AN: Hey all it's sheepishshipper with another multi-chapter story. This is my first BH6 fic, and I've only seen the movie twice so bear with me on characterization. The first chapter is REALLY short, and I debated on posting it, before deciding it's more of a prologue anyway, so here it is! My medical knowledge is minimal at best so if I really mess something up lemme know! Last but most important, this fic was inspired by Runescratch's Armor!Tadashi AU, I'll leave their tumblr link on my profile, their art is amazing please go check it out! Please enjoy, constructive criticism always accepted!
"Tadashi don't!"
"Professor Callaghan is still in there, someone has too help!"
Retreating figure. Ninja's hat. Roaring flames. Explosion. Ringing ears. Raging inferno. Tadashi. Tadashi. Tadashi. Tadash- Tada- Ta-
"TADA-NII!"
Hiro jolts awake, head flying up from stiff sheets, adrenaline thrumming in his veins and salty tears beading in the corner of his eyes as he breathes harshly in the room void of sound except for the constant beep of a heart monitor. His heart beat echoes rapidly in his ears and his throat is still sore from smoke inhalation. He looks around the room from his chair, craning his head to search for Aunt Cass on the couch, and is surprised to see her gone. He stretches and winces when his sore back protests, before glancing down at his older brother, and swallowing against a tight throat before looking away again.
Miraculously, Tadashi had managed to escape the fire and subsequent explosion with his life, albeit narrowly. Somehow the explosion had blown him back into an area of the building that was more stable and less, well, on fire, resulting in minor burns to his arms, face and upper torso. However, his older sibling's legs and back had been far less fortunate. When the firefighters found him, thankfully quite quickly upon their arrival on scene, he'd been unconscious on his stomach with his legs pinned under smoldering debris, a couple pieces littering his back as well. Hiro now sat and watched his older brother, still under the effects of general anesthesia to keep him asleep during the worst of the pain, who had yet to wake up in three days since his arrival at the hospital.
Swallowing again, he glanced at his older brothers legs, wrapped up in bulky gauze that was coated with antibacterial medicine. Murmurs of permanent nerve damage echoed in his ears from a conversation he wasn't intended to hear. Tears slipped down his face, and he sniffled a bit in the quiet, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. Tadashi would more than likely never be able to stand again, let alone walk or run… Salty water stings his eyes and drips off his chin as he hiccups softly.
'I'm so sorry, Tada-nii…' His brother, a fairly active 21 year old, would never leave a wheelchair. He'd never practice karate with his little brother again, wouldn't be able to come to the rescue after a bot fight gone wrong, wouldn't even be able to drive them to SFIT after an early morning rush. He'd never be able to hang Hiro from his shoulders, bouncing around, telling him to look for a different angle –Hiro freezes at the thought of his brother's optimistic catch phrase, breath still stuttering and tears still leaking from his eyes. He scrubs them furiously with his sleeve once more, the beginnings of an idea forming in his mind when a warm hand presses in between his shoulder blades, and he startles, before realizing its Aunt Cass, pressing a cup of warm tea into his hands, her face red and splotchy from crying, although she smiles at him softly. No words pass between them as she hands him the cup, simply opting to go lay down on the couch as they waited for the dawn of the next day. Hiro studied his older brother's face, reaching gripping his hand tightly, sniffing once more before giving a small smile as the idea began to form more fully, looking more plausible by the minute. He gave his older brother's hand a squeeze before speaking.
"I'm not giving up on you, Tada-nii." With that he released Tadashi's hand and pulled a blank note pad off the table by the bed, starting to hastily outline the design and writing notes on how to achieve it. In the top corner, he wrote "microbots" and underlined it a few times for emphasis.