Full Summary:

It was only supposed to be a temporary thing. A few fights here and there and the electric company wouldn't have to turn off the lights. And maybe he could get new shoes. That's what Hiro Hamada told himself when he started bot-fighting alongside a notorious trouble maker from his high school, but when the young prodigy finds himself in the middle of an offer he literarily can't refuse, it's up to him to try and pull himself out of it. All while keeping his family in the dark.

I can't feel my fingers. I've been typing for so long. So worth it.

Hiro didn't even want to ask how Jacob had gotten the key in the first place. It was one thing to steal teachers keys, but counterfeiting them was a completely different story. He was reassured multiple times that the copy shived out of a tree branch would work, but Hiro honestly didn't believe them. To his surprise, and relief, the door to Dr. Neve's office opened when he had turned the wooden key in the lock. He took a deep, shaky breath, then slid into the dark room. He quietly closing the door after him, making sure to lock it. Pulling out the flashlight that Dallas had lent to him for his mission, he flicked the light on, allowing a tiny beam to illuminate a path for his eyes. Time to get searching.

He checked the glowing red numbers on the teacher's desk every minute as he plowed through the mess. That man was brilliant, the numerous degrees on his wall proved that he had put the time and effort into mastering science and robotics. But if he could put a fraction of that focus into organizing his office, however, Hiro's job would've gone a lot smoother. Every drawer that he opened, it was stuffed full with old papers and office supplies. When found an old magazine that dated from the year Hiro was born, his optimism began to slowly deplete. The man was a packrat, it would take a miracle to find the bots in his mess.

He had reached for the closet door when he heard the faint jingle of keys from down the hallway. Hiro froze, snapping off the flashlight. There had been a number of people that had passed by the room, but it made his heart race all the same. Panic began to rise within him when the jingle grew closer and closer, and stopped in front of the door. Hiro didn't waste any time. As the door handle began to jiggle, he threw himself into the closet, leaping onto a somewhat sturdy cardboard box. As soon as he closed the door after him, Dr. Neve entered into his office, snapping the light on. Hiro heard him throw something onto his chair, most likely his trademark canvas jacket, then lean back into the chair with a groan. There was silence, then the familiar noises of a computer booting up crept underneath the door.

Hiro felt his soles begin to slide against the ancient cardboard. He tried to adjust his footing, careful not to make any sort of grunt that would give him away. It was hard to place his feet when he could barely see them. The only source of light was coming from underneath the door, and he didn't want to find out what would happen if he turned his flashlight on. It was supposed to be a stealth mission. In and out, and he would be forty dollars richer. Hiro never intended to be cornered like this, heart thundering against his ribcage like a trapped bird.

The seconds dragged into minutes, and before he knew it, he had been in the closet for a half hour. The bell for the end of sixth period rang, somewhat sending a wave of relief over the boy. If he remembered correctly, Dr. Neve taught a class seventh period. Hiro would be able to leave his uncomfortable cardboard island soon. But when he heard no movement from the other side of the door, he began to inwardly panic. Why wasn't he getting up? Did he not have a class after all? Was he going to have to stay in the closet until after school let out? Sweat gathered on his palms as the thought of being stuck for another hour. He heard a phone ring.

"Neve."

Hiro bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to calm down as he listened to the teacher speak into the phone.

"Yes, hello, Mr. Montana. ...What?!"

Hiro nearly slid off his box at the sudden outburst. He heard Dr. Neve jump up from the chair, scrambling to get his jacket on.

"Well try and turn it off! I don't care what it takes, no-holds-barred, Mr. Montana! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

He slammed the phone off, dangerously muttering under his breath as he left the room.

"I should've never approved that project! I told her that the Venturi Effect and ping pong balls don't work together!"

The light went out, the door was slammed, and quickly locked. Hiro waited until Dr. Neve's hurried footsteps were completely out of earshot before he flicked the flashlight back on. He let out a long, exhausted breath that he had no idea that he had been holding.

"That was too close," he muttered as he carefully began his decent. He saw an odd silhouette from the corner of his eye, and quickly aimed his light at the bundle on the floor. There, in an old box, he finally discovered what had put him through so much hell, and what he had been risking his neck for the whole time.

The bots.

"Jackpot."

"I shouldn't even let you see these."

