Chapter 3

Danny put on the suit Clint told him to wear and dutifully waited for the car to pick him up, trying not to let his stomach twist up into knots at what would be expected of him after dinner. Dinner was at Eclipse, which wasn't Danny's favorite place. It was very fancy and very expensive, so not only did Danny always feel woefully out of place, but the portions were also very fancy and thus very small. He always ate something before going out to Eclipse, even if it was only seasoned rice, because he tried to choose dishes as protein rich and vegetable-heavy as possible. Carbs were cheap and other food groups weren't, so Danny tried to take advantage of going out to eat by balancing his diet.

Walking into Eclipse never failed to make Danny feel small, especially with the way Clint kept his arm curled around Danny's waist. Danny always felt like the servers knew exactly what he was there for, because there was no other reason for a powerful, wealthy man like Cint to look twice at someone like Danny.

They got seated at a nice table and Clint ordered wine for the both of them before Danny could say that he was fine with just water. Great. Now he'd be expected to finish at least one glass.

Danny didn't know why Clint bothered to order him drinks. It wasn't like he needed to coerce Danny into bed. Danny was already sleeping with him. It was probably just another power play. It wasn't as if Clint ever asked Danny what he wanted to drink.

Clint gave him the usual smirk as he slouched in his chair. He was a big man, just beginning to go soft around the middle, and was the type to throw his weight around, both figuratively and literally.

Danny couldn't help but look at how Clint slumped in his chair, how the wine glass looked so small in his large hand, and think about what Clint might want to do with him later. Clint… liked to hold Danny down. He liked how both of Danny's wrists could fit in one of Clint's hands. Danny had given up trying to do anything but take it.

Fuck, but he really didn't want to spend the night at Clint's. It was something Clint had been demanding of Danny more and more often lately. More of Danny's time, more from Danny's body.

More, more, more.

"So," Clint said, looking confident and at ease. "How did you spend your Saturday, hm?"

Danny's hands clenched in his lap. He resolutely didn't say anything like I spent time with your arch nemesis. Clint would be worse than furious if he found out about Haru. Not like break off the arrangement , more like take it out on Danny.

Danny was well aware he was playing with fire, risking what he had. But part of him got a small satisfaction from what had occurred. One of Clint's least favorite people had bought Danny hot cocoa and cookies and wanted to help him study and had even seemed a little impressed by him, somehow.

"Mostly studying," he said, which was true. "I had my tutoring with Lily at nine like usual, and then I worked on my paper for business law."

"That little girl still schooling you at statistics?" Clint asked, his mean smile playing around his lips.

"Lily's really smart," Danny said quietly. Not arguing exactly, but wanting to defend his—friend. "Definitely smarter than me. She's getting a full ride to MIT."

"And how's the paper coming?" Clint said, dismissing the comment. "I expect you to get a good grade on it. Don't want you wasting my tuition."

My tuition. Clint never failed to remind Danny that he was the one paying Danny's way. "It's going good," Danny said. "I'm almost finished." He'd dictated the whole thing that afternoon, and was now just doing the arduous task of painstakingly reading the thing over and over to try to ferret out typos. He'd gotten an 80% on his last paper solely because he'd had grammatical issues and his voice to text had spelled things incorrectly.

Clint nodded and then changed the subject again, bored with talking about Danny. He had spent the last couple weeks working hard on a case, including late nights and weekends, and was happy to vent to a captive audience. Maybe that was why he'd been asking to see Danny more; a way to get out frustration.

When they were finished eating, Clint waved off dessert and paid the bill. He put a heavy hand on Danny's hip as he led Danny back to the car, where his driver Ernie was waiting for them.

Once they were inside, Ernie flicked a glance at them through the rear view mirror and rolled up the privacy screen.

The entire drive back to Clint's house, Danny told himself the same thing he always did. It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it.

***

When Clint was finally done with him, Danny stumbled to Clint's shower to rinse off. Clint let him go without fuss, happy enough to let Danny clean himself up. Sore and exhausted, Danny let the warm water beat down on his back for a few precious minutes before going through the motions of cleaning his body. He no longer wrinkled his nose at the mess, having long gotten used to the fact that Clint didn't like using condoms.

When he was finished, he briskly toweled himself dry, absently rubbing at his wrists. They hurt, like they were about to start blooming with bruises, and Danny dreaded what they might look like come morning. Clint knew he wasn't supposed to leave marks. It was the only other rule Danny had set down. He'd promised.

