Chapter 1: Twenty Hours

Tadashi summoned his most convincing smile when he saw Aunt Cass enter the waiting room. For some reason, that just made her look even more worried. She walked straight over to him and folded her arms.

"Speeding," she said flatly.

Tadashi shrugged. "What can I say, I'm an adrenaline junkie."

Aunt Cass narrowed her eyes. "Right. And the fact that Gogo is outside the station looking guilty as sin has nothing to do with it?" Swallowing, Tadashi opened his mouth to give the same story he gave the police, but she was already walking back to the door. "Come on, criminal. You can tell me about it when we get home."

He couldn't resist a little jab – it wasn't a big deal after all. "Can I drive?" he asked cheerfully, ignoring the severe expression on the policemen in the reception area - a fairly large room, with grey, stained carpet and a smell that seemed a mix between alcohol and sweat.

They pushed through the glass doors and descended the stairs to the street. A few squad cars were parked at the curb, along with Aunt Cass's three-seater truck. Gogo was indeed waiting there, along with Honey Lemon.

"Listen, Tadashi," began Gogo, putting a hand through her short hair. It was disconcerting seeing her looking ashamed.

Honey interrupted with a camera flash. "Yearbook!" she said delightedly. "Can I get a copy of the mug shot?"

"They didn't take one," said Tadashi, rubbing his eyes. "I got off with a warning because I'm such an upstanding young man." Aunt Cass snorted loudly, but he thought she was hiding a smile as she climbed in the truck.

"Really?" asked Gogo.

"No, not really." Tadashi sighed as he got into the truck's middle seat, with Gogo getting in on his left. "I'm guessing Honey is taking the scooter back for us?"

"Yup!" confirmed Honey, brandishing Tadashi's helmet. "It's such a cute little thing. I've been thinking about getting one myself, so this will be good practice."

Aunt Cass started the truck and they began the drive home. San Fransokyo was always brightly lit, even this late in the evening, so flashes of neon lights and street lamps illuminated the cab periodically, vanishing only to be replaced half-a-second later.

"So… what's the sentence?" Gogo asked quietly.

"Community service," replied Tadashi, leaning his head back with a sigh. "I have to pick a community outreach program and put twenty hours into it."

"That's not so bad."

Tadashi hoped his glare was visible in the passing light. "So why did you take the blame for little miss speedipants here?" asked Aunt Cass loudly. Gogo winced.

"That's just the kind of guy I am," Tadashi said casually.

"Because one more ticket and I lose my license," Gogo corrected, elbowing Tadashi.

"Uh-huh. Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Aunt Cass braked in front of the café a little more suddenly than she needed to, jolting them. "I'm sorry, Gogo," she said grudgingly. "I shouldn't snap at you. I'm not your parents." Tadashi flinched as Aunt Cass whacked him on the shoulder. "But you…! Why do you let pretty girls walk all over you? You should have let her take the ticket! She could get her license back in six months or so!" A quick glance at Gogo. "Again, sorry."

Gogo shrugged and smiled shrewdly. "I didn't actually ask Tadashi to do anything. He just shoved me off the scooter and started lying to the cop who pulled us over. It was pretty dark, so I guess he didn't notice there were two riders."

With Aunt Cass's gaze back on him, Tadashi hunched his shoulders defensively. "I knew she'd lose her license even though it was my scooter. It seemed like the right thing to do."

They climbed out of the truck just as Honey arrived with the scooter, giving a tinny honk. "I love this thing!" she squealed. "Tadashi – where did you buy it?"

"It was a birthday gift from Aunt Cass."

Aunt Cass was muttering as she jiggled the keys in the front door. Finally, the door swung inwards and she jerked her head at Tadashi. "Go on, dinners on the stove. I better take the girls home."

"We can walk," objected Gogo, but Aunt Cass was already herding them back to the truck. They waved goodbye to Tadashi, and he climbed the stairs to the home part of the café. Noodles and vegetables made a good meal, and before long he was showered and ready for bed.