Hiro perked up from his English homework, hearing the exhausted voice of his aunt down in the living room. They had just finished dinner about a half hour ago, and he was positive that she didn't sound tired at all earlier. She had been actively prodding the boys for details about their day, throwing in little anecdotes about her customers to help start a conversation. Hiro had just said that his day was "alright" as he poked at the peas on his plate. Tadashi spilled enough news about his time on campus for the both of them, bringing up the highlights of information from his lectures and recalling quotes that his new friends in the lab had said. Hiro was glad that his older brother had roped their aunt in on a story, there was no way he was going to admit to his family that he had broken into Dr. Neve's office for a group of super seniors. He did bring up the incident in the chemistry lab, and Aunt Cass patted Hiro's arm, promising him that they would get him some new shoes that weekend.

"I took a nap when I got back, Aunt Cass," he recognized an equally exhausted Tadashi. He heard papers ruffling, "I promise, I won't blow up like I did this morning."

"I don't mean it like that," she weakly chuckled, "It's more like..." She struggled to find the right words. "I shouldn't be bringing you down with me. I don't want to add more to your plate."

He heard him pat his aunt on the shoulder. "You aren't bringing me down. I chose to help. Now, when did you say you paid this?"

The bills. Of course. He had overheard Tadashi offering his help to Aunt Cass when Hiro had excused himself to do his homework after they had cleaned up after dinner. Normally, he would've even cared less about "adult stuff", but his curiosity about their situation had gotten the best of him that day. He had parked himself at the top of the stairs with his English book in his lap, silently flipping the pages of the assigned reading. Cass and Tadashi began to plow through the bills and bank statements, completely oblivious to their little spy at the top of the stairs.

"This can't be right," Tadashi murmured. Hiro looked up from his homework. He was just about to give up on listening in, they had been silent for a while. Maybe their situation wasn't as bad as it was made out to be. "I must've punched in the numbers wrong."

"About what? What numbers?"

"This month's Lucky Cat profits. It says we're in red." Hiro felt his heart drop to his stomach. There it was.

"What?" Cass' voice was full of denial. "Try it again. That can't be right."

Hiro held his breath as buttons were pressed on a calculator. Not bothering to mark his place, he put his book to the side, then silently began to crab walk down the stairs. He stopped at his favorite snooping place, one stair behind the wall, where he had the optimum hearing range, all while remaining concealed. He had found out many secrets from his treasured place, like what he was going to get for Christmas or his birthday.

He heard Tadashi let out a slow, frustrated huff. "We're in a lot of red, Aunt Cass. About $3,500 worth."

Hiro had to clamp both hands over his mouth, forcing himself to push down the shriek of surprise that threatened to erupt from his throat. Lucky for him, Cass filled in the sound for him.

"$3,500?! Are you sure?!"

"I ran the numbers three times. Run them yourself if you don't believe me."

"No, I believe you, it's just... it's so much." He heard Cass let out a long groan. "How did it pile up that fast?"

Tadashi thumbed through some papers. "Honestly, from what I can see here," he huffed, "it's the grocery bill. You're buying way too much ingredients. Then when the pastries get stale..." He trailed off, knowing that his aunt knew the answer.

"Alright, so if I buy less flour and sugar-"

"It'll take a lot more than that, Aunt Cass. The utility bill is sky high."

She hummed in disappointment. "I can't turn down the heat for the café. The customers will complain if it gets too cold."

They simultaneously let out an unpleasant noise as they threw their heads back.

"What about the bills for the apartment?" He heard Cass say after an awkward moment of silence. "I'm too scared to look at those."

Tadashi pulled out a few documents. "They're not too bad?" His tone gave away that he was trying to hold back a lie. "I mean, they're not horrible, but..." he trailed off, distracted by something on the electric bill. "Aunt Cass..."

She sadly hummed, knowing she had been caught. "Yes?"

"Is this what I think it is?" Hiro wished that he could peer from behind the wall to get a glimpse at what Tadashi was so flustered about. Aunt Cass sighed.

"Yes. That's a 15 day notice."

Tadashi let out a deep grumble from the back of his throat. Hiro could just picture his brother sitting at the table, elbows propped, head down, dangerously raking his fingers through his hair in pure frustration. He had usually formed to that position whenever he felt his anger bubble inside him, it usually kept him from raging out, from saying things he knew he would regret later. Whatever a 15 day notice was, it was enough to send Tadashi fuming. And it obviously didn't mean anything good for the family. Tadashi took a few shaky breaths.

"What do we do now?" He was still flustered, but he had calmed down enough to continue on with the conversation.

"There's no 'we' in this one, Tadashi," Cass barely whispered. "Not this time."

"Why isn't there?!"

