The Living Angel
By: Tsuki no Shijima
Summary: Tadashi finds something terrifying on Hiro one night. But it turns out to be something amazing and beautiful.
Tadashi is 18, while Hiro is 14. Let's just say, Tadashi skipped 2 grades and started his college when he was 16. And Hiro is already in college since 3 months ago.
Disclaimer: I don't own Big Hero 6.
Warning: Beware of typos and bad grammar. English is NOT my main language. I have this bad habit of not realizing my mistakes on my stories until days or even months after publishing the story.
-oOo-
Hiro walked into his shared lab with Tadashi. He looked around and Tadashi was still not there. He sighed, thinking he was probably still in class or went to somewhere else to get something. He took a seat on the couch they brought. He stretched out and massaged his shoulder. His shoulders and back felt sore.
Not long after that, Tadashi walked in. He greeted Hiro as soon as he saw him, "Hey, Hiro. How was your last class?" Hiro sighed, "It was fine. Tadashi noticed something was off with him.
"Hiro, what's wrong? Are you sick?" he said, crouching down to Hiro's level. He examined Hiro, trying to find if he was hurt somewhere. "My shoulders and back feel hurt. Can we go home now? I can go home alone if you're busy."
Tadashi shook his head, "Nah! I won't let you go home alone. What if you faint on the street? Besides, I only planned on doing some fixing on Baymax, but it can wait. I'll pack my things now." Tadashi stood up and walked to grab his brown satchel and put his things into it. When he was done, he walked toward Hiro.
"Come on, let's go home."
Hiro was silent before he finally asked something, "Hey, Tadashi, can you carry me?"
"Sure. But are you sure you're okay? Maybe I can activate Baymax before we go," Tadashi said, worried about his baby brother's well-being.
"No, I'm fine. I just want to go home now and sleep."
"Okay."
He knelt down and Hiro wrapped his arms around Tadashi's neck. He was giving him a piggy back ride. He walked out and locked his lab door. Their friends were not there, still having their classes. He went home with Hiro on his back. Feeling glad that he didn't bring his moped today.
Hiro was sleeping on their way back home. When they arrived at home, he met aunt Cass. "Oh, you two are back early! Wait, is Hiro sick? He looks a bit pale." Aunt Cass was looking at Hiro, feeling worried. "Well, I hope not. He said his shoulders and back feel sore. Probably just exhausted. We'll go upstairs now, aunt Cass."
"Okay. Just call me if you two need something!"
"Okay!"
After they reached their room, Tadashi went to Hiro's bed, putting him down gently. He took off Hiro's backpack and put it on the floor. Then, he took off Hiro's shoes and socks. He heard Hiro stirred from his sleep. Hiro's eyes were slowly opened.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Mhmm, no. Tadashi?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I have chicken and mushroom cream for dinner tonight? I want something light to eat."
He nodded. "Sure. I'll tell aunt Cass after I change my clothes. Still feeling sore?"
"Yeah."
Tadashi stroked Hiro's hair and said, "Just take a nap for now. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready."
"Okay."
With that, he slowly drifted back to sleep. Tadashi went to his side, putting down his satchel and changed his clothes. When he finished, he walked downstairs.
"Aunt Cass?"
"Yes, Tadashi?"
"Hiro asked if he could have chicken and mushroom cream soup for dinner. He wants something light to eat tonight."
"Sure. But are you sure he's okay? We can go to see a doctor."
He just smiled at aunt Cass, tried to reassure her. "Aunt Cass, I'm sure he's fine. He didn't feel warm or cold when I gave him the piggy back ride."
She still looked worried, but just let it slide for now. "Okay. But if something is wrong, we must bring him to the hospital immediately."
"I know that, aunt Cass."
Tadashi helped aunt Cass preparing the foods for dinner. When the dinner was ready, he went to their room to wake Hiro. He sat on the edge of Hiro's bed. He noticed that Hiro indeed looked a bit pale. He touched his forehead, not warm nor cold.
He thought that Hiro maybe just exhausted from college. He was sure a college student already. But he was still 14. For him, Hiro was still considered a little kid. Of course, college could make him exhausted.
He shook him to wake up, gently. "Hiro. Wake up. Dinner is ready."
Hiro's eyes fluttered open. He slowly looked up to Tadashi who was smiling at him. "Carry me?" Tadashi chuckled. "Sure. But how about your shoulders and back? Does it still feel hurt?" Hiro nodded. Tadashi's smile dropped, "Just tell me if it hurts more, okay?"
Hiro just nodded. Then, Tadashi gently picked him up, carrying him bridal style. He did it carefully so he wouldn't hurt Hiro. Hiro hissed and flinched in pain, and it made Tadashi more worried. "Sorry. Did I hurt you that bad?" Hiro shook his head, "It's fine, now. Just go down already. I'm hungry."