His blue-walled bedroom was neat and orderly at first glance, but then robotics manuals and the occasional spare part or blueprint caught his eye. At least it's cleaner than Honey and Gogo's room. The pair shared a room at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, which he also attended. Gogo had bike parts and stripped electro magnets lying open everywhere, while Honey had smuggled countless controlled chemicals to her room so she could keep working after the labs were locked up at night. Every time Tadashi had been there, it had smelled of something burning mixed with a dash of perfume – which, he supposed, summed up the ladies pretty well.

Before going to bed, however, he forced himself to log into his computer and skim a list of community outreach programs. Cleaning up garbage for ten hours a week didn't sound very interesting, but it was probably better than mowing the lawn of entire public parks. In the end, he decided on an elderly care program. His robotics project was designed for that sort of thing, so he might even learn something he could use to improve it. Baymax was going to be the perfect companion for anyone who was uncomfortable around doctors.

But before he could finish signing up, another program caught his attention.

Underprivileged Youth Science Project

After a read-through, he found himself feeling conflicted. Helping the elderly would probably let him improve Baymax's functionality, but helping some poor kid get interested in science… that could inspire a dozen other kids to do the same. He checked the timetables hurriedly, just in case he would be able to sign up for both, but his schoolwork was already only manageable because he was so organised. He'd only be able to squeeze one of the programs in.

In the end, what decided it was time. He only had to do twenty hours of whichever program he chose, and since it would take much longer to collect accurate data from the elderly, the logical choice was working with kids.

The first session was tomorrow at eight in the morning. Already, he was going to have to skip his morning lectures. It will be worth it, he told himself. I'm going to change some kid's life.

By seven o'clock, Tadashi was ready, dressed, and riding his scooter to the community service registration offices, in the council building. It was a little overcast today, so he was wearing his jacket and old sneakers and jeans, just in case he got wet. He weaved in and out of traffic, keeping an eye on his speedometer. First offence or not, the police were determined to crack down on speeding youths. At seventeen, he still qualified as one, so a little caution went a long way.

The community centre was a bit shabby, but not as run-down as he'd expected a government-funded building to be.

"We just got it repainted," explained the mousy-looking receptionist as she printed out the forms he needed to sign. "Really helps community morale if the bullet holes aren't visible."

Tadashi laughed, but it ended in a choke when he saw how serious she looked. "So… have you heard of someone getting shot in this program?" he asked lightly, hoping he didn't look as anxious as he suddenly felt.

"No, no, nothing like that," she replied, handing the forms over with a pen. "Though one guy got a bit of his ear bitten off," she added thoughtfully, as though it was just a normal part of life.

Tadashi's handwriting had never looked worse, but he managed to finish the forms and hand them back. "I'll keep my helmet on when I'm visiting the kid I get assigned to."

"I'm sure that'll protect you, love," the receptionist said absently, and Tadashi fought the urge to run. What kind of kids was he about to get mixed up with, exactly?

"Here we are." She spun the monitor around to show him a boy with messy black hair pulling a face at the camera. "Hiro Sanagi, foster son of Mr John Sanagi and his late wife, Kerry. He's been caught betting on bot fighting a few times, nothing major."

Tadashi scanned the details carefully. There didn't appear to be a history of violence or firearm ownership. His parents died when he was three, and he spent a few years in a home for orphaned children before the Sanagis adopted him. Hiro had only lived with his foster parents for six months before Mrs Sanagi died, which signalled the start of his bot fighting career. Tadashi was willing to bet anything that it was her death that caused his lapse in good behaviour. The age said sixteen, but the picture made him look a lot younger.

"If he still has his foster dad, why is he in this program?" Tadashi asked.

The receptionist sighed and typed a bit, glancing at her second monitor. "Same reason you are: crime. He was caught making seven hundred dollars in one night, by hustling every bot fight in town. The cash was confiscated and he was forced to join the program to 'set him straight'."

Seven hundred dollars in one night?

"I just got a speeding ticket, nothing major," Tadashi said automatically. What kind of kid can hustle so many people in one night? Hiro's silly picture mocked him with its simplicity.

"I'm not allowed to judge community service workers."

He gave her a flat look before noting Hiro's address and leaving. Surprisingly, Hiro didn't live in one of the low-income districts. It wasn't that he lived anywhere fancy, but Tadashi had been expecting the worst.

