Arrangement

16 - Confession

TW: mentions of past abuse, mentions of coerced consent, toxic relationship/abusive relationship

~

Y/N was sitting on the couch, watching Shouta make some tea for the two of them. She had promised him to tell him about everything that had happened and now was probably the best time, before she could change her mind about it. And it was probably for the best if she told someone, because... well, she would never be able to get over this on her own. That much was clear after last night.

But the longer Y/N was sitting here the more nervous she got. What if her old boss would somehow find out that she told Shouta what had happened? He'd make sure he'd lose his license and his job at UA, that much she was sure of. And he'd make sure she'd end up on the streets, never able to get a job or anything anymore. Not even something like this gig here.

"Here. Careful, it's hot." Shouta said to her, holding out the cup of tea for her. Y/N smiled and nodded, before taking the cup, taking in the subtle scent of the tea. She knew that Shouta was more of a coffee person, so she was genuinely surprised how carefully he prepared the tea for them.

"Thank you, Shouta." she muttered, blowing on the tea and trying to take a sip from the cup, but it was still too hot to drink. Y/N decided to just hold it and warm her hands on the cup for now.

"So... do you want to tell me what happened?" Shouta asked her. Y/N sighed and nodded. She was nervous about this. She didn't even know where to start, really, but she knew she had to tell him.

"I... yeah, I'm just... I'm just scared. He's been threatening me about... about what would happen if I ever told anyone what really happened." Y/N answered. Shouta nodded and took her hand.

"It's fine. Take your time. What did he threaten you with?"

"That I'd never find a job ever again... that I'd end up on the streets... it would be better if I killed myself now... all that." she replied, feeling a slight blush creep into her cheeks. She was embarrassed about admitting this for some reason. It just seemed like... such a wild thing to say.

"It's fine. There is no way he can find out about you telling me. You're safe here with me, alright?" he told her. Y/N nodded slowly. Of course there was no way that he'd find out, but Y/N was still scared.

"Okay... I'm... I'm just... not sure where to start..." Y/N said, taking a deep breath. Shouta nodded and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. It was very calming for Y/N to have him around, if she was honest.

"Just start at the beginning." Shouta said, putting his arm around her and rubbing circles on her back. Y/N felt herself calming down as she thought about where the best place to start would be. Probably right after she graduated and when she started to work with Puppet Master...

"Okay, I... I guess I'll start with my graduation. I... I had a job offer to work as a sidekick for Puppet Master and I remember that I thought I was really, really lucky, because he is pretty big. I mean, he isn't in the top ten or anything, but he's up there, you know? And I was... well, I was always kind of mediocre. So I thought I was really lucky and I was surprised that I even got the job and..."