Hitoshi felt lighter after cutting his hair, more like his own person. It was by no means the best haircut in the world - rather choppy, in fact - but it was a choice he made for himself. That was what mattered to him.

He did allow Yamada to clean it up a bit after, though. Having his hair actually cut evenly would be nice, and he couldn't deny Yamada the chance to fix it when he saw the excitement on his face at the prospect. Or the horror on his face when he saw the state his hair originally was in.

Hitoshi kept looking at himself in the mirror every time he came near one. It was strange to see himself now, though in a good way. It was him, free, away from Overhaul's clutches. Foreign as it was, he could actually be himself again.

Be himself. That was the hardest part of everything. He didn't know who he was anymore. He had no interests, no hobbies, nothing. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself now that Overhaul was no longer in the equation.

He found himself spending most of his time keeping an eye on Eri. That was familiar, at least. He'd done that back with Overhaul, too. Now that the high stakes from then were gone, too, he found himself able to actually relax enough to enjoy the time he spent with her.

He found himself watching over the cats, too. It seemed like a good enough way to try and merge his old and new life. Keeping an eye on people was something he already knew how to do, so he didn't feel as hopelessly out of his element as he did doing other things - even trying to do something as simple as watch a movie Eri wanted to had left him feeling as out of place as snow in summer. But falling into old habits with cats, something he'd never have seen with Overhaul, helped remind him that things really were different now.

It was all about finding the right balance between the old and the new. Too much of the old, and he feared he'd lose himself in bad memories. Too much of the new, and he felt like he was drowning in the sheer unfamiliarity. It was a precarious balance he had to maintain, but he was managing so far. Hitoshi was doing great as far as he was concerned.

Which was why he couldn't help but freeze when he'd overheard a conversation between Aizawa and Yamada late one night.

He hadn't meant to. He'd woken up once again due to nightmares, a pretty much nightly occurrence. He liked to get up and get a glass of water before trying (and almost always failing) to go back to sleep. It was another one of the few things that reminded him he was safe now without overwhelming him. The novelty of being able to drink water whenever he wanted usually managed to distract him from the nightmares, too. So he'd left his room once again, searching for that same distraction, when he heard them talking.

"…and I know they'll probably be hesitant, but they both really need therapy, Sho." Yamada's voice, though far quieter than normal, still carried from his and Aizawa's room into the hall where Hitoshi stood.

"I'm not disagreeing, but I doubt we'll have an easy time getting them to agree. Or getting Shinsou to agree, at least. Trying to push it too much could make him lose whatever trust he might have in us." Their conversation continued, but Hitoshi stopped listening. He'd heard enough.

Aizawa was right about one thing; Hitoshi was not going to agree to therapy so easily. Talking to a stranger who'd pretend to give a shit about his problems and offer useless advice did not sound appealing to him in the slightest.

Especially not the part where he'd be alone in a room with an adult. It was one thing with Aizawa and Yamada - Aizawa had saved him, and no one married to someone like that could be bad - but with anyone else? The very thought just screamed danger.

So no, Hitoshi would not be going to therapy, thank you. Besides, it wasn't like he needed it, anyway. Therapy was for people who had problems they needed help dealing with, wasn't it? He didn't need help. He was handling everything perfectly well on his own. He didn't need some stranger trying to butt into something that was none of their business.

Hitoshi was doing just fine.

Hitoshi was not doing just fine. He didn't think he'd ever stop vomiting. One set of hands pulled his hair out of his face while another rubbed at his back. Normally he'd shy away from the touch, but he was too busy losing his breakfast to care at the moment.

He hadn't eaten too much since his rescue. He hadn't thought he could manage. He was pretty sure the majority of what he'd eaten had been rice. It was impossible for him to miss the concerned glances he'd get at every meal, even if they hadn't said anything about it.

But after his accidental eavesdropping the previous night, he'd realized he needed to prove to them he was doing okay if he wanted to avoid the whole therapy thing. And if he was okay, he should be able to eat like them, right? Even Eri had been managing to eat more than him! He had to at least eat more than her if he wanted to show he was fine.

They had noticed his eating issues pretty early on and gave him smaller portions in response, with promises to slowly increase the amount he'd get at once as time went on. He couldn't get through his normal portions most days, so trying to manage even more than that seemed impossible. Still, he gave his most valiant effort. He was fine and he would prove it.

It was too much. Yamada had hesitantly asked if he was sure he wanted so much, and he insisted. He realized not too long after that that Yamada was right to question his choices. Trying to eat so much so quickly after so long of eating much less was a mistake. He barely had time to dash to the bathroom before his stomach rejected the meal.

So. His plan to prove he was perfectly alright and not in any need of therapy was a complete disaster. He was pretty sure he'd only managed to convince them he needed it even more.

He frantically reached for his toothbrush the moment he stopped vomiting, desperate to get the taste out of his mouth. He'd lost count of the amount of times he'd thrown up thanks to his sessions with Overhaul. He needed the taste gone before it sucked him back into his memories.

…Okay, maybe he did need therapy. That didn't mean he wanted it. No way was he gonna be left alone with a stranger who he'd be expected to reveal his vulnerabilities to. How could he ever put himself in a position like that? That was just asking to be hurt again. And Hitoshi had had more than enough hurt for a lifetime.

Once he'd replaced enough of the taste of vomit with the taste of toothpaste, he became very aware of his foster parents' eyes burning holes into his back. His cheeks heated with shame as he realized what all they'd just witnessed. How could he explain any of what just happened to them?

"…Are you okay, Little Listener?" Yamada asked hesitantly behind him. Hitoshi didn't answer. He wasn't sure what he even could say to make this better, if there was anything at all. Any words he tried to get out died in his throat. He felt like he was somehow both stuck firmly in place yet drifting away from his body. He hated the feeling. He couldn't stop it.

"Okay, kid. We've been putting this off for a while to try and help you get more comfortable settling in, but I don't think we can wait any longer," Aizawa said. "It's time we had a talk."

They sat him down in the living room to talk. Hitoshi shifted uncomfortably beneath their gaze. This was a conversation he absolutely did not want to have, but he knew by now he didn't exactly have much of a choice.

Aizawa was the one to break the silence. "Look, we've been pretty concerned about you since we met you. You've been through far more than someone your age ever should. It's only expected that it'd be affecting you still."

"But we want to help you, Listener," Yamada continued. "We know you've been having nightmares and trouble eating. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything, but we think therapy might help you."

And there was exactly what Hitoshi wanted to avoid. Lovely. He firmly kept his gaze on the floor. "I don't need therapy," he muttered.

"I know it might seem daunting, kid, but therapy can help a lot. Both me and Hizashi go to therapy. We're talking from personal experience here."

"Why don't you try just a few sessions, Little Listener?" Both their faces looked softer than Hitoshi had ever seen them. He didn't know what to make of it. "We'll make sure you're with a good one and if you want, one of us could even go in with you during the sessions."

That made Hitoshi pause. "…Really? You can do that? You…you'd really do that for me?"

Yamada smiled. "Of course, Listener. Whatever will help you best."

Maybe it would be okay if one of them were with him. He wouldn't be alone with an adult he didn't trust, at least. That would definitely make things easier. Maybe it really would help him.

"…Okay. I'll give it a shot."