Instead, he pulled up in front of a bright blue house with a perfectly-tended garden. It was small, meant for no more than two or three people, so Tadashi wondered if lack of personal space was one of Hiro's reasons for acting out. He shook his head to dislodge the thought. Maybe I should actually meet the kid before trying to figure him out.

He strode up the garden path, which consisted of stones that looked so pristine and polished that he felt guilty for stepping on them, even though that's what they were for. Something caught his attention before he could knock on the door, though – the windows were filthy, as though nobody had cleaned them in months. For that matter, a quick peek through the window beside the front door revealed a living room with a stained couch and used dishes lying around. So Mr Sanagi and Hiro took care of the garden, but not the interior?

Tadashi knocked before he could be distracted again. The only way to learn was to dive right in. He even pressed the doorbell for good measure.

After a minute, Tadashi pressed it again.

A minute later, he thought he saw a black blur near the window, but it was gone when he looked. Slowly, the door handle turned and opened a fraction. "What?" asked a wary, young voice.

"Are you Hiro?" asked Tadashi, trying to seem as friendly as possible. A big, chestnut-coloured eye appeared in the crack, narrowed suspiciously. It was smaller than Tadashi by a full head and shoulders. Was there a younger member of the household he didn't know about?

"What do you want?" asked the voice.

"I'm from the community outreach program Underprivileged Youth Science Project. You're my assignment." Tadashi smiled. He didn't know why, but his smile usually put people off-guard and made them feel more relaxed.

If anything, the eye got more suspicious, narrowing to a slit. "Oh yeah? Prove it."

Tadashi hadn't expected that. "Er… How?"

"Show me a form, or I.D. or something."

"I signed the forms, but I had to give them back. I can show you my student I.D., but what's that going to prove?"

The door shut completely, and Tadashi worried he'd messed up somehow, but a moment later, it swung inwards completely, revealing Hiro. The messy hair was certainly recognisable, but the bored expression was new. He didn't look as silly as the photo suggested.

"You're way too dorky to be here for a shakedown," said Hiro, leaning casually against a doorframe. "So I guess you really are from that program thingy, right?"

Tadashi grinned. "Yep. Tadashi Hamada." He stuck out a hand, and after a moment of consideration, like a king wondering if he should indulge one of his subjects, Hiro took it.

"Hiro." No last name given. Did that mean something? Tadashi stomped on the thought immediately. Get to know him first, for goodness sake! He's not a school project you're supposed to analyse from every angle, he's just a kid.

Well, that wasn't quite right. He was only a year younger than Tadashi, but his soft features and height made him seem younger.

"Is Mr Sanagi home?" asked Tadashi.

Hiro shrugged. "Probably not."

There was a pause.

"Can you check?" ventured Tadashi. "I should meet him at least once if I'm going to be working with you."

After another long moment where Hiro's eyes scanned him up and down, the younger boy huffed and stepped aside. "You check. I have stuff to do."

Tadashi waited only a moment before coming inside. The house was quite dirty on the inside, nothing like the immaculate garden. Hiro's clothes were clean enough, at least, if a little worn. The navy hoodie looked like it had been slept in, and his shorts had a rip in the hem just below his knees. Hiro noticed Tadashi studying him and frowned as he closed the door. Tadashi quickly looked away, supposing he was being a bit rude.

"Where might he be?" asked Tadashi.

"Anywhere downstairs." Hiro was already heading for the stairs, climbing out of sight in seconds. Tadashi stood alone in the hallway, feeling a little lost. This wasn't at all how he thought it would go.

After a minute of silently looking around and praying Mr Sanagi would show up, Tadashi realised he was going to have to actually look for the man. The living room that he'd seen through the front window was exactly as unclean as it had appeared, and he forced his hands to stillness to keep from trying to straighten everything up. The carpets would need a steam clean, that was for sure – those stains would never come out without professional help. The dishes would attract insects and mice if they weren't cleaned away soon, which would increase the chance of Hiro and Mr Sanagi getting sick. He wondered if Hiro already had some low-level diseases just from being in such a messy environment.

The kitchen wasn't much better, and the fruit bowl in the middle of the dining table only had one ancient apple that had a furry white moss growing on it. Swallowing back nausea, Tadashi disposed of it carefully. Living near mould could have awful effects on health and wellbeing, especially in a room where food was prepared.

