Page 9 of Bad Daddy

At least between last semester and this one, he had almost all his prerequisites out of the way. He’d have to take the next course in his language class, but aside from that, all he had left were the classes in the paralegal program.

“That’s really incredible,” Haru said. Danny frowned. What was so incredible about doing the bare minimum in college? Wasn’t four classes typical? “What language?”

“American Sign Language,” Danny said. It was straight-forward, he didn't have to worry about mispronouncing anything, and there wasn't the horrific stress of trying to figure out words written in a different language.

Danny was conversationally fluent in Spanish, having picked it up just from hearing it spoken over the years with a couple of different foster families and in school. The fact that he couldn't read or write it had nearly failed him out of high school anyway.

Haru looked at him for a long moment. “So Sign Language, business law, an astronomy lab, and a math class.

“Yeah.”

“What math class?” Haru asked, voice cautious.

“Statistics,” Danny said. “It’s a prerequisite for the paralegal program, but it also fulfills my math requirement for the degree.”

“Wow.” Haru ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay, wow. I see why Lily was impressed.” Before Danny could think of a way to respond to that, Haru continued, smile turning rueful. “How badly were you humoring us both when you said you could use my help?”

What? This conversation was giving Danny mental whiplash. He was still so tired, and now that he had had a couple of cookies and the last of his hot cocoa, his stomach was reminding him that it was still very empty. Which was probably why he ended up blurting out, “I wasn’t. I-I’m falling behind.”

Haru looked a mix of astonished and horrified. “How?”

Danny swallowed and stared at the little table. He didn't say anything, because he didn't know what would come out of his mouth if he opened it. I’m so stupid that I can barely read or write. I’m memorizing my textbooks because it’s the only way I can manage to follow along in class. I’m spending hours and hours every night struggling through simple sentences.

Maybe it was because he was so tired and that his body ached from last night, but his eyes burned with shame.

“Fuck, listen to me,” Haru said quietly. “Listen, Danny, I’m sorry. I’m not questioning you. Or I shouldn’t be. I’m just surprised. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like you before.”

“Okay,” Danny forced out, still not looking up. Big surprise there. How many fuck-ups did someone like Haru come across in his life?

“But I’m stunned to hear that a student of your caliber is falling behind somehow.” Haru’s fingers tapped on the table. “I’m happy to help however you think I can.”

That got Danny jerking his head back up. “What?”

“If you think I really could be of assistance, I’d like to be.” Haru’s smile seemed…gentle. “I can tell you’re going to go places. I’d be honored to help you on your way.”

“Oh,” Danny said, before his throat closed up.

“How about this,” Haru said. “I’ve already taken a lot of your time, and I know you’ve got to write down that paper. Let me give you my number. Then you can reach out to me when you’re available, and we can arrange another meeting. One we’re both planning for, where we can really sit down and talk this all through. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Danny was able to say. “Sounds good.” He fumbled with his phone, pressing the button to add a new contact. “Ready.”

Haru gave Danny his number and Danny punched it in without trouble. Phones were easy, because the numbers were in specific positions. Then he paused. “How, uh, how do you spell your name?”

“About how it sounds, actually,” Haru grinned. “H-A-R-U.”

Keyboards too, were easy enough, if Danny knew what letters he was supposed to type. He wasn’t going to try to type out Haru’s full name, but four letters were doable.

It sank in that Haru actually did want to see him again. Danny hadn’t messed up so badly that Haru thought he was a lost cause. It made him smile down at his phone. It was a nice feeling, that Haru thought Danny was worth a little more of his time.

His phone chimed in his hand then, and Danny flinched. It was the specific chime that Danny set as Clint’s, so Danny always knew to check the message.

“Something wrong?” Haru asked.

“No,” Danny said quickly, looking down at his phone with dread. Clint couldn't want to see him again already, could he? Usually Danny got at least a day or two of respite.

Nerves made it harder for Danny to read the message, but at least it was short. Dinner at 7. Pack a bag.

So there’d be a meal at least, Danny thought dully, texting back an ok. A meal, and then he’d be the entertainment after, expected to stay the night. His stomach hurt just thinking about it. Clint had been demanding more and more of his time lately. Demanding more and more of Danny, too.

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