She let out a huff. "Because! How do you expect to bring in any money when you already have a full load? You're working yourself to exhaustion, Tadashi! I won't let you be dragged down anymore because we're a little short on cash!"

"What about that account that mom and dad left for me and Hiro? I-I-I'm sure that if we-"

"That money is set aside for your education," Cass firmly stated. "Your parents didn't intend to leave all of their savings behind just for me to use on my business."

"I don't know if you can tell, but we're in trouble here, Aunt Cass!" Tadashi had slammed his palm on the table for emphasis, causing Hiro to flinch. "What, don't give me that look! Do you really expect me to just stand here, and watch you struggle?! Tell me what to do, Aunt Cass! Tell me what you expect out of me to help you fix this!"

"I expect you to keep going to school!" Cass suddenly yelled out. Hiro chose this moment to peek from behind the wall. He saw her out of her chair, pacing the living room with her hands tangled in her hair. Tadashi was leaning back, arms crossed, ankle resting on knee, eyebrows dangerously furrowed. "Please, Tadashi, just keep on going to school, and let me handle this for once!"

"How can I pretend that nothing is going on when we're in debt?!" He shot out of his chair, sending it falling to the floor with a crash. Hiro hugged the wall, clasping his hands together in an attempt to calm himself down. He had never seen his older brother this upset. He usually carried a very calm demeanor around him, he practically radiated positivity and tranquility. Right now, however, he looked like he was one step away from popping a blood vessel. Tadashi strode over to Aunt Cass, looking her dead in the eye. She returned her nephew's glare. "I know you've been struggling for a while, Aunt Cass! What are you gonna do now, huh?! Do you really want to lose the café?! Lose the house?! All because you're being stubborn about me helping you?!"

"I'm not being stubborn!"

Hiro was taken aback by his caretaker's sudden shriek, even more when he saw that her eyes were beginning to pool up. Tadashi's shoulders visibly relaxed when Cass began to frivolously scrub at her eyes. When one tear was wiped away, another two filled its place. She gave up on fighting her emotions and finally allowed herself to weep. Tadashi deflated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Aunt Cass..."

"I don't want to lose the café, Tadashi!" She tried hugging herself in an attempt to calm the trembles that began to rack her body. "I don't want to close down! So many people have lost their businesses from this stupid recession! I don't want us to be next!"

"And we wont," Tadashi tried reassuring his aunt, and himself, while gingerly reaching out to clasp her shoulder. She instead latched herself onto her nephew, burring her face into his strong shoulder. He returned her embrace, allowing her to sob.

"What am I going to do, Tadashi?"

He shushed her, rocking them back and forth in an attempt to stop her cries. "We'll figure something out, Aunt Cass. We always do."

Curled up on his bed, back facing the stairs, Hiro aimlessly fidgeted with one of his old action figures. He pressed the worn button on its back, causing it to instinctively punch the air. He absorbed himself with the robotic motion of the arm, trying to block out the sobs that still echoed in his head. He couldn't even remember the last time he saw his aunt cry that hard. She was a strong woman, Hiro wouldn't doubt that, it took her a lot to get her to shed tears. Up until that point, he had assumed that their money problems would've been resolved eventually. The café went through rough patches before in the past. But after seeing the state that his aunt was in, he knew that they were in deeper trouble than he originally thought.

"Hey, knucklehead." He meekly peered over his shoulder, seeing Tadashi cross the room in his pajamas. He was going to bed before midnight, a rare sight. He must've gotten most of his work done at the Institute. "Lights out. It's after ten."

Hiro forced his action figure to punch the air one last time, then placed it on his desk with the others. He snapped off the light, mumbling out a "good night" as he curled himself in his blankets.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Hiro lied. "Why?"

"You usually beg to stay up longer. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Tadashi." Hiro pulled his blankets a little closer around him, as if the action would shield himself from his older brother's pestering. "Just drop it."

But he didn't. He continued throwing questions at his younger brother, steadily raising his voice. It eventually escalated to a point where Tadashi starting pressing ultimatums on his younger brother, threatening to hide his computer mouse if he didn't tell him what was wrong.

"Hiro Hamada! Are you even listening to me?! You'd better answer me right now or else I'll-"

He suddenly shot out of bed, meeting his brother's glare with one of his own.

"Oh, so now you're gonna yell at me like you did with Aunt Cass?! Real mature, Tadashi!"