He inspected the downstairs bathroom, but abandoned it within seconds. It was tempting to draw a big chalk 'X' on the door to mark it as unsafe for human habitation, but he figured that would probably be considered socially unacceptable. Instead, he made for the stairs. It was clear by now that Mr Sanagi wasn't home, so he'd have to meet him another time.

The top floor consisted of a bedroom and a bathroom, the latter of which was far cleaner than its downstairs counterpart. The bedroom door was half-closed, and Tadashi could hear the clattering of tools as he approached. Feeling like an intruder, he peeked inside the room silently.

It was far smaller than his room at the café, but with about the same amount of stuff crammed in it. The floorboards were littered with discarded clothes and electronics alike, and the large desk was cluttered with even more. Even the bed sheets had several half-built battle bots laying on them. Were those the ones he used to make seven hundred dollars?

Hiro was at the desk on a computer chair, one leg thrown over the side as he fiddled with something. A box of fine tools lay open next to him, as well as a soldering iron. The teen seemed completely absorbed in his work, muttering to himself and swapping out tools with the practiced speed of someone who was in their element. Tadashi craned his neck, trying to see what he was working on.

"Just so you know," Hiro said normally, not looking away from his work, "Sticking your head into someone's room and then goggling at everything is a little bit creepy."

Tadashi jumped a little. How had Hiro known he was there? "I wasn't goggling," he muttered, pushing the door all the way open. "I couldn't find Mr Sanagi, so I came up here. Can I come in?"

"You're already in. Bit late to ask permission." Hiro still hadn't turned around.

Determined to regain control of the situation, Tadashi picked his way across the room to look over Hiro's shoulder at what he was working on. The teen hunched around it protectively. "Hey, trade secret. Eyes off."

"Is that the battle bot you used to make seven hundred dollars in one night?" Tadashi was surprised at himself for asking that – he'd planned not to mention that night in case Hiro was sore about being arrested.

Hiro chuckled. "No. This is the battle bot I used to make six hundred dollars in one night."

Tadashi was startled. "You did it again? After getting arrested the first time?"

"Nope." Hiro spun around in his chair, stuffing the bot under his hoodie. Tadashi caught a flash of smooth, rounded metal before it was gone. Hiro was staring at him expectantly, his expression the definition of smug.

It clicked. "How much money did you actually make that night?" Tadashi asked slowly, folding his arms.

Hiro grinned. "Thirteen hundred."

"And how did you hide six hundred from the cops?" Thirteen hundred! He must have hunted down every last bot fight in the city to make that much! Tadashi did his best to hide how impressed he was, masking it with a look of moral righteousness.

"I know a few good places to hide in this city," Hiro said nonchalantly, inspecting his nails. "See, if the cops find a lot of money on you, they think you're not hiding any more, so they don't look. Once I got out of the station, I went around and picked it all up."

"And what's to stop me from telling the cops that?" Tadashi shifted his weight on his hip. He didn't really want to tell the cops – he was supposed to be helping this kid, after all, not getting him in more trouble – but it was important to see how Hiro would react.

Hiro shrugged. "All they'll find if they search my room is some pocket change and a lot of perfectly legal bot parts – all of which have no packaging and could have been here for years."

"You're pretty smart, huh?" said Tadashi, a little sadly. This kid was definitely intelligent, but he was using it on completely useless stuff. Had he even thought about his future?

"I graduated high school when I was thirteen. It's not something I have to try at." Hiro began using a tiny screwdriver to clean his nails.

"Thirteen? Is that right?" For some reason, as ridiculous as it seemed, Tadashi didn't doubt him.

"You know it. Certified genius, right here."

Tadashi decided to take a chance. "Doesn't look like it. Geniuses usually do a bit more than lounge around playing with bots," he said dryly.

One of Hiro's eyebrows quirked up. "Really? So what does a real genius do then, huh? Come to people's houses and judge them?"

Finally, he'd struck something other than disinterest or narcissism. "The good ones try to help people."

"And that's what you're doing, is it?" Hiro stood up, glaring at Tadashi. "Well here's a surprise for you – I don't want or need your help."

