Two Heroes and A Hustler

21

"So what's going on, Deku?"

Hound Dog, the counselor, jumps straight in.

Most students were hesitant during counseling sessions, but this boy might just be the most guarded kid he's met thus far. His responses were always meticulously calculated to give just enough information for the court, but not enough to be genuinely vulnerable.

Not that the counselor minded. Being vulnerable is nothing short of terrifying. Especially when vulnerability has been punished for a clients entire life.

So when Deku asked to meet with him, he knew the careful boy was serious.

"I need help, I think."

Now, Deku had already began to regret his choice. These sessions usually covered his adjustment to a stable school and home life, his relationships, with highly censored information sprinkled in about his life before.

But he was already here, and he'd already made his choice.

The counselor waits patiently as the boy stresses on where to start. Finally he lands on, "Do... you know?"

He raises an eyebrow, "I'm not sure what you mean. Can you be more specific?"

Deku's arms are crossed over his chest, pressing his back firmly against the couch. He was usually careful about his body language, so to see him visibly uncomfortable was a new experience.

"Mr. Aizawa went to the police station after school. Do you know about that stuff?"

"No. I haven't heard anything about that yet."

His teeth grind together as he tries to figure out how to say it.

He hadn't actually told his foster parents about it. Honestly, so much happened the day he told his boyfriends he didn't remember the confession.

"I'm... just going to tell you what's happened the last two days. Is that okay?"

"Of course."

Two days ago, he met with Bakugo and Todoroki in the dorms. They talked about sex. They then proceeded to have physical intimacy.

"I... I really liked it," he flinched as he remembers his pathetic tears, "But I started crying, and I couldn't stop. They were concerned, I guess. So I told them..."

It wasn't this hard before. It was just a fact. It was hard now.

"I told them about my experiences in the yakuza," he says slowly, swallowing the nervous knot in his throat, "I was paid to, you know. And, I guess I never enjoyed it. I was crying because I was happy it was good and then they... Bakugo called me dirty and yelled and I realized that- or I thought that I was wrong?"

Hound Dog watches the boy struggle to find the right words, but attempting to help would only make things worse, "I shouldn't have trusted them, and I know that. But I still... I wanted to. And yesterday morning they told Mr. Aizawa.

"I was already too comfortable and stupid," his attempt to hide his disappointment with a chuckle fails, as it doesn't match his low eyes at all, "So I tried to run away. And Mr. Aizawa caught me and I just... I don't what to do now."

The counselor leans back in his chair, studying the boy closely. His eyes hadn't left the ground once, "That is an eventful few days."

"No shit," he grumbles.

"Why did you try to run away?"

The same reason he wants to run away right now, "I was scared," he whispers.

"What were you afraid of?"

He remains silent.

Recently, he's realized that he's actually scared of many things. Scared of the yakuza finding out, yeah, but it was more than that. He couldn't pinpoint what.