Clint hadn't been great at keeping those promises, lately.

Danny shoved aside his frustration as he went to brush his teeth. If he was brave enough to try to bring it up, he knew what Clint would do. He'd apologize in that saccharine way he did, saying that he didn't realize he was holding Danny's wrists that tightly.

"I won't do it again, pet."

Or worse, Clint would get annoyed with him. Danny could picture that too. "Really? You're complaining about a few little bruises? After everything I give you? Pet, I'm disappointed."

So Danny wasn't going to bring it up, even if it bothered him. There was no point. He wasn't going to win. His wrists might be a little bruised. So what? It was nothing in the grand scheme of things. He shouldn't complain. All things considered, he had it great right now. He didn't have to pay for rent or school, and that was huge. He got help with some of his other bills, and some free meals besides. Things were fine. Good, even.

Danny had nothing to complain about. He just had to remind himself of that.

***

Clint wanted a morning blowjob, which was simple if nothing else. Once Danny had finished him off and Clint was laying back in the sheets looking satisfied, he'd given Danny permission to go.

Danny stumbled out a thank you and hurriedly threw on his clothes. He didn't want Clint to change his mind. Especially when he had somewhere to be in a few hours.

He left Clint in the bedroom and pulled out his phone to call for a ride, using Clint's account because he was allowed to coming and going from where Clint wanted him to be. He kept an ear out while he did so, listening for the shower to start.

Once he heard the water turn on, Danny let out a breath and beelined to the kitchen, where he devoured two bananas and grabbed a couple apples for the road, stuffing them into his coat pockets. He anxiously shifted from foot to foot as he waited for his ride to show up, keeping an ear out for any sounds or signs that Clint was approaching.

When his phone alerted him that his ride was outside, Danny jumped to leave the house, feeling as though he was about to vibrate out of his skin. All he wanted to do was go home, brush his teeth, and take another shower. Sure, he'd showered last night, but sometimes even showering at Clint's didn't leave him feeling clean.

The frigid air hit him as he opened the front door, making him hiss. It was so cold now, with it being mid-January, and the stupid coat wasn't cutting it.

He said his pleasantries to the driver as he got into the car and buckled himself in. Twenty minutes and he was home.

He passed the drive playing one of his puzzle games on his phone, and managed to get into it enough that it was a pleasant surprise once the car stopped in front of his apartment building. He thanked the driver, then fished his keys out of his pocket and hurried up the steps, ready to be inside and out of the chill. He really needed to invest in a scarf or something, an additional warm thing he could wear with Clint's stupid coat that the man wouldn't object to. He kept thinking about making it over to the thrift store to grab one, but the closest one was fifteen minutes away by bus, and it seemed like such a waste of a trip, just for a scarf.

Danny got inside, shed his coat, then beelined to the bathroom to finally brush his teeth. He had taken to carrying gum with him in his jacket pocket, but he'd used the last of his pack a few days ago and hadn't gotten a chance to buy a fresh one yet. Once that was done, he shed the rest of his clothes and jumped into the shower.

It was only once he was out of the shower that he noticed how badly his wrists were bruised.

"Fucker," Danny hissed, glaring down at dark purple-mottled skin. The bruises weren't subtle. It'd be obvious to anyone what they were from.

Just another way for Clint to have control over Danny's life.

Well, there was nothing for it now. At least it was winter, the perfect time to wear big, oversized sweaters with sleeves that hung down. He'd make do. He always did.

Danny got redressed and went over to his bed to grab his laptop to spend some more time on his paper. He'd already read it through a couple of times, but he wanted to get at least one more full read through of it before he turned it in. Staring at the letters as they bounced around the page always threatened to make his eyes cross, so it was slow going, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through.

It was snowing lightly when Danny's alarm went off, letting him know it was time to leave if he wanted to get to Grand Azteca on time. He set aside his laptop and went to pull on his beloved winter coat with a sigh, happy that he got to wear it. His thick gloves went on next, then his winter hat. He once again had the thought about trying to find himself a scarf, just because of how bitter the wind was when he stepped outside his building, but he hunched forward and bore it. Grand Azteca was only about a ten minute walk away. Ten minutes was nothing.

His phone buzzed in his pocket as he approached the restaurant, flashing a message from Haru. Danny tugged one of his gloves off so he could press the button to play it out loud, pressing his phone to his ear to hear over the howling wind. He hoped it wasn't bad news.

