Fragmented Shift

24

HoundDog's room was really nice, the carpet was a dirt brown with a few rugs scattered around, the walls were a deep beige colour with pictures hanging at random intervals. Green eyes focused on the seating, it ranged from stiff hardback chairs, beanbags, a hanging chair, to a really comfy looking mint green sofa full of little cushions.

Beelining to the sofa, Izuku pulled a tassled red cushion to his chest and watched as the Hero got himself comfortable in the egg shaped hanging chair opposite him.

"The first thing I want to say is that there is no pressure in this room," Izuku wrapped a string of the tassel around his pointer finger as he nodded. "You can answer what questions you want, and leave those you don't until another time, or never. That's completely fine and you won't be punished for not answering." Words stuck in his throat, Izuku swallowed and nodded again. "You can call me whatever you like within reason, HoundDog, Hound, Inui- I ask that you don't call me Dog, it-" his lip curled in a snarl as he turned away. Once controlled again, the man turned back. "It is a trigger for me and has some poor memories attached."

"O-of course, I would n-never!" Izuku leant forward in his seat, eyes wide as if to prove that he was being honest. Inui laughed, a parody of a smile crossing his muzzle.

"That's nice to hear Midoriya, is there any preference for what I call you?" Leaning back, his fingers went back to fiddling with that one tassle, biting his lip as he thought.

"Y-ou can call me Izuku, if you want."

"That's perfectly fine Izuku, now, Aizawa-San has brought it to my attention that the reason you're here is because he believes you have DID. Do you know what DID is?"

"I-I didn't know there was a specific name for it," Izuku admitted shyly, looking down at the pillow, eyes tracing the pretty gold swirls on its surface. "It's where someone has more than one person in their head, isn't it?" Humming noncommittally, he heard Inui shift a little in his seat.

"A vague and basic description, would you like me to expand on that? I will stop at any time you ask me to." Glancing up through his fringe, Izuku took in the hero's open body language, the soft, concerned look in his eyes before nodding.

"DID- Dissociative Identity Disorder, has been found to happen to children under the age of nine who are in an abusive situation. Any form of abuse is liable to cause DID if it is severe enough." 

That made sense, the blackouts had been happening for as long as he could remember.

"A child's mind can take a lot of pressure and stress, it's because they are malleable but in a situation the child doesn't understand they will try to run from it, if not able physically they will try to run mentally. Are you with me so far?"

His body felt heavy, hands a little numb but he could still feel the tassle wrapping around his fingers so he nodded shakily.

"Y-yeah."

"Enduring this stress causes the child's mind to fracture and with enough mental hits, the mind breaks and, in a protective state, creates a new part, a person designed to hold all of the traumatic memories related to the abuse so that the body can continue going. The child is now two and they switch places as needed, this can happen many times." 

That definitely sounded like them.

"W-what does that mean for our future? I-it would be bad if- for instance, Shōgai came out d-during a villain attack or something." Inui sighed softly.

"Well, while it would be rare for, who I'm assuming is, a trauma holder to front during a battle, it isn't unheard of and that is why a Hero with DID will be a part of a Hero Duo or team that know of the condition and would be there to take up the flack." Kacchan's face flashed in his mind.