Disclaimer: I do not own Big Hero 6. It belongs to Disney and Marvel.
Monochrome
He woke up the next morning, the day after the fire, and the world looked just like how it did when his parents died.
Black and white.
Except this time, there was no one there to bring back the color into his life.
At Tadashi Hamada's funeral, Hiro stood in front of his brother's grave and watched as the colors around him faded.
All he saw was black, white and gray because now that Tadashi was gone, there was nothing good or colorful left in the world.
It had been almost five weeks since Tadashi's death and over that short period of time, he and his friends became a superhero group called Big Hero 6, they captured Yokai, saved people multiple times, and Hiro finally decided to register at the San Fransokyo Institution of Technology. He always wore a smile on his face, but looks can be deceiving, and deep down, he was still lonely and depressed.
He tried cheering himself up by going to bot fights, but not even all the money he won lifted his mood. He could have all the money in the world but he would still not be happy because money could not bring Tadashi back.
But as the days went by with the typical early morning routines, superhero duties and late night movies on the couch with Aunt Cass, Hiro was slowly starting to see color again. He was starting to see the dark purple streak in GoGo's hair, the light pink of Honey Lemon's cheeks, the different shades of green on all of Wasabi's shirts, the ever blue in Fred's superhero costumes and action figures, the thin blonde highlights in Aunt Cass's hair, and the bright red of the lollipops Baymax would give him.
Soon enough, he found himself seeing the world in color again.
He would look up to stare at the endless blue sky when taking afternoon strolls with Baymax, he would walk around San Fransokyo admiring the pink cherry blossoms that adorned the busy streets, and he would be met with the silver walls of the San Fransokyo Institution of Technology on his way to his classes.
But he takes one look at the Tadashi Hamada Memorial Building, and suddenly the colorful world he was walking in fades, and turns into monochrome.
One week later, the school announces that their one-week break would be starting next week. The institution's programs are highly challenging that the students are granted a week off to catch up on their sleep or work.
Over the break, the Big Hero 6 would go around San Fransokyo, helping those who are in need. His superhero duties always kept his mind off of things because he was only focused on saving the citizen, and right after, he would return home to a special dinner made by his aunt. Afterwards, he and the team would crash at Fred's, or when they all just wanted to go to their own homes to sleep, Hiro and Aunt Cass would stay up late watching re-runs and old Disney movies.
During this, the sunsets he would watch with Baymax after each successful rescue were a beautiful mix of blue and purple and pink and orange, and Hiro wondered how he was able to go on without seeing this view. The city's lights were bright and neon whenever he would go strolling around San Fransokyo at night. The desserts his aunt would set on the table after each meal were deliciously chocolate brown or strawberry pink, which would make his mouth water every time. And the Disney movies he would watch with his aunt and personal healthcare companion were colored and not black and white like they normally would be many years earlier.
Everything was filled with color, and he truly wanted to live in this kind of world, always.
But the morning right before classes start, he accidentally takes one glance at Tadashi's side of the room, and when he sees his hat, the world, once again, becomes monochrome.
After a long day of school, Hiro would normally be waiting out in front of the school for his friends. They always walked home together, each one of them always present; never one left out. But for some reason, each one of them had something to do after school, leaving Hiro to walk all the way home by himself.
He arrived at the Lucky Cat Café not too long after, and on the window, was a sign that read in big, bold letters, the word CLOSED. He raised an eyebrow. It was only five in the afternoon; his aunt never closed up this early. Shrugging it off, he opened the door, only to find his friends and his aunt standing in the middle of the shop, facing the door as if they had all been waiting for him to come home the entire time (which they were, actually).
"Hiro," Aunt Cass said in the softest voice, smiling. GoGo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Fred and Baymax stood behind her, each with a smile of their own, except for Baymax of course, though if he did have a mouth, he would be smiling as well. "There's someone we think you'd want to see."
Curious, Hiro asked, "Who is it?"
None of them said anything and just walked out of the little café. Hiro followed closely behind, wondering why they kept ignoring his questions. In a short period of time, they all found themselves standing in front of the San Fransokyo General Hospital.
"Why are we here?" he asked. No one answered his question, and the youngest Hamada groaned in annoyance. He followed the group three flights up the elevator, through metal doors, past seas of doctors and nurses and patients, and down narrow hallways, that when they finally reached their destination, he was actually surprised he did not get lost along the way. It reminded him of the time he chased Baymax around the city because the robot walked off on his own to find out where the microbot was trying to go, except Hiro was a lot more tired this time.
"Can someone just tell me why we're here?" Hiro asked. His hands were on his knees and he panted heavily.
"This is why," Aunt Cass said, twisting the doorknob and opening the door in front of them. Confused, Hiro stepped into the white room and observed his surroundings. Why do I even bother, he thought. Everything looked the same; black and white and gray and more gray.
But he noticed that there was a bed near the window, so he slowly approached it, and realized that there was someone lying in it. As he moved closer, he noticed that the patient's facial features looked very familiar. His pace quickened, and Hiro suddenly found himself standing right next to the bed. All it took was one look at the person's face for the tears to roll down his cheeks.
He knew exactly who the person was.
"T-Tadashi…?" he whispered. "You… you're alive."
The door behind him closed; they all decided to give the two siblings some alone time.
"Tadashi, it's me, Hiro! I'm here!" he yelled, shaking him.
He received no answer, and Tadashi did not move an inch.
"Open your eyes!"
He begged, grabbing hold of his brother's hand, squeezing it tightly. He did not lose him after all. Tadashi had been here recovering the entire time.
"Say something! Anything! Please! I don't care if you make fun of me! Just say something so I know I'm not dreaming!"
He would give anything just to hear his brother's voice again. He hated it when Tadashi constantly pestered him, but right now, he would give so much just to get yelled at by him. He would even take a whack in the back of the head. Hiro just wanted him to wake up.
"Just… please, Tadashi… wake up…"
He lowered his face, and sobbed as hard as he did the night of the fire. Tadashi was right in front of him, yet somehow, he still could not reach him.
"Hiro…?"
And when Hiro looked up, he saw the familiar shade of dark brown and he knew, right then and there, that the world was no longer black and white, but filled with color once again.
A/N: Three Alive!Tadashi fics in one week because I'm still in denial about his death. I hope you all enjoyed this short and bittersweet oneshot!
Please review! :)