It wasn't. Just got a table, his iPhone's robot voice narrated for him. I'm in a booth on the right side.

Danny's heart sank as he checked the time. He was late? But–

It was twelve fifteen.

Oh.

Well, okay. At least he wasn't late.

Five minutes later, and Danny was stamping off his boots in the doorway of the restaurant, pulling off his hat and heading in, letting Camille, the greeter, know that he was meeting someone.

The restaurant was understandably busy considering it was lunch on a Sunday afternoon, and it made Danny worry about whether or not that was why Haru had showed up so early. Danny went out to eat on his own so rarely, he hadn't thought much about the restaurant being busier at this time of day. Stupid.

He went searching for Haru's booth, eyes landing on the man within seconds. He was just…easy to spot in a crowd. He was wearing a soft looking green sweater, looking comfortable and casual. Just a guy meeting someone for lunch. A handsome, important guy who was giving Danny the time of day for some reason, and who could potentially make or break Danny's legal career.

Just a guy.

Haru spotted him as he approached, looking up from the menu to give him a smile and a wave. Danny stuffed his hat in his pocket and pulled off his gloves, and was gratified that if he looked pink-cheeked, at least it was from the cold.

"Good to see you again," Haru said warmly as Danny sat down. "Was the walk okay?"

"Yeah, not too bad," Danny said, brushing snow-damp hair out of his eyes. "How about the drive?"

"Not too bad either," Haru said. "And this place was easy to find. I've never heard of it before, but I'm excited to try. I love trying new food." He looked like he had already started, making a dent in the basket of complimentary chips and salsa on the table.

"I hope you like it here," Danny said, giving him a hesitant smile. "I think they do good food."

Obviously. Otherwise he wouldn't have recommended it. He grabbed a chip and scooped up some salsa before popping it into his mouth. If he was chewing, he couldn't say anything else stupid.

"Danito! Hey, welcome back!"

Danny grimaced and swallowed his mouthful. Of course. Of course it would be Antonio. "Hey."

"It's been ages," Antonio said, looking faux offended, before switching to rapid-fire Spanish. "Thought you got sick of us! Which was ridiculous, frankly. How could anyone get sick of Grand Azteca's food? Or me, for that matter?"

Danny fought the groan. Antonio was… nice enough. Mostly he was a chatterbox, and several months ago, when Danny had first ventured into the restaurant, Antonio had noticed Danny wearing a Pride and Prejudice t-shirt and struck up a conversation about the book. Danny had then had to admit he hadn't read the book, he'd just found the shirt at a thrift store and liked the design on it. That had gotten a dramatic gasp from Antonio, who had proceeded to talk Danny's ear off about it for the duration of Danny's meal.

It had almost scared Danny away from the restaurant completely, but the food had been good and cheap, and the portions had been large enough that he'd had leftovers to take home. So Danny had gone back. Antonio had been just as happy to talk at Danny the second time around too, and had been delighted to discover Danny spoke Spanish.

Ever since, he's always sought Danny out whenever Danny popped in for food while he was working.

Several months in, Danny knew a lot about Antonio and Antonio's incredibly large extended family. He didn't mind, truth be told. Even with all the dramatics that Antonio frequently regaled him with, it was kind of nice to see how a happy, loving family operated. It sometimes felt like being a part of one, in a way.

At the moment, with Haru to impress, Danny wasn't sure he was up for Antonio's antics. He was just so loud.

"Just been busy," Danny replied in Spanish.

Antonio scoffed. "I'm in college too, you know! All work and no play, etcetera."

Danny snorted, then realized Haru was watching them and, possibly, was being left out of the loop. "Sorry," he said quickly. "Um, this is Antonio." He shot Antonio a look. "I'm assuming he's here to actually be our waiter, and not just give me a hard time."

"You know what they say about assuming," Antonio shot back cheerfully. "It makes an a–"

"Antonio," Danny hissed, now kind of hoping Haru didn't understand. "This man is someone I need to impress and he's doing me a huge favor by giving me his time, could you not."

Antonio blinked and looked at Haru as if seeing him for the first time. He then did a very exaggerated double-take. For the second time in two minutes, Danny tried not to groan and shove his face in his hands.

"Hello," Haru said with a bemused smile, all cordial.

"Haruto Nakamura," Antonio said, leaning in closer and waving a finger. "Right? Haruto Nakamura!"