Tadashi went quiet when Hiro fell back onto his pillows. When the room remained silent for a good while, Hiro rose his head to see his older brother sitting cross-legged on his bed, palms pushing against his eyes, fingers tangled through his hair. Tadashi let out a slow sigh,

"You heard us downstairs, didn't you?"

"The floor isn't exactly soundproof, y'know." That wasn't exactly a lie. After Hiro had retreated back upstairs, he could still hear his aunt's muffled cries from underneath him as he attempted to continue with his reading.

"How much did you hear?"

"Just how much debt we're in... And Aunt Cass crying."

Tadashi let out another groan. He had trying so hard to keep their financial struggle a secret from his little brother. He wouldn't've been surprised if he already knew by now. He scrubbed his face, then peeked at the lump of blankets at the other side of the room.

"Hiro."

The lump slowly emerged, propping himself up on his elbows. Tadashi gestured with his hand, beckoning his brother to join him on his side of the room.

"こちこち."

Hiro threw his blankets off his body, then shuffled across the floor to Tadashi's side of the room. He sat down at the foot of the bed where he had been gestured to sit, then felt a dip beside him as Tadashi sat down.

"Hey." He lifted Hiro's chin to meet his gaze. "Listen to me. We're going to be okay. It may not seem like it now, but we'll be fine. I'm going to get us out of this."

"How?" Hiro mumbled, unsuccessfully trying to look down at his feet. "You heard Aunt Cass, she won't let you put on any more than you have too. And you're pretty much at your limit."

"I know," Tadashi let out a deep sigh, "I heard her. I can't do anything now, but if we're not doing any better by Thanksgiving break... I haven't told her this yet, but I was thinking about taking next semester off and-"

"What?!" Hiro cried out, ignoring the pleas from his brother to lower his voice. "Why?! You love SFIT! Is it too expensive?!"

"Hiro! Calm down! Shhh!" He placed his hands on his brother's shoulders, waiting for the initial shock to wane from his eyes. "SFIT is great, don't get me wrong. I'm learning a lot... But if we can't make ends meet, then I'll get a job until Aunt Cass can get some debt out of the way. I'm not changing my mind about this, Hiro. My family means more to me right now than a fancy piece of paper."

Hiro took in his brother's heavy words, letting his chin drop against his chest. He couldn't believe what his brother had just told him. He was willing to leave his dream school to ensure that none of them would have to be evicted.

"As for you," Tadashi forced his brother to look up at him again. "I need you to keep strong, okay? Not just for Aunt Cass, but for yourself. I don't want you worrying about things that you don't need too. This is a lot for anyone to take in."

Hiro let his head lull to the side. It was definitely a huge promise for someone his age. He felt Tadashi softly pick his head up, then extended a pinky towards his brother.

"やくそくする?"

Hiro rolled his eyes. They hadn't done the yubikiri in years, probably since Tadashi was in middle school. Still, he reached out, interlacing his pinky with Tadashi's. He matched his older brother's soft smile, softly uttering,

"やくそくします."

Hiro jumped off the bus the next morning with more resolve than he ever felt in his life. After sleeping on the events that had happened last night, he woke up with with guilt weighing down his stomach like lead. His family was struggling, and all Hiro could do was watch. There was legally nothing he could do to help relieve their financial burden, so he decided to step into the forbidden territory.

He strode to the East Wing of the school, refusing to stop for anything or anyone until he reached the bathroom he had been drug into yesterday. He delivered three solid knocks on the door, and was thankful to see Alana's pierced face when she creaked the door open.

"What's up?"

"Let me in. I need to ask Dallas something."

She briefly checked their surroundings, then hurriedly ushered the preteen inside. Hiro saw Dallas sitting in one of the sinks, scrubbing at his bots scratched surface with a greasy rag. He glanced up, cocking a smile.

"Sup?"

"You know that favor you promised me yesterday?"

"Yeah," Dallas replied, letting his mind travel to when Hiro returned the bots back to the group yesterday.

"I owe you big time, lil' man!" He had engulfed the boy's tiny neck with his arm, letting out a deep laugh. "You have no idea how much this means to me! If you need anything, let me know, okay? I'll take care of you!"

"Well," Hiro sheepishly scratched the back of his leg with his ruined sneaker. "I'm using it now." Dallas suddenly stopped polishing his bot, looking up into Hiro's determined eyes. "I need you to teach me how to bot fight."

We're starting to get into the fun chapters soon!

Japanese Translation Fun Times!

こちこち - kochi kochi - come over here

やくそくする - yakusoku suru - you promise?

やくそくします - yakusoku shimasu - I promise.