thought as much. When she started to show him around, things got... weird.

He didn't know what band aids were, or what gauze was. He didn't know about cotton balls or disinfectant. He didn't even appear to know what her gummies were, or what basic cough and pain medicines were. The poor man looked entirely confused. Hell, he seemed lost even when looking at the paper towel dispenser of all things. Atlantis, for some reason, knew nothing about any first aid despite his quirk and the fact that he was a full grown man. It was like he'd lost all memory of it. That was, assuming he'd ever known any of it to begin with.

Still, he was quick to learn. She explained carefully what each was for or what it did, and he'd nod and smile happily. Recovery Girl found it as endearing as she did concerning. Why did he have the knowledge of a preschooler when it came to this stuff, and how much more didn't he know? While talking to him and getting to know him as the day crawled by solidified her thought that he could succeed her at UA, she was... worried. And she had a lot of questions.

"Say, dear, do you know what a hot dog is?" Recovery Girl questioned out of the blue, drawing the man's attention away from the sink. She watched him frown, and his brows furrow. That was a pretty bad sign considering how universal hot dogs were. They were... well, they were hot dogs. Fair food! As seen on TV! America at its finest, next to steak, burgers, and beer. He had to at least have heard of them.

"A dog is... an animal. So a hot animal?" Atlantis guessed. He knew his lack of knowledge had to be suspicious, but he didn't know how to bluff it. There were too many things he simply didn't know. He should've asked Shota if there was anything he needed to know about working with Recovery Girl. Maybe he could have told him about band aids and gauze. They had their own ways of making bandages and salves under the sea to help with things-- though, their healing did most of the work. 

"Right... have you ever heard of cardboard?" Recovery Girl tried another random word everyone should know, and he stared blankly at her. "How about a wallet?" 

"Oh! You keep your money in those." Atlantis said surely, smiling at her like some little ray of sunshine. Recovery Girl couldn't help but smile too despite her worry. There was no way he was this oblivious just... naturally. Had he hit his head? He had come to the USJ in the rain and in distress. If he'd been harmed, and then had healed himself to quickly get to his destination... well, there was a good chance he didn't even realize the damage he'd done to himself. Shota probably hadn't noticed either. Atlantis probably went through his daily tasks fine. There was just a lot of knowledge he appeared to lack.

No students came in with fresh injuries. Since it was the first day back since the USJ incident, there was no training going on. Everyone was fairly subdued by the whole thing, if not on edge. Telling this to Atlantis had saddened him greatly. He seemed almost angry alongside that, which Recovery Girl supposed she could understand. His fiance had been caught in it as well. What the villains had done was vile. To attack mere children-- and for what? To try and kill All Might? It was absolutely bogus. 

Atlantis didn't think this was nearly as bad as he'd first though it was going to be. Recovery Girl was very nice and patient with his lack of knowledge. Shota also seemed contented based on the waves he got from the pearl. Though he was a bit nervous-- for Atlantis, which was sweet, the merman thought-- he was relieved to see all his students well. Clearly they'd all shown up for class and were fine enough that he was happy with it! That made Atlantis happy too. He knew well and good how much Shota cared for his students. It was a relief to feel they were fine. 

Recovery Girl was going through basic medical protocol by the school's standards when there was a light knock on the door. Atlantis jumped slightly at the sudden sound, tensing. He wasn't used to all these new sounds. In the ocean, there weren't any doors to knock on. No cabinets to open, and no floors to step on, and no feet to step. Everything was making him feel on edge. In the ocean, things were muffled and quiet beneath the waves. Here, there was no water to act as a noise buffer. 

"Come in!" Recovery Girl turned in her chair as the door slid open, revealing a sheepish teenager with big, green eyes and a bush of green hair. Atlantis peered at him as something resonated deep inside him. Like a signal or sense of comfort. Immediately, his shoulders relaxed as Recovery Girl ushered the boy in. "Come in, come in. I was wondering when you were going to show up, Midoriya." 

"Sorry. Mr. Aizawa was giving us some information about the upcoming Sports Festival." Izuku's eyes drifted to Atlantis, who was eyeing him with wonder. "O-Oh, hello!"

"Midoriya, this is my apprentice, Atlantis Shimura. He's got a healing quirk as well." Recovery Girl introduced as Izuku sat himself on the bed. Atlantis peered a little further into the boy. He was probably here for another round of healing. Recovery Girl had explained her quirk, and had told him she couldn't always do things all at once lest she want to bring harm to the patient. This Midoriya child was probably here to get out of that... was it called a sling? It sure looked like the picture Recovery Girl had showed him earlier, but Atlantis wasn't sure of anything these days.

"That's amazing! Healing quirks are really rare." Izuku noted brightly. Recovery Girl looked proud of Atlantis' behalf, preening under the fact that she'd managed to snag him. "Is he going to heal my arm up, then? Not that your quirk doesn't work just as well or anything-"

"Calm down, Midoriya. He will be, if he's willing. I'd like to see his quirk in action." Recovery Girl said, jolting Atlantis from his train of thought. The man blinked, offering a hesitant smile and bobbing his head in agreement. Recovery Girl looked even more pleased. Izuku was giving her a weird look, so it must not have been a common occurrence to catch her in such a mood. Atlantis continued to eye the boy as Recovery girl began unraveling his arm, exposing bruised skin that made the merman frown. Recovery Girl sounded eager. "Is there anything you need, Atlantis? Anything we need to do first?"

"I-It shouldn't be any trouble." Atlantis noted, trailing over to the sink. He continued to eye Izuku. There was something about this child-- something different. It was calling to Atlantis and his magic. The tap began to run. "All I need is water."

"Wow, that's it?" Izuku marvelled. The teen and the nurse both watched the water fly from the stream and form a bubble rather suddenly, twisting through the air with ease as Atlantis whirled around. He didn't look any different, barring the way his eyes seemed to glow. Maybe it was a trick of the light or the water reflecting off of them, but they seemed more vibrant. Recovery Girl took a small step back to make way for him as he moved forward, the bubble of water hovering after him. "W...Wow. How does it work?"

"I'm not too sure myself." Atlantis said softly, taking Izuku's broken arm and carefully pulling it into a straighter position. Izuku winced slightly, but showed no reaction otherwise. "This won't hurt."

They watched the bubble of water sink down to encase his arm. The liquid seemed to glow, though not as brightly as the man's eyes. Izuku felt something in him swell to the surface and make all his nerves tingle. His shoulders slouched in a relaxed sort of way as the bruising faded away, leaving him a little dazed as he watched it. It was a mesmerizing process to behold. Izuku had never felt this... enchanted before. His quirk hummed startlingly, causing him to blink slightly and look away from his now-healed arm and into Atlantis' glowing eyes.

"My goodness." The man leaned a little closer, his luminescent eyes piercing into Izuku's green ones. "The ocean likes you." 

 Izuku didn't know why, but he smiled.