Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

Bumblebee

Link's POV

Deku takes a sip from his coffee and nods his head. He asks his next question. "And how are the meditation exercises impacting your well-being?"

"Solid," I say, leaning back on his couch. This is like my 10th session with him this semester and I'm actually beginning to see improvements in my life. No more anger issues, no more fights. At least so far. Not sure if it's his doing though or if it's due to the fact that Ganon is locked up and Karusa has a broken leg.

"That's great to hear," Deku says, smiling with his eyes closed. "I'm glad those exercises are working for you and that you are refraining from violence. Meditation can be a valuable tool. But you already know that, as you have practiced it in the past. Now, let's discuss your academic performance."

"Let's not," I chuckle nervously.

"How did your midterms turn out?"

I shrug and look the other way. "I got an A- in Psych, way better than I expected."

"What about your major-related classes?"

"Passed them all," I say proudly but he doesn't seem impressed.

He just stays quiet. Typical Deku move: waiting for me to open up. He does that a lot. Whenever he's looking for a specific answer he just stares at me with that calm expression and waits until I come forward with it. Last time we sat here in full on silence for what felt like 10 minutes.

"Fine," I cave, "I got B's in my Sports Nutrition and Anatomy courses." But it's not good enough for him and he still doesn't say a word. I sigh. "And a C- in Kinesiology Research Methods." Still no response. "Okay, okay, I got a D on my astronomy exam. Happy?"

"Remember, Link, the appeal required a 3.2 GPA. Are you keeping up with that?"

"I'm trying! But c'mon, these classes are harder than they have to be. Astronomy's the worst of them all. Professor's a tough grader who deducts points for the smallest things. What kind of science teacher deducts points for misplaced commas? My girlfriend had him too and she agrees that he's a total jackass. I thought taking astronomy would be easier than chemistry or physics for my science requirements but I was wrong. So wrong! This one I might fail."

"Now, now, Link. Let's not give up that easily. Shall we look at some options together?"

"I could drop the class but it would show on my transcripts and push my graduation date. Which would mean I'd have to pay for another semester of tuition and fees!"

"Have you considered seeking external support?" he asks.

"Like the dean or president of the science department?" I ask, leaning closer as if Astor was listening to us somehow. I whisper, "To get Astor fired?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of a tutor."

I plunge back into the couch and groan. "A tutor?"

Deku looks thoughtful. "A tutor could be a strategic move, Link. It's not about weakness; it's a smart play that reflects your commitment."

He's trying to talk like a coach to me in hopes I'll give it a shot. Nice try, Doc.

"If you want to use sports talk on me, let me ask you this: if the referee is biased and gives red cards to the blue team because he hates them, but he lets the red team score points because he likes them, what do you think will fix the situation? Do you think the blue team just needs to train harder, or do you think the ref should get off the field?"

He smiles at my metaphor. "I understand that it may be frustrating when a professor appears biased. But let's give the tutoring a shot, okay?"

"Fine..."