Tadashi scratched the back of his head. "Really? So you're not interested in spending time with a trained robotics student who has access to academic-grade materials and machinery?"

"That's right, I'm not," said Hiro, but something had shifted in his eyes and he looked away, perhaps noticing the height difference for the first time. The fierceness on his face seemed to be warring with something else – eagerness, perhaps.

"I'm sorry for judging you," Tadashi said humbly. Now that Hiro had a reason to want to know Tadashi, he would hopefully leap at the chance to forget the argument and let Tadashi into his good graces. "Your life is none of my business, but we're part of this program together. We ought to at least try to get along."

Hiro flopped back in the chair, spinning it slightly. He met Tadashi's eyes for a moment before looking away. Tadashi wondered what would happen if he said Hiro looked cute when he sulked. He'd probably kick me. Maybe.

"It's fine, I guess," Hiro said finally. He gave Tadashi a sly look. "What kind of materials do you have access to?"

Tadashi tried to appear casual. "Well, there's too much to really list, but I did install some current-gen actuators a few weeks ago."

Hiro bit his lip subtly. "No kidding." The teen was clearly trying to appear as casual as Tadashi.

"If those aren't your style, a friend of mine is working with electromagnetic suspension… on a bike. No resistance against a chain or anything, so she's faster than most of the cars in the city."

"Electro-mag suspension?" Hiro whispered. Tadashi knew he had him hooked now.

"There's also a formula for total chemical-metal embrittlement that can turn even the hardest materials into powder. If that's still not enough, yet another friend has working, controlled, laser-induced plasma. Cuts through pretty much anything." Tadashi presumptuously moved one of the half-built battle bots on the bed so he could sit down, but Hiro didn't object.

"That's some… interesting stuff, I'll give you that." Hiro was fiddling with the battle bot underneath his hoodie. Finally, he took it out as though he couldn't resist any longer. "This is, uh, my best one."

Tadashi reached for it, and Hiro only hesitated a second before handing it over. "Are these…?" asked Tadashi, sliding his thumb over the strange tiny bot that seemed to be comprised of metal points and spheres, with no visible joints.

"Magnetic bearing servos," Hiro said with a smile – a proper one, the first Tadashi had seen. He noticed the gap in the boy's front teeth, which made him smile broadly in return.

"This is… inspired." Tadashi's eyebrows rose as he inspected the bot closely. He wasn't just being nice – the bot was actually pretty advanced for something used in street contests. Suddenly it didn't seem so surprising that Hiro had managed to hustle the whole city.

"Yeah, well, it has to compete with the best, so…" Hiro was practically preening from the praise, making Tadashi chuckle as he handed it back.

"Must have been pretty easy to make all that money." Tadashi decided to go for another route. If Hiro was so competitive, surely he could goad him into trying something new.

"I suppose." Hiro seemed to sense the implication, if not completely understand it.

"Does it ever get boring? I mean, I don't think any street fighter is going to be able to beat that thing." Tadashi shrugged as though he was just making conversation.

"The money's good," said Hiro, but he was chewing his lip and looking at the floor.

Tadashi smiled. "Well hey, keep doing it then. Who am I to judge, right?"

"Right."

Getting to his feet, Tadashi cracked his back and made for the door. "Well, that's our first hour together done. Nineteen more and I'll be out of your hair."

Hiro looked alarmed. "You're going? Already?"

Tadashi shrugged once more. "I can't tell you what to do, so why bother? I'll see you tomorrow. We can just talk about bot fighting for an hour, or something." And without waiting for a reply, Tadashi descended the stairs and went out the front door to his scooter. He glanced at the second floor window in time to see a curtain rustle as someone shifted out of sight. Smiling to himself, Tadashi started the scooter and drove away.

Tadashi had never been so distracted before. He'd almost screwed up two orders at the café inside the hour since he got home from seeing Hiro. If Aunt Cass hadn't been keeping a watchful eye on everything, it could have been a lot worse. She kept giving him worried glances when she thought he wasn't looking, and for good reason – Tadashi wasn't a distractible person. He was calm and focused, and he had years of experience remembering orders at the café. Therefore, in Aunt Cass's detective opinion, the source of his distraction was external.

