"Uh, you wanna sit down or something, buddy? You've been pacing around for a while," Fred said, watching Tadashi warily from his spot on the couch.
Tadashi huffed and continued to pace back and forth. He'd barely stopped since they returned to the apartment, and Fred was getting concerned.
"I just can't believe him! I watch over him for half my life, and that was fine! You know, I didn't mind that my life kind of revolved around him after my parents died- at least until I got into SFIT. And then I met you guys, and it was so great, you know, because I hadn't really had close friends before then. And you know, it was fine. It was totally fine, and I really liked it. But now he's all grown up- mostly- and so I was thinking that it might be, I dunno, time to find something new! Like I know people think I live under a rock, but for Pete's sake does that mean I'm not allowed to have feelings?!" Tadashi exclaimed. He was getting a rather frenzied look about him. Fred hummed noncommittally every now and then, but it was best to let Tadashi get everything off his chest.
Also, he didn't want to admit why Hiro was so against his older brother dating Booster Gold.
"I mean, I just don't get it! I've done my best to support him over the years, and he does this?! It would be nice if he could be just a little bit less of a dick about this! After all, it's not like my life revolves completely around him anymore! It's not like he needs me to babysit him all the time, so I should be able to do things in my free time, right?" He paused to look at Fred for confirmation before resuming his rant.
"Sure, I haven't put a whole lot of thought into dating people, but it's not like I'm against it. It's not like the rest of you guys thought I wouldn't date people, right?"
Fred had to bite his tongue to keep from telling him that, yeah, he kind of did. It was like, half the reason why he'd never confessed his feelings to the guy. If he realized how easy it would have been to get a date with Tadashi- just show up out of nowhere and demand a date like an asshole- then he would have done it ages ago.
He pushed his thoughts aside. "Uh, no. Of course not. It was just really...sudden. That's all. I mean, it really came out of nowhere. Like, we're happy for you dude. We're just surprised."
Tadashi finally stopped his pacing and sat down heavily next to Fred. He heaved a sigh and melted into the couch.
"It just kind of sucks, you know? I thought he'd be- I dunno- happy for me. It's not like I get out much since the whole... Well, you know," he said, gesturing to the scarred half of his face.
He wasn't wrong. Tadashi wasn't a shut in by any means, but he definitely didn't get out as much as he used to. When the others realized this they'd tried to invite him out more often, but he didn't always accept their offers. It concerned them a little, but he always assured them that he was fine.
And he probably was for the most part, but apparently he was having some self confidence issues. And Fred was not going to allow that to continue under his watch.
"Look man, I know this isn't ideal, but Hiro wants you to be happy. I think he just wasn't prepared for this. He'll get over. He just needs a little time to cool down," he said, squeezing the other's shoulder.
"And you know what? I think it's good for you to meet someone. There's been so many people throwing themselves at you over the years- to be honest, it's about time. You're a catch, dude!" And wow, it hurt to say that, but it also felt great to see Tadashi smile at his encouragement. Fuck the friendzone- it was clearly invented by assholes who didn't value people or friendship.
Tadashi bumped his shoulder against Fred's and chuckled. "Thanks, Fred. You're right. He just needs some time...and it was...unexpected." He poked Fred in the side for the smug look on his face. "Shut up."
Hiro did not cool off after a few hours.
If anything, he was even more steamed up than before, now that he had plenty of time to stew over it.
"No way! I absolutely forbid you from going out with that walking pile of-"
"You forbid me?! First of all, I'm older than you, Hiro. You can't forbid me from doing anything. And second of all, there's no reason for you to be so against this! Why are you being so stubborn?!"
"I'm stubborn? We could be done with this argument if you came to your senses and decided not to go out with Booster Gold- of all the fucking super heroes in New York, you had to agree to a date with that guy?!"
Fred sighed and poured himself another drink. It probably wasn't a good idea to get drunk on the job- especially when your workplace was full of criminals- but whatever. What was he, a saint? Hell no. If he wanted to get drunk at work then he was going to get drunk at work.
The Hamadas continues to argue while the rest of his fine establishment looked on in various states of interest. There were more than a few not so subtle looks in his direction. He downed another shot of whatever the hell was in his hand.
Wasabi sidled up to him across the counter, worry creasing his brow. "Uh, Fred? Maybe you should take it easy. I'm not sure drinking on the job is a good idea right now..." Good old Wasabi. He would make a great conscience. Kind of like Jiminy Cricket, but human and handsome and super buff.