"Just tell me if it hurts more."
They went down slowly, as Tadashi didn't want to hurt Hiro. Aunt Cass saw Tadashi put Hiro down to his seat, hurriedly approaching him. "Honey, are you okay? Are you sick? Do we need to check you on a doctor now?"
"Aunt Cass, I'm fine. Maybe I'm just exhausted from college. Nothing to worry about."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Can we eat now? The little kid is starving here."
"Oh, so you admit that you're still a kid now?" Tadashi asked, teasing him. And he earned an elbow hit from Hiro. Aunt Cass chuckled, seeing the funny sight in front of her. "Alright, boys. Don't fight, now. We don't want the little kid here to starve more."
Hiro whined like a little kid, "Aunt Cass!"
They laughed at him, while Hiro pouted at them. Soon, the other two took their seats and eat their dinner.
-oOo-
It was around 1 am, when Hiro suddenly awaken by the pain on his back. He was hot, a sweating a lot. The pain became worse, he gritted his teeth and gripped the sheet tightly. A tear rolled down on his cheek. He was trying to bear the pain, but it hurt more and more as if something was trying to rip off his back skin from the inside.
"Da..shi.." he tried to call Tadashi. But his voice was too low to be heard, so he tried again. Hoping it was loud enough to wake his brother. "Onii-chan!"
Tadashi's eyes suddenly wide opened, alarmed by Hiro's call. He immediately got up from bed and rushed to Hiro's side. He saw his baby brother crying in pain. "Hiro! What happened?" Tadashi seemed panic and worried seeing his brother's condition.
"It hurts. It..hurts," he said in his cry. "My back..hurts."
Tadashi tried to take off Hiro's T-shirt gently. After he did, he tossed Hiro's T-shirt to the floor and changed Hiro's position to see his back. When he saw Hiro's back, he was terrified at what he saw. There were two swollen red bumps on Hiro's back. What made him more panic was that those things weren't there before Hiro went to sleep. He knew because he carried him again after dinner.
"Hiro! Oh my God! There are two swollen red bumps on your back!"
"W..what? Uugh!" his eyes twitched shut, the pain was torturing him. "Damn it! I should have brought Baymax with me. Hold on, Hiro. I'll go down and bring you an icepack to compress those bumps."
Tadashi rushed to the kitchen and took out an icepack from the fridge before he rushed back to their room. He sat on the edge of Hiro's bed and started to compress the bumps as gently as possible. "Nii-chan, it hurts," Hiro said between his sobs. "I know, I'm compressing it now. If they didn't get better, I'll bring you to the hospital immediately."
Hiro started to cry again, the pain didn't stop torturing him. Tadashi tried to calm him while compressing the bumps with the icepack in his hand. He couldn't bear to see his baby brother crying in pain like that. But he must tried to do the first aid first to at least reducing the pain and shedding the bumps. He really hoped this would work.
After almost an hour of compressing Hiro's bumps, Tadashi examined the bumps. Much to his worry, it didn't even shed a bit. Still red and swollen. He was about to get another icepack when he heard Hiro groaned in pain. He saw the bumps moved. Tadashi froze.
He rubbed his eyes. He thought he was imagining things. But when he looked at the bumps again. He was beyond terrified. The bumps really moved.
"Dashi.. Nii-chan.. It hurts.. It hurts!" Hiro cried in pain. That was the very first time he didn't even know what to do. He stroked Hiro's hair, hushing him, trying to calm him. But Hiro only cried more as the pain was growing on his back and the bumps were moving again.
And much to Tadashi's horror, somethings sharp pierced out from inside the bumps. The sharp things ripped Hiro's skin slowly. Blood seemed to flow down from the bumps, where those things were piercing out. Hiro winced and groaned more, still crying for the torturous pain on his back. Tadashi hold Hiro's head, trying to reassure him that he was there with him.
The sharp things were still piercing out, ripping Hiro's skin more. Hiro gripped Tadashi's hand tightly while Tadashi winced in pain when he felt Hiro's nails were digging in his hand. The things emerged quickly from the bumps and ripped off skin. When they fully out, they flapped open as blood splashed everywhere in their room.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Hiro screamed on top of his lungs, in agony.
Tadashi felt a splash of blood hit his cheek. He could only stared wide-eyed in shock at the things. His mouth gaped opened. He felt terrified. The things were flapping violently. Suddenly, aunt Cass emerged to their room in panic.
"I heard a scream! What happened?!" she asked frantically. She gasped loudly at the sight. She saw those bloody things, flapping violently on his younger nephew's back. She couldn't move, scared at what she was seeing. Flapping sounds filled the room.
After a quite sometimes, the things finally calmed down. They were flapping slowly until finally stopped themselves. Aunt Cass walked toward Hiro, slowly. They looked at those things. They tried to have a good look at those, until Tadashi realized what those things were.
