Third person pov

Recovery Girl was so distracted by Atlantis' quirk throughout the day that she forgot to get the young man's head checked entirely. Watching him move through the hospital floor with excitement was vaguely astonishing. They had until lunch. Recovery Girl had told him this. Dr. Aito, wanting to see more, had told him to go wherever he wanted. If he could heal Naka-san, there was a good chance he could heal just about anyone else on the floor. They both wanted to know the limit to his quirk. When would he get exhausted? What happened when he did?

The rain turned softer as he bee-lined to another room. Looking at the chart, it turned out to be a man also in critical condition. Not as bad as Naka had been, but close enough to be in danger of possibly dying. Atlantis struggled with the window, clapping like a happy child when he got it open and humming to himself. The man, previously asleep, woke up in a bubble of water feeling good as new. Even his back pain was gone, he'd claimed. Aito had immediately called for x-rays, seeing as the man had scoliosis. If Atlantis could fix something like that, they had something more than just another healing quirk on their hands. Atlantis could be a game-changer.

Atlantis took his time. Some things took longer to heal, but he never had to ask questions about the injury. He'd just walk over and assess them, looking them over like his eyes could somehow tell him exactly what was wrong. The pressure in the room would change entirely when he began to use his quirk. Recovery Girl swore she started to smell salt after a while. The ocean was too far away for the scent to be wafting into the rooms when Atlantis opened the window. She didn't know where it was coming from or if she was imagining it. All she knew was that Atlantis' quirk was truly something else. A phenomenon. It was almost otherworldly in its work.

The way the water would softly glow as it twisted through the air, almost as though it had a life of its own. Recovery Girl could feel the soul Atlantis poured into his work, his eyes warm and alight with sea-green light. Dr. Aito seemed torn between being awed, overjoyed, and maybe even crying. Atlantis didn't seem to notice the stunned stares he was getting from the two medical professionals. He just happily bounced along to the next person in need, content to help in any way he could.

Half the floor had been healed before Recovery Girl realized they needed to head back if they wanted to make it back in time for lunch. Considering how clingy Aizawa was with Atlantis, the older woman decided it would probably be best not to risk it. Besides, Atlantis looked like he was maybe starting to feel it. And that was a strong maybe, because it was really hard to tell. It could just be that he was hungry, Recovery Girl deduced. Or maybe he missed Aizawa. Either way, he wasn't showing any serious signs of fatigue. What was the drawback of his quirk? Every quirk had to have one.

"What are you and Aizawa having for lunch?" Shuzenji asked as they took a seat on the bus. Atlantis seemed chipper now that they were heading back. He'd started to sag a little before. She wanted to ask why, but it didn't seem like her place. She and Atlantis weren't exactly close yet, and that question could be viewed as personal. Not that Atlantis seemed like all that private of a person. If she asked, he'd surely tell her. Something about it just felt... she just had a gut feeling she wouldn't get an answer, or at least wouldn't receive one she understood. 

"I'm not sure!" Atlantis answered in a chipper tone. He seemed to get more lively the closer and closer they got to UA. It was nearly electric to watch, and Recovery Girl couldn't help but smile. 

Atlantis was happy to be getting back to Shota and to Hitoshi. Atlantis' bond with his new husband was still fresh, so they couldn't be extremely far apart for long. The hospital wasn't far, but it was far enough that after a while he started to feel the drain. That mixed with using his powers so extensively when he couldn't derive power directly from the ocean... he was feeling rather tired. Not too bad, but there was a subtle ache in his bones and an urge to lay down and take a nap that even he couldn't ignore with his upbeat attitude. 

The bus took them directly to UA without any problems. Atlantis once again busied himself with looking out the window, gazing with big eyes up at all the buildings and observing all the people they passed by. There were so many metal boxes on wheels. It was astonishing. The ocean didn't have any mechanics unless they were put there by humans. It was so weird to see a world so... advanced. Was that the right word to use? He didn't know, but things were so different up here. Crowded, loud, polluted, but somehow still beautiful. Atlantis couldn't help but smile.

"I'll walk you to the teacher's lounge, dear. I'm sure Aizawa is waiting for you." Recovery Girl hummed as Atlantis hopped off the bus, bouncing on his heels with vigor he hadn't previously possessed. He practically ran circles around her the whole way into the school. He sort of reminded her of an excited puppy. Not that she was going to tell him or Aizawa that. Atlantis probably wouldn't care, but Aizawa seemed like the type to get offended on his behalf.

"Shota!" Atlantis crashed into the teacher's lounge loudly, almost stumbling and falling onto Snipe and Cementoss. He found his balance last second and bounced up like a spring, energized. Recovery Girl watched with raised eyebrows as Aizawa stood up, looking relieved for some reason or another. Perhaps he too had picked up on Atlantis' lack of knowledge about things and had also deduced that he'd gotten hurt somehow. Recovery Girl really needed to ask the man about that, and get a scan of her apprentice's brain.

"Atlantis." Shota sighed with clear relief, hugging the man. Mic wolf-whistled. Nemuri slapped him, but the damage was done. The underground hero was already leveling them with a flat look, letting go of Atlantis slightly but keeping a grip on his hands. It was weird to see him affectionate. They were all still getting used to it. And the process of getting used to it included staring at the couple until their brains processed it as the new normal. Aizawa glared heatedly while Atlantis beamed in an unaware manner that, once again, made Shuzenji think of a puppy.

"He did well." Recovery Girl noted, breaking through the forming tension. "Healed half the floor before we had to leave. His quirk is amazing. Much more extensive than any I've ever seen."