"Yeah, that's me." Haru said, while Danny inwardly gaped. Antonio recognized Haru? How? Was Haru that big a deal? "Are you a friend of Danny's?"

"How do you know Haru?" Danny asked, before Antonio could reply to that. He didn't mean for it to come out suspicious, but it probably did.

He watched in real time as Antonio realized he'd stuck his foot in his mouth, darting a look at Danny. "He's a local celebrity! He's the guy who did that pro bono work to save Kit Kat Animal Shelter from that hostile takeover thing a couple years ago. How do you not know this? He was in the news and everything. I follow him on Instagram." His eyes widened. "Wait, can he speak Spanish?"

"You're being rude," Danny pointed out in English. He threw an unhappy glance at Haru. "Sorry about him."

Antonio made some sort of choking noise, but he seemed to realize that yes, he was, in fact, being rude, because then he cleared his throat. "Are you, uh, ready to order? Or I could get you drinks while you look at the menu?"

"Do you need more time?" Haru asked him. "You just got here."

Danny shook his head. "I'm ready if you are." He tended to cycle between the same few orders. He knew what he liked at this point, and would also leave him with plenty of leftovers.

"Alright," Haru said to Antonio. "Then I guess we're ready. One check, please."

"Of course, yeah," Antonio said meekly. "What can I get for you?"

They both ordered, and Antonio seemed to be intent on making up for his faux pas, because he was back in a matter of moments with their drinks—coffee for Haru, horchata for Danny. He assured them that the food would be ready in a few and left them to it.

"He seems nice," Haru commented. "Friend of yours?"

Danny colored. "I don't know him that well? It's his abuela's restaurant. Antonio's one of many descendants who work here part-time in some capacity. He just likes to talk."

Haru nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "I didn't know you could speak Spanish," he said conversationally.

"I picked it up here and there," Danny said with a shrug. "I'm not that good at it, really. I can only speak and understand–I can't read it or anything."

"Just because you can't read it doesn't mean you aren't good at it," Haru said. "I'm close to fluent in spoken Japanese myself, but I can't read kanji for love or money. It doesn't change the fact that I know the language."

"Oh," Danny floundered. "No, of course not–I didn't mean–"

Haru's smile was soft. "You didn't mean to put me down, by putting yourself down?"

Danny stared at him, not knowing what to do. "I…"

"Hey," Haru said gently. "It's okay. I just know how easy it is to get stuck in your own head. How much easier it is to focus on your negatives and dismiss the positives. But putting yourself down doesn't benefit you. It doesn't make you work harder or better, it just discourages you and adds stress. It takes practice to start recognizing your own accomplishments, especially if you've spent so long ignoring them, but there's a lot of merit in it. There's merit in being able to recognize all that you've done and how far you've come."

Danny's ears burned. It was easy for Haru to say all that, being who he was. Successful, important, and admired. Haru probably never had trouble with school. Never had to deal with classmates laughing at him for struggling to get through a picture book, or teachers looking at him with annoyance or suspicion for doing a math problem in his head because he couldn't write down his work.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Sure, okay."

Haru sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it sounds like I'm spouting fluff."

"Kind of, yeah," Danny said, too twisted up to hold his tongue. He fiddled with his straw so he didn't have to look at Haru. "I told you, I'm falling behind in all my classes. I already nearly failed high school. It's hard to recognize accomplishments when you don't have any."

For a moment, Haru just looked at him, head tilted, and Danny swallowed nervously. "Sorry," he said. "I really appreciate you wanting to help me out, I just—"

"What's the citation for Roe versus Wade?" Haru asked out of nowhere.

"What?" Danny asked, bewildered by the subject change.

Haru raised an eyebrow. "It's a pretty famous case. Do you know it, or not?"

"Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113," Danny rattled off, frowning now. "1973. Why?"

"Because most people couldn't do that," Haru said, plucking up another chip. "I wouldn't ask my staff to know citations off the top of their heads." His smile then looked… sad. "You're brilliant. But you don't think you are."

Something funny flipped over in Danny's chest. "I'm nothing special," he managed, trying to chase away that feeling. He wanted Haru to think he would be a decent paralegal someday, not—whatever this was. "Ask anyone."

"Yeah?" Haru asked after taking a sip of his coffee. "What about Lily? She's already vouched for you."

Right, Danny remembered, reddening further. Not that he understood why. "Anyone else," he said. "My teachers, my classmates–anyone."

"Here we are," Antonio said a little too loud and cheerful, arms full of plates. Danny flinched as his food was set down in front of him.