The lunch-hour rush had died down and the café was enjoying a mid-afternoon lull in customers. Aunt Cass casually wandered over near Tadashi, who was wiping down tables very slowly, occasionally stopping entirely and smirking at nothing.

"How's it going, sweetie?" she asked cheerfully, making Tadashi jump.

"Oh, uh, pretty good, Aunt Cass. Just cleaning up, you know." Tadashi smiled and vigorously began scrubbing again as though to hide his inaction.

"Did you sign up for that community service thing yet?" She already knew that's where he'd been in the morning, but it didn't hurt to feign ignorance.

Tadashi nodded. "It's called the Underprivileged Youth Science Project. Basically, I try to get some poor kid more interested in science."

"Have you met the kid yet?"

"Yeah, this morning. His name is Hiro." Tadashi kept scrubbing despite the table being cleaner than ever.

Aunt Cass shook her head with a smile. "How old is he?"

"Sixteen. He graduated highschool at thirteen, though." And suddenly, Tadashi was gushing with information about his new friend, his bot fighting habits, and even the state of his house.

"Sounds like you two have a lot in common." Aunt Cass was practically floating as she went about picking up dishes. Tadashi might be oblivious to his own emotions, but she knew what a smitten teenager looked like.

"I suppose. I'm going to see if I can convince him to come to the lab tomorrow – he seemed interested when I talked about the kind of stuff we're doing."

"What does he look like?" Oh, this was too cute.

Tadashi actually blushed before replying, and his head was angled away so she couldn't see his expression. Any kid who could put Tadashi this off-balance had to be something special. "He's kind of short. His head barely reaches my chest. His hair is black and crazy, like it hasn't seen a comb in over a decade."

Aunt Cass giggled softly. In other words, Hiro was almost a complete physical opposite of Tadashi. Who would've thought? "So when do I get to meet him?" she asked excitedly.

"Meet him?" Tadashi finally stopped wiping the sparkling table and leaned on it. "Uh, why?"

Scooping up another plate to avoid Tadashi's eyes, Aunt Cass tried not to reveal her suspicions. "He just sounds like an interesting kid, especially if he's got you gushing about him."

"I wasn't gushing," Tadashi said quickly. "You asked, and I answered."

"Of course, honey." Apparently she was as good at lying as Tadashi, because she turned around to find him watching her suspiciously.

"Whatever you think is happening, isn't," said Tadashi firmly. "I've known him for one hour. All I want to do is get him interested in doing something constructive with his intellect instead of bot fighting."

Aunt Cass groaned. "Come on, Tadashi! I've never seen someone get to you like this."

"He hasn't gotten to me!" Tadashi cleared his throat. "I'm just doing my twenty hours – nineteen, now – and getting back to work." He marched around the café, wiping down the remaining tables with the efficiency he usually had. Aunt Cass gave him her best puppy dog look whenever he glanced her way, but he didn't break stride.

Tadashi was careful not to stomp when he climbed the stairs to his room. It would only make Aunt Cass even more nosey if he started acting sulky and irritable. Instead, he resolved to be more normal than ever before.

On his computer, he signed into the community service website and prepared his daily assessment. He was supposed to describe his efforts to help Hiro, as well as anything else he felt was relevant.

First session – 1 hour long

I met Hiro and got a tour of his house. I helped him clean up a bit and then we went to his room to chat.

Tadashi paused. That was all they'd done, really. What else was he supposed to put there?

I decided to keep the first session short and friendly so he wouldn't find my presence annoying. We discussed robotics. Tomorrow, I'm planning to try and convince him to come see my lab at uni – I already know he'd love the stuff we're working on.

In summary, Hiro seems like a very intelligent, if unmotivated 16 year old, and I look forward to working with him.

With a shrug, he submitted the assessment. As the page refreshed, he saw a notification in the corner of the site. Apparently, Hiro had just submitted an assessment as well. Tadashi raised an eyebrow – he didn't realise he was also being assessed. Out of curiosity, he opened Hiro's submission and gave it a look.

Session 1

My new wrangler arrived safe and sound. His name is Tadashi Hamada. A quick search told me he's some mega-nerd at SFIT. He was kind of an annoying dork at first, but he seemed okay by the end of it. I guess I can probably stand working with him.