Aizawa coughed into his fist to hide his smile, but he wasn't slick. Recovery Girl had the eye of a hawk. She smiled too, glancing at Atlantis. The man looked prideful, happy, exuberant-- a mixture of positive emotions, really. Aizawa kept his face schooled, but everyone could see his eyes dancing. Even Mic, who was fairly dense. The blonde man looked mildly morose despite seeing his closest friend happy. 

Mic was glad Aizawa had found someone, but he felt... oddly shut out. Like Aizawa had built up news walls that the Voice Hero couldn't break down. The blonde almost wondered if his friend was hiding something. Atlantis had come out of nowhere. Literally, he's just showed up, healed Shota, and suddenly they were getting married? Why hadn't Mic known about it? Why would Aizawa just talk to him? Shota was pairing up with Atlantis and building a little fort around them and their new life. One that didn't include Mic or Nemuri, it felt like. What did he do about that?

"Would you say he's a worthy successor, then?" Ectoplasm questioned as Atlantis took a seat at the small table Shota had claimed in the back corner of the lounge. Everyone seemed to glance over at that. Recovery Girl's hunt for someone to take over her position had been fruitless up until Atlantis showed up. Him healing Izuku Midoriya's arm had been a good judge, but this had been the real test. Everyone knew that. Everyone but maybe Atlantis, who seemed blissfully unaware as Aizawa placed a sandwich from the cafeteria in front of him. The man clapped in a nearly childish manner, beaming at Shota in thanks.

"Without a doubt." Recovery Girls' goggles glinted. "He's already better than I am. With training, who knows what he could do."

No one knew what to say to that. Aizawa himself wasn't sure how to feel. He glanced at Atlantis, who looked mildly confused. It was obvious he didn't really understand what they were talking about. He was still getting used to the world he was suddenly plunged into. He didn't understand the dynamics of society or of the workplace just yet. It was going to be hard for him to fully process the severity of what Shuzenji was saying. She'd been looking for someone to take over for over ten years. And now she was saying he was better than she was.

She bid her farewells after that and left everyone to their devices. Aizawa turned to Atlantis. He'd talked briefly to Hitoshi between classes and the teen seemed to be doing good, and Snipe had even commented that he seemed more lively. He guessed being disconnected from the ocean took a real told on merfolk, which made sense. He hoped that never happened to Atlantis. As long as they made frequent visits, surely it would be fine. Atlantis had claimed the ocean was happy for him, and for their new relationship. Aizawa, on some level, could feel that too.

Atlantis talked about the hospital, somehow managing to recall every single one of the people he'd treated that day. Aizawa listened with rapt attention, nodding along and asking questions. It was fascinating to watch Atlantis learn and grow, and it made him feel all sorts of warm inside. It felt like... having a family. He'd already applied to have Hitoshi put in his care. Nezu would probably immediately be on his ass about that when he found out, but he didn't care. Hitoshi was Atlantis' nephew. That made him Aizawa's too.

"So!" Mic interrupted, slamming his food down on their little table and pulling a chair up with a screech. Shota raised his eyebrows as Atlantis flinched, startled by his sudden appearance. Hizashi just grinned. "Shota, I haven't gotten to properly socialize with your fiance. What's with that? I thought we were best friends!" 

"Shut up." Shota griped. Atlantis could feel the tension grow in his husband. "Besides, we already got married."

Mic's jaw dropped. They didn't invite him. Wait, no, Shota was married?! He knew it was happening, but it hadn't actually sunk in. He'd gotten married that fast?! Literally how was that possible? Did he even have a marriage license? This wasn't Vegas! You couldn't just... just... holy shit, Shota was married to this Atlantis guy and Mic didn't know anything about him. Hadn't interrogated him, threatened him about hurting Shota-- none of that! How was he supposed to do that now that they'd already tied the knot?!

"Holy shit. Already?" Nemuri asked, eyes wide. Atlantis eyed her as she took a seat across from Mic. "Shota, we don't even know him! You could've at least let us know you were seeing someone. We were worried sick, and now this!"

"It's my life," Shota grumbled, his hand sliding across the table. Atlantis took it, looking between his two friends. He didn't really know what was going on, but from what he gathered, these two were upset Shota hadn't told them he was getting married. Atlantis could understand that. Hadn't they known each other since high school? Based on the ages of the kids he'd seen here, and looking at Hitoshi, it was safe to say they'd been friends a really long time!

"We never said that it wasn't! We're just... you know, a part of it." Mic waved a hand, shoveling some rice in his mouth. Nemuri nodded in agreement. Shota rolled his eyes like he was annoyed, but Atlantis could tell he wasn't actually. It was kind of cute to watch him pretend he was aloof when he was really quite an emotional person. Rational, but emotional nonetheless. It was one of the things Atlantis liked about him, though! That being said, Atlantis sorta liked everything about Shota... that was normal though, right?

"Well, he's right here if you want to talk to him. No one's stopping you." Shota scoffed, as though he wouldn't stop them if they dared try to say anything out of line. Mic and Nemuri scoffed back. Atlantis just smiled in a lost manner, not really knowing what to do or if this was a situation in which he should be upset. Shota didn't seem that upset? Maybe a little guilty, but that was about it. 

Mic and Nemuri both turned to Atlantis. Atlantis blinked at them, tilting his head. 

"How'd you meet Shota?" Nemuri asked. Atlantis lit up. Oh, he could answer questions like these! As long as he didn't give away that he wasn't a human, it would probably be fine, right? Absolutely. Shota was giving him a look. That seemed like a sign to keep everything on the down-low, but not too low. He liked that phrase. 'The down-low.' Hitoshi had said it earlier in reference to them being related.

"Well," Atlantis smiled. "We met at the beach in a cove with a little dock! He looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see him." 

Aizawa couldn't help but smile too.