"Wings," he muttered in a low voice.
"Yeah, they really are," she muttered in agreement.
They heard Hiro's crying. Aunt Cass bent down, stroking his hair. "It's alright, honey. It's over. Look, you've got a pair of wings!" she said in a gentle voice.
"Yeah, baby brother. You've got wings. Oh my God! My baby brother has wings. You really are an angel, Hiro!" Tadashi said proudly in gentle voice as well.
"But it hurts.." he said hoarsely between his sobs. He sobbed for a while, with his brother and aunt at his side, trying their best to calm him. Not long after that, Hiro fell to sleep. Tear stains were visible on his cheeks. Tadashi and aunt Cass were still there, staring down at Hiro in silence while trying to figure out what to do.
Tadashi sighed, "Hey aunt Cass, how about we clean his wings from the blood before it gets sticky?"
"You're right. I'll prepare the buckets with warm water and some clean washcloths. You stay here with him, okay?"
Tadashi nodded. Aunt Cass went downstairs to prepare the buckets of warm water and the washcloths. After about 5 minutes, she came back. Together, they cleaned Hiro's wings. They did it in the gentlest way, afraid of hurting Hiro and crushing the delicate wings.
When they finished cleaning the blood on Hiro's small wings and the things that got splashed out by the blood, aunt Cass kissed Hiro's temple and said goodnight to them. She went downstairs with the buckets with the-now-red water and bloody washcloths and cleaned them up before she finally went back to sleep. While Tadashi remained on Hiro's side, holding his hand with one hand while the other hand stroking Hiro's hair.
He looked at the wings. They were white. Small, but still amazing and beautiful. He could only stared in awe. His baby brother had a beautiful pair of wings, like an angel.
He got up and turned on his laptop. He was trying to search about this amazing phenomenon on the internet. He believed in God, angels, and demons. But never thought he could actually saw real wings on a human's back. He searched and kept searching. Until he found it.
Several hundred years ago, before the city called San Fransokyo, it was called The Old Town. The Old Town was a peaceful place. There was also a miracle happened in there. Every few years, there would be children who would be born with a beautiful pair of wings. In some occasions, their wings came out when they were older.
But not everyone had them. The children who had wings could be numbered. And not all families could have a child with wings, even if one or both of the parents had wings as well. Those who had wings were called a blessing in their houses, even in the city. They were seen as special people, the living angels.
As years went by, the numbers of the winged-ones were decreased. The last one was seen around one hundred years ago. If there is another winged-one these days, that means the family would be blessed as long as the winged-one is still alive. Luck will continue to follow him and his family. But, never harm the winged-one or hurt his feelings in a terrible way or else, misfortune would befall on those who harm or hurt the feelings of the winged-one for the rest of their life.
The winged-one would still be considered as the living angel. No matter when or where he appears. The living angel. And the living rare miracle as well.
Tadashi smiled when he finished reading what he found. He turned off the laptop and went back to Hiro's side. He stroked Hiro's hair again as he stared at Hiro's face. His sleeping face looked so peaceful. So calm.
Then, there was a light above Hiro's head. Tadashi gasped at the sudden appearance of the light. The light was bright. After a few seconds, the light turned out to be something like a glowing glass ring. It was an angel's halo.
He stared at the halo. 'A living angel, huh?' he thought with a gentle smile on his face. He bent down and kissed Hiro's temple.
"You know what, Hiro? People always laughed at me when I said that my baby brother is an angel. Now, I can proof to them that you really are an angel. An angel with amazing and beautiful white wings, and a glowing angel's halo above his head. I'm so proud of you. I promise you, I will protect you and keep you safe from all harm."
He got up and tucked his baby brother who was sleeping on prone position underneath the blanket. Tadashi touched a feather of Hiro's wings gentle, feeling how soft it was. He was still feeling awe at those beautiful wings. He bent down again and planted one last kiss on Hiro's forehead before he retreated to his own bed.
"Goodnight, baby brother. Sweet dreams, my beautiful angel."
-oOo-
"Goodnight, nii-chan. I promise you, when I can finally fly, I will take you fly with me. To see the beautiful world from the sky. And have adventures above, together," Hiro mumbled in his sleep, with a smile spread on his face.
-oOo-
Author's Note: Okay, so, when I was listening to a soundtrack of Haibane Renmei called Free Bird, another idea came and suddenly I wanted to write another story. Uninteresting story, I know. But hey, at least I tried!
Anyway, I promised to some of you to make a sequel for A Bittersweet Love, A Boy and His Lonely Heart, and A Sacrifice of Love. Well, I already start with them, but I can't promise to finish them soon. It will take a quite some times, but a promise is a promise. So of course, I will try my best to finish writing them. Besides, it's also my original plan to make sequels for those stories. Don't forget to leave a review! Until next time~