Tadashi chuckled. It was exactly the kind of report he expected. Can probably stand working with me, he says, as though he wasn't practically salivating at the notion of getting his hands on uni tech.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

Hiro pressed enter and took a sip from his takeaway cup. Having to do this program was bad enough without having to write a stupid report every time he saw Tadashi.

He noticed a notification in the corner and smirked. Time to see what the tall nerd thought of him.

It ended up being completely reasonable. Hiro drummed his fingers on his lap. He thinks I'm very intelligent? Uni must be easier than I thought. As he was about to sign out, his fingers froze over the keyboard. There was a user present in Hiro's report… a user with the name T. Hamada.

Hiro groaned and dragged his fingers through his hair. Tadashi hadn't been that annoying! Why did I feel the need to insult him in my report? It's going to be so awkward tomorrow!

"Great. He'll think I'm a jerk," Hiro muttered. Well, it wouldn't be the first time. He barely got to know any of the kids in school before he started skipping grades, but those he did know ended up hating him. On the outside, he took it in his stride, not paying heed to people who were just jealous of his genius. But that didn't stop the loneliness from creeping up on him sometimes.

Mr Sanagi was no help. He'd arrived home from work and immediately started tending the garden, which he would do until it got dark. It was doubtful they'd see each other unless Hiro specifically sought him out. Mr Sanagi had been like that ever since Mrs Sanagi died. Hiro wasn't too broken up about it – they'd been nice together, but he just hadn't known them for long, and Mr Sanagi lost all trace of fatherly instinct when his wife died. All he cared about was that stupid garden, and all Hiro cared about was his bot fighting career. That was fine. He liked it that way.

But Tadashi was probably going to try and ruin it somehow. He wants to take me to his lab tomorrow. Does he think I'm just going to drop what I'm doing and sign up for class?

"Fat chance," he told the ceiling.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Rina from the doorway. Hiro spun in his chair and folded his arms.

"Nobody. What do you want?" His neighbour occasionally let herself into the house when she was bored. Hiro wouldn't go so far as to call her a friend, but sometimes she was better than nothing.

Rina recoiled slightly, then gave a knowing smirk. "A bit defensive, are we? What are you up to?" Without invitation, she wandered closer and started reading the screen before Hiro could turn it off. "Is that your community service buddy?" she opened Tadashi's profile and whistled. "He's way hotter than mine – wrinkly old geezer who forgets I'm there half the time. When's he coming back? Is he single?"

"Tomorrow," blurted Hiro without thinking, trying to shove Rina away from the computer. She was bigger than him though, so all he did was push himself deeper into the chair. "Will you go away? I'm busy!"

"Busy doing what? Drooling over some tall university boy?" Rina stepped away from the computer, putting her hands on her hips. Her short, dirty blonde hair framed a face full of condescension. Rina was definitely not a friend.

"I'm not," Hiro said angrily, standing up. He was slightly shorter than Rina, which ruined his attempt at ferocity. "I only just met him."

Rina giggled. "God, you really are drooling over him, aren't you? You'd never get this worked up over a joke."

"Can you just go home?" Hiro futilely began herding her towards the door. He only succeeded because she allowed him to, which she made very clear.

"See you, loser." Rina flounced away with a laugh as Hiro's insides curdled.

He closed the door and locked it before returning to his desk. Tadashi's profile picture startled him when he noticed the website was still on the screen. His first instinct was to close it, but after a quick check to make sure the door was still locked, he decided not to. He was alone, he could look at whatever he felt like.

After a minute of staring at Tadashi's grinning face with his stupid cap and perfect teeth and strong shoulders, Hiro forced himself to close the image. Alright, so he found Tadashi a little more interesting than he pretended. And he was kinda cute, in an annoying, nerdy way. Hiro wasn't an idiot, he'd just never had a crush on someone like Tadashi before – someone who could potentially keep up intellectually. Someone who looked as though he worked out, and had broad shoulders, and his biceps flexed when he crossed his arms – not that he'd been watching – and who thought Hiro was very intelligent.

With a guilty huff, Hiro opened a search engine. Tall college boys. With hats.

A nice, relaxing romance I'm writing to get a break from long, complicated stories. It will update whenever I finish a chapter.