"Thank you," Haru said, turning a winning smile on Antonio.

Antonio grinned back. "Anything else I could get you? Coffee refill?"

"I'm good, thank you."

"Okay, great," Antonio said. "Enjoy your food. Ours is the best around."

"Looking forward to it," Haru said.

"Hey Danito," Antonio said quickly. "Is this all kosher? You okay?"

Danny startled. "What?"

"You look miserable. Should I get Ronnie? Kick him out? We'd comp your food."

Danny darted a glance at Haru, who looked curious but unconcerned. "I'm fine," Danny said. "Um… thanks though."

"Okay," Antonio said in English. "Enjoy everything!" He sent Danny one last look before scampering away. Danny watched him go, more than a little flabbergasted.

"What about Antonio?" Haru asked.

"What?" Danny jerked back to look at Haru.

"If I asked him about you," Haru said, tilting his head in the direction Antonio had gone. "Do you think he'd say you're nothing special?"

"I…" Danny frowned at his plate. "We don't know each other well."

"What about someone who does?" Haru asked, softer now. "Someone who knew you? You really think they'd say you were nothing special?"

Danny didn't have anything to say to that. He didn't really have anyone like that in his life.

It was sad and kind of awful, but the person he spent the most time with now was Clint.

Thinking about Clint now, thinking of Clint's opinion of him, made a harsh laugh bubble out of him, too raw and real for Haru's silly question. "He'd probably say exactly that. That there's only one thing I'm good for."

Haru's eyes narrowed, and Danny's brain caught up to his mouth. He seized up. Stupid, stupid— "I just mean—it's not—"

"Doesn't sound like someone I'd count on for a good opinion," Haru said, and his voice seemed deliberately mild. "But I'm being pushy again, and I don't want to put you off your food. Why don't we change the subject for now."

"Okay," Danny said with relief.

For that he got another smile, but it was clear Haru was slightly unsettled by Danny's nonsense.

Danny fished for something to say as they began to eat. It wasn't Haru's fault that Danny was like this, and Danny was enough of an adult to get that Haru meant well. "So um, did you have something in mind?" he asked as an olive branch.

"In mind?" Haru asked.

"For meeting with me," Danny clarified. "You… said you'd help me plan? To keep me from falling behind too much."

Haru nodded, sitting up straighter. "Yes, of course. Which classes are you struggling with?"

"All of them," Danny sighed. "Except Sign Language. I'm doing pretty okay in that."

"That's great," Haru said encouragingly. "You're heading toward being trilingual, huh? That'll really benefit you as a paralegal. In any job, really."

Yeah, until they find out I can barely read, Danny couldn't help but think. "Maybe."

"So the law class, the math class, and astronomy?"

"Yeah. Lily's doing her best to help me in math, though."

"How's that going?" Haru asked. "Like I said, Lily said you were really smart."

"It's going okay during the one on one," Danny said, averting his eyes. "It's a different story in class though."

Haru nodded understandingly. "Test anxiety?"

"Not… exactly?" The only reason Danny was anxious about tests was because he knew he'd run out of time before being able to finish all the questions. "I'm, um, I'm not good at showing my work. I can usually get the answer but…" Danny shrugged. "Or it's a problem that has a lot of theory and analysis in it." Something he had to read in order to figure out what math he needed to apply. "I'm not good with those, unless it's like a question the teacher presents orally."

"Wait," Haru said. "Didn't you say you were taking statistics?"

"Yeah," Danny said, admitting, "They were going to place me in remedial math because of my high school grades, but I was able to test out of it." By the skin of his teeth, and only because the tester gave him an extra half hour to rewrite some problems he'd only half-finished, but he'd done it. It had been such a relief to not have to worry about needing to fit a couple extra prereqs into his two-year plan.

"So how do you do the math problems?" Haru asked. "In your head?"

"Yeah," Danny mumbled.

Haru blanched. "Wait, really?"

Danny nodded unhappily.

"You're doing the math for a college level statistics class in your head," Haru said slowly.

Danny winced. "It's easier than trying to write it all down."

Haru took a deep breath. "I think we might be having two different conversations here, Danny. You're acting like being able to do algebra and calculus in your head is a bad thing, while I'm over here trying to pick up my jaw off the floor."

Danny ducked his head. "If it were so impressive, maybe teachers would stop trying to fail me."

"That sounds incredibly frustrating," Haru said gently.

Danny looked up at him in surprise.

