Spectate
In all the games Tadashi knew, a spectate button was given so players who'd lost, won, or died could come back and experience the first person view of someone else who was still alive in the games - and the thing was, games were much more like life than Tadashi had thought.
Chap. 1
Fifteenth
A/N:
Sera: Jeez, this is a freaking new version of the story. We changed everything.
MJ: We should have planned it out from the start.
Sera: No shit. Anyways, enjoy.
In most of the survival games Tadashi had played, and in the racing games that Hiro had always adored, there would usually be a spectate button. And in these games, if someone lost, won, or died, the option would appear. By pressing this said button, the players could appear in a first-person view of someone else who was still alive in the game.
Games were also like real life. Tadashi thought that in life, it was all about chance and your character, and what you chose to do about yourself. You could choose to be cold-hearted, or generous; reserved, or outgoing.
And the thing was, games turned out to be much more like life - or unlife - than Tadashi had thought.
He found that the dead could come back and haunt the living, spectating - always just one step behind them, quite literally.
Tadashi didn't believe that he was ready to go on yet, wherever the "going" place was, so he decided to stay in the world he was most comfortable with.
He decided to spectate Hiro.
Everything was very vague. He called himself a ghost, for he could float through things or appear from one place to the other, but it could all just be a state of mind and maybe he wasn't even really physically there at all. Tadashi tried not to think about it too much, which was unusual.
The first day Tadashi remembered in his new ghostly form, it was already his younger brother's fifteenth birthday.
In most of the survival games Tadashi had played, and in the racing games that Hiro had always adored, there would usually be a spectate button. And in these games, if someone lost, won, or died, the option would appear. By pressing this said button, the players could appear in a first-person view of someone else who was still alive in the game.
It could be described as waking up, Tadashi supposed, but all he knew that was when he gained consciousness - if it could be called that, he was sitting on his bed in the shared room.
And the first thing he noticed was his beloved cap, sitting in the center of the neatly made blankets. He impulsively reached for it so he could jam it onto his head, but his hand swept right through.
His eyes widened, and he quickly made to grab his hat again, with no luck.
And then everything came back to him. His death, scorching flames, heat, burning, Callaghan?- An explosion. The university. Tadashi's head coursed with a million thoughts.
Was he dead?
Was this some horrendous alternate universe?
Or maybe he was a phantom?
Tadashi hadn't read anything about the afterlife - he'd never really thought about it, and he'd stopped being religious years ago. He'd just supposed that they'd cease to exist peacefully, somehow.
There was no sound at all. Light streamed through the window onto his bed, and everything looked the same. All sorts of things, mainly books, aligned his shelves as always, and a screen divided his and Hiro's halves of the room.
Tadashi tentatively stepped forward, his steps making no noise at all, took a breath and slipped through a gap between the screen and the wall.
He drew breath sharply as he saw his brother covered in blankets, overlaid by slants of sunlight shining in through the blinds. Hiro was apparently snoring, but Tadashi couldn't hear anything.
The older brother wondered about how everyone had dealt with his death - if he'd really died. Maybe it was just a dream.
But no matter how much he told himself that he would wake up, he knew this was real, in an eerie, strange way.
He slowly walked over to Hiro's desk, as if in a trance. There wasn't much difference. A laptop and a printer, the occasional machine part for a new invention, wads of paper, pencil shavings and eraser bits were spread over the wooden surface, which was covered in scratches from years of use.
But he noticed on Hiro's shelf that there were six new figurines of other superheroes. He bent over, squinting, when something else caught his eye.
There were photos and photos of Tadashi tacked onto Hiro's wall. He recognized moments from his childhood, graduation, and other milestones. They were overlapped and tacked onto each other, forming a little shrine. Tadashi felt a pang of emotion.
He also saw that there were new photos of Hiro smiling, visibly showing the gap in his teeth with Honey Lemon, Fred, Gogo, Wasabi, and - Baymax?
He spun around, noting that Hiro's clock showed that it was a little past seven in the morning, and saw the red portable charging station that he'd made for the medical robot, showing two circles with a line in between - Baymax's eyes. Tadashi tilted his head. Hiro had probably taken care of the robot, even until now. Tadashi then remembered something he'd once said - He's going to help a lot of people.
He hoped that was true, and knew that it probably was. His heart warmed.
Tadashi wondered about his death. What day was it today? How long had it been? A few months?
But also, he pondered about who'd started the fire. It could've been an experiment, for sure, but he had a feeling there were ulterior motives… maybe.
