Can you see me?
Cause I'm right here

I'm so tired
Of being invisible

Somebody - Bridgit Mendler

December 28, 2014: Sunday

Jack's house was huge.

There really wasn't any other way to put it. Jack's house was huge. It was a literal mansion. (Oh, and also, Fred lived next door? Fred? Fred, who looked like he lived in a small apartment Fred? You really can't judge a book by its cover. Also, they have water balloon catapult wars during the summer? Is this really what people with money do with their free time?!)

It was rustic. It had an old country feeling, log cabin vibe that made it feel cozy. How could a place so large feel so small and homey at the same time? Plus there were toys everywhere; apparently North left his creations scattered across the house. It was a chaotic mess and Hiro loved every inch of it.

So here Hiro was, sitting on the large brown couch in a giant living room cradling his cup of hot chocolate that Jack had handed to him the minute Hiro had shown up at the door. (And to think Hiro had nearly dropped it in surprise at the sheer magnitude of Jack's house.)

"You look happy," Jack remarked, amused. He pulled on the golden cord, drawing back the white drapes to reveal a large glass window looking out into the large backyard. "Told you you couldn't go a few days without my hot chocolate."

Hiro was happy and while hot chocolate was awesome, it was not the reason why Hiro was so over the moon. Three days later and he still couldn't believe that he was dating Tadashi. It was odd and unusual and wonderful. Boyfriend. That was… good. It felt really good.

"I'm dating Tadashi," Hiro said with a grin. A burst of giddiness shot through him. Hiro was fairly certain he was displaying signs of lovesickness that the internet had warned about.

"Finally," Jack said, plopping next to Hiro on the couch. "It was starting to get sickeningly sweet watching you two flirt with each other."

"Flirting?!"

"You're so obvious to it, that it's painful to watch you."

Hiro smiled tightly. Jack had unknowingly hit the underlying doubt that Hiro had. He stared down into the brown liquid in his cup. "I can't really believe Tadashi would really like me," Hiro said softly. "Why someone like me?" Hiro hadn't dared to bring up his doubts to Tadashi, too happy to consider it and too afraid of the answer. Three days into their new relationship and Hiro had doubts. Did that make him a bad person?

Jack looked at Hiro with an odd expression. Then he remarked offhandedly, "I remember what it's like to be invisible."

"Invisible?"

Jack leaned back, deep in thought. "When I was 13, my family was driving home when we hit an ice patch and skidded out of control. We were driving across the bridge. Before I knew it, we were flying off the bridge and into the freezing water below. By some miracle I survived the icy cold water, but my parents and baby sister died." Jack paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He hugged a stripped beiged and white pillow.

"I bounce around foster homes for one year after that. It wasn't pretty. Then one day I decided to run away. The last family I was at ended up to be pretty abusive and I was tired of dealing with new homes, new places, new people. I wanted my family back and the people who were fostering me didn't have time to deal with me lashing out at everyone. So I ran away, didn't look back."

"Where did you go?" Hiro asked quietly. He would have never guessed that Jack had lost his family in such a way. What a hard childhood. Hiro spent his childhood alone, but his physical well being was never in question. Emotionally… well. There was nothing to be done about it now.

Jack gave a noncommittal shrug. His thin fingers ran across the armrest of the couch, tracing invisible patterns as he lost himself in the memories of a darker time. "I was a stupid kid back then. Didn't have a plan and ended up being homeless for 3 years." A tired look appeared on Jack's face.

"When you are homeless, people try hard to ignore that you exist. That you are below their acknowledgement. It isn't always out of malice; people fear the unknown, fear what is dangerous and I knew a lot of dangerous homeless people. It wasn't uncommon for people to pass me by without even giving me a single glance." Jack stared out the window, watching as the snowflakes danced on the wind. His eyes were glassy and dark.

Likewise Hiro was unable to say anything. It was truth of life. How many homeless people did Hiro pass by today? If you're not part of the solution, you're a part of the problem. Jack had given Hiro some food for thought. How had Jack gone from living on the streets to the heir of North Pole Toy Store?

Apparently Jack could read his mind because he continued on with his story.

"Jamie found me," Jack said with a grin. He reached for the black picture frame on the table next to the couch and handed it to Hiro. In it was a picture of a younger Jack and Jamie at the park. A large smile was found on both of their faces. They look so happy.

Hiro smiled at it. He had yet to meet Jamie but he had heard many stories about Jack's younger brother. Jamie would be finishing up high school soon.

"It didn't matter to that I was this dirty stranger. To Jamie, I was cold and looked hungry. He grabbed me and pulled me off the street into North Pole and found his dad. I mean what eight year old kid pulls a random stranger off the street?" Jack laughed as he remembered his younger brother antics. "Dad didn't even blink, just dropped me in front of the heater and fed me cookies. Lucky Cat Cafe's cookies by the way. Your new boyfriend had been baking them even back then."

Hiro blushed at Jack's words. It was nice to hear Jack acknowledge Tadashi as his boyfriend. "What happened then?" he asked.

"Oh stuff. They found out that I was a runway, adopted me and took me in. Gave me a home, a family, color back into my world… love. " Jack looked Hiro squarely in the eyes. "What I'm trying to get is that it only takes one person to see. One person to notice. I pulled you into Frostbite that first day because you looked utterly miserable and lonely. You walked, moped practically, and people went around you, ignored you. You looked like you needed a friend. I tried to be that. It wasn't enough, not until Tadashi came around and you lit up like Christmas lights."

Hiro felt distressed that Jack had tried and Hiro hadn't even noticed. "Jack…"

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "That's not the point here, Hiro. The point is, despite my attempts, you still looked lonely and miserable sitting in the back corner of my cafe. Tadashi saw you. He could have been like everyone else, could have walked passed, could have ignored that you existed. Instead, he did, what Jamie did for me, he went up to you and dragged you into his life. Kiddo, I told you, you're something special and Tadashi sees that. Tadashi is so far gone for you, he'll go to the moon and back to prove it to you. Don't doubt what he feels for you, don't doubt that you are worth it, don't doubt you are loved."

Hiro stilled, quieted and soaking up what Jack had said. Then softly, he admitted, "I'm not sure if I'll ever stop doubting." He had so many doubts, so many regrets in his young life. He went too long without any support, without anyone to catch him when he stumbled, without anyone to help him up when he fell. So many insecurities.

Jack patted Hiro on the back. "Then Tadashi and I and everyone else who knows you, will keep telling you that until you believe us."


So while I love and adore Hiro and Tadashi's relationship and writing all the fluff (cause I'm a hopeless romantic) I have a lot of fun writing Jack and Hiro's conversations because I feel Hiro grows a little more after every conversation with Jack, like another revelation, another perspective, another step forward. This was originally suppose to be in chapter 20 of Share a Table but this was the scene I had to cut. (Because Jack's backstory took three pages to write which mean Chapter 20 was suppose to be double the length and yeah... wouldn't have finished it on time). For those of you expecting to go back to Hiro's dad... we'll get back to him eventually.