"Well, sure," Haru continued. "Here you are, able to do the work— knowing you're capable of doing the work… but the system requires just exactly the specific things you're not as skilled at, so it makes you look like a failure. When really, you just need to do things differently."

"I don't know how I can do anything differently," Danny said wearily. "I don't think I can do more than I'm doing. I'm already losing sleep over studying."

"Right," Haru said. "Memorizing your textbooks."

Danny didn't answer in favor of eating more of his food. Haru did the same, clearly using the time to think over something he wanted to say.

"Danny," Haru said after several minutes. He sounded hesitant, which put Danny on alert. What was Haru going to suggest now? "I don't mean to be invasive, I really don't, but… do you have difficulty with reading and writing?"

At once Danny flushed hot with shame. He took his time chewing his current mouthful to prolong having to answer, but eventually… "Yeah," he mumbled. "I'm really bad at it."

There was silence. Danny stewed miserably while he waited for Haru to laugh at him, or give up and leave, or both. He picked at his food, unable to taste it, which he hated. He wouldn't waste it, but the fact that he couldn't enjoy it really sucked.

Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. "I told you," he said, breaking the silence. "Not good for much of anything."

When he peeked up through his bangs, Haru was glowering.

Danny reared back in his seat. He didn't have to deal with other men's anger much at this point in his life. Anger was something he had grown out of having thrown at him, except when Clint was in a really bad mood. It didn't stop the visceral reaction of his heart leaping into his throat at having Haru upset with him.

Haru shook his head, clearing his throat. "Sorry," he said. An apology was the last thing Danny had been expecting. He stared at Haru as Haru seemed to try to center himself.

"Sorry," Haru said again. He pressed a hand to his forehead. "I'm just… I'm really upset? You've clearly been struggling with this your whole life, and it's frankly a fucking crime that it hasn't been addressed by anyone."

"Addressed how?" Danny asked warily. He was kind of worried about what the answer might be.

"All sorts of ways," Haru said, counting off on his fingers. "Providing you with a notetaker or a reader. Giving you permission to record your lectures. Longer testing times. Audiobook versions of your textbooks. Anything. There is absolutely no reason for you to struggle like this, when there are so many accommodations that can be made for you."

Danny's throat was suddenly very dry. Accommodations? For him? "Wouldn't they…wouldn't they just say I was trying to get special treatment?"

"It's not about that," Haru said, waving a hand. "It's not about giving you easier work, or giving you opportunities your classmates don't get. It's about creating a learning environment that works for you. One that allows you to thrive instead of flounder. God, Danny, you can do algebra in your head. No one is going to be saying you're trying to game the system."

"But I can't…" Danny swallowed, uncertain. "I can't even write down how I do it."

"That doesn't matter so much in the real world," Haru said, voice soft. "Not at all. I couldn't care less if you wrote down how you solved the equation. All most people need is the right answer."

Danny's eyes suddenly burned, and he blinked hard to get the feeling to stop. He felt like he was having an out-of-body experience, like he was watching someone else being told that they could have a chance at a better life. "I…"

"You know Lily's brother, Jacob?" Haru asked out of nowhere.

He knew Lily had a brother. Danny didn't see how it was relevant, but he'd bite. "Yeah?"

"Jacob's one of my best friends," Haru said. "Crazy smart. Kind of dumb, but crazy smart. He's an engineer. Works on some pretty impressive stuff."

"Okay," Danny said, uncertain.

"He's functionally illiterate."

Danny's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"He's illiterate," Haru repeated. "Jacob's dyslexic to the point that he can't read written words at all. He's fine with numbers, but letters don't work for him."

Danny was aware he was gaping as Haru continued. "His parents—the Goldburgs–they figured out early on that typical public school wasn't working for him, so they pulled him out and homeschooled him for a few years while they created a plan to get him back into the system. But they wanted to put him into a system that built him up instead of tearing him down. They actually pioneered a lot of the facilities that schools use now, for people like Jacob. And like you."

"Like me," Danny whispered to himself.

"Jacob's an engineer, Danny," Haru said, and he looked so proud when he said it. "He's living his dream and up to his elbows in tech. He adapts what he has to and it works for him." He looked at Danny then, and Danny felt like it shot straight through him. "That could be you, too."

"I-I don't know where I'd even start," Danny managed. He was almost angry at how desperate he felt. How hopeful.

Haru smiled at him. "Well hey, I guess that's where I come in."