Then an idea suddenly struck him. Could anyone hear him, perhaps?
"Hiro?" he tried out in a small voice. His little brother did not wake up from his slumber. Tadashi cleared his throat. "Hello!"
There was no answer, and Tadashi slumped.
Then Hiro stirred, two hands reaching out and grabbing a pillow, slamming it over his head. Then suddenly, as if hearing something of absolute importance, he sat up, eyes surveying the room right past Tadashi, focusing on his small collage of his older brother instead. Hiro gave a sad smile, lips moving, murmuring something Tadashi couldn't hear. Pajama-clad, he got out of bed and headed towards the washroom.
Tadashi sat down in a chair - briefly wondering how it could sustain him - and put his head in his hands.
He looked up and saw a dressed Hiro bending down to Baymax's charger. Soon, Baymax stood in front of Hiro, fully inflated. Despite himself, Tadashi grinned for the first time.
Hiro mouthed words and gestured for Baymax to follow him. The two headed downstairs, Tadashi trailing behind them on the familiar steps.
There was no sound, absolutely none. Just Tadashi's thoughts. He pictured himself in an old silent movie, and sighed.
Tadashi saw Hiro's reaction first - a huge smile, and then mouth forming probably-grateful words. He followed his little brother's eyes and was surprised to see his four friends. Honey Lemon wrapped her arms around Hiro and handed him a brightly wrapped box. Fred heartily patted him on the back, giving his own gift, and Wasabi grinned at the younger teenager while shoving a thin package into Hiro's hands. Hiro beamed at Gogo, who smiled slightly back and pointed outside. They exchanged words and nodded.
Then Tadashi realized. It was Hiro's fifteenth birthday, and he truly felt sadness for not being there.
"I'm sorry," whispered Tadashi.
Hiro set his presents on a table, and everyone slid in a seat.
Tadashi studied them.
Honey Lemon was talking with Gogo. Tadashi noticed that she had switched her glasses to a different brand. Her hair was longer, too, almost completely past her waist, and she sported a purple jacket.
Gogo was smiling, which Tadashi hadn't seen that often. She wore a yellow tee and her typical leather clothing. As Tadashi watched, she flipped her purple bangs back with her hand and laughed.
Wasabi, as usual, was gesturing rapidly and looked frazzled. He looked unchanged, save for a little fuzz on his upper lip. Tadashi hoped that the reason Wasabi apparently hadn't shaved was because he wanted a moustache, and not because he was overloaded with work.
Fred was grinning and lounged in his chair, but his hands were always in motion, either fidgeting on his lap, or twisting his hair. Tadashi noticed that the said hair had also grown longer and shaggier, but it was kept in place by Fred's toque.
The group of energetic teenagers were all excitedly forming conversation. Aunt Cass then entered the room, hugging her nephew and giving him her own gift, which was oddly shaped.
Tadashi sighed. He should have been here right now - not as a ghost, but instead talking with his friends with his own wrapped parcel on the table.
Hiro was raising a scolding finger at Baymax, but he was smiling. Tadashi wondered what Hiro had said at his funeral. And maybe if his brother had -
… Okay but Baymax… don't break anything, okay?… Aunt Cass… mad…
Tadashi jumped and drew back suddenly in alarm, and the intruding dialogue inside his head suddenly ceased, but he had no time to think about it when Baymax - his medical healthcare companion - swiped the air, ninja-style. The robot went on to do kicks and more martial arts - probably karate - even bending his head down a little when he was done as a bow. The gang enthusiastically clapped for Baymax.
Tadashi's eyes were as wide as saucers. Hiro had programmed Baymax to fight! Had that even been possible?
But Tadashi focused on something else. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Hiro and told himself to think things about his brother. Um, black hair. Brown eyes. Tooth gap -
And then a voice. … Hopefully Aunt Cass didn't see any of that.
Tadashi… was hearing Hiro's thoughts.
A/N:
Sera: Revising. Is really. Embarassing. When you know that like five hundred people have looked at it. Also, the speed of this fic will pretty much only depend on reviews because we are seriously unmotivated people.
MJ: Not to mention lazy.
Sera: About this fic. Uh, yeah we take requests, if they're good, but we have low standards. MJ and I collab on writing on it in Google Docs. Usually, I write the main stuff, she does the awesome descriptions and gives ideas. In total, it takes us about a whole week to finish a new chapter. We're Canadian, so spelling will be like that. That's it. Oh yeah, and have a nice Easter, everyone. Any reviews or favourites or follows would be ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
MJ: Happy Easter, hope you find your eggs.