"Nah, 's fine. I asked the boss, and he approved," he said. Good thing he knew how to ignore his voice of reason.
"Fred..."
"C'mon, man. Lemme have this. This is what bars are for. To drink your problems away. And I need to get completely shitfaced if I'm going to ignore my problems, since said problems are currently crashing at my apartment this week," he whined. He may have been a little tipsy.
Wasabi sighed and looked dubiously at the bottle of whiskey Fred was pouring another shot from. He looked nervously between Fred and the Hamadas, unable to decide which was more concerning at the moment. On one hand, Fred was clearly not taking Tadashi's new date plans very well, and on the other, Hiro and Tadashi had been arguing loudly about those date plans for over an hour and getting nowhere.
Luckily for him, Gogo showed up to help with Ellie in tow. Was it time to switch shifts already? Damn.
"Get out from behind the bar, lover boy. Your shift's done. And go break up that fight before one of them disowns the other one," she ordered. And although Fred didn't want to, he did as she told him. Bad things happened when you didn't follow Gogo's orders.
He swallowed his shot and slinked out from behind the bar. "How come I have to go stop them? Why not Wasabi or Honey? Or you for that matter," he grumbled half heartedly.
"We're not the reason they're fighting," she said simply. Which was sort of true. Hiro wouldn't be so upset if he didn't think Fred and his brother should have started dating years ago, and Tadashi wouldn't be going out with Booster Gold if Fred had just sucked it up and asked him out beforehand.
He sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll go...take care of it."
He cautiously approached the two, looking for an opportunity to step in without getting accidently hit in the face by wild hand gestures. The Hamadas were fond of talking with their hands, and it only got worse when they were really passionate about something.
"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so surprised if you'd ever shown an interest in someone before! It's not my fault you live like a damn monk."
"I don't see why you're questioning my romantic life when you've never shown an interest in pursuing anyone either. And for the record, if you went on a date with someone I'd support you."
"I'm not saying I don't want you to date anyone! I'm just saying that it shouldn't be that guy! He's a pompous ass, and you deserve someone way better! I mean, if you would just open your damn eyes you would be able to see there's someone right here-"
Fred cleared his throat loudly. "Uh, guys? Mind taking a break? It's getting late, and I have to talk to Hiro about something," he said, giving the younger boy a pointed look.
Tadashi uncrossed his arms from their disapproving position over his chest, shoulders sagging. "Yeah. Sorry, Fred. You guys go ahead and talk. I think I need a drink anyways." He shot his brother one last unimpressed look over his shoulder and stalked off to the bar.
Hiro glared after him, fists still clenched at his sides. He rounded on Fred, ready to tell him off for sure, but Fred held up a hand to stop him.
"Look, buddy," he began, pulling him into an empty booth, "I know you're mad at me right now, and I get that. I really do. I don't blame you for one second, but you gotta lay off your brother. He needs this, okay?
"Now, I don't like Booster Gold any more than you do, but if Tadashi likes being with him I'm not going to stop him. I really think he needs this right now. We were talking earlier- don't give me that face, Hiro- listen, we were talking before, and I think Tadashi's having some self confidence issues in the looks department."
Hiro stared at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious."
Fred wadded up a napkin and threw it across the table at him. "I'm 100% serious, asshole. I don't think he gets the whole 'people are lining up at the door to date him' kind of thing. For fuck's sake, his first day here he didn't even realize one of my customers was hitting on him, and he literally asked him out. Not with the same words that Booster Gold used, mind you. Otherwise, you'd be scowling about someone on a very different side of the law.
"The point is: you have to let him have this. He was really looking forward to it, but he's upset because you won't stop putting him down about it. Just let him go on the one date, and then freak out about the rest after it's done. Who knows, maybe he'll realize how stupid Booster Gold is and refuse to go out with him again," he finished, giving Hiro a crooked smile.
Hiro sighed and face planted right into the table. "You're right. I've been a dick to him, and I know I should be supportive, but Booster Gold? Fred, that's supposed to be you that he's going on a date with!"
Fred shushed him, taking a furtive glance in Tadashi's direction. The older Hamada didn't notice his brother's little outburst and continued munching on the peanuts at the bar while chatting with the rest of their friends.
"Look man, I missed my chance. We're all just going to have to get over it. For now, let's just pray that he doesn't end up in a relationship with Booster Gold, okay?"
Hiro peeled his forehead off the table to look morosely up at him. "Okay."
"Fred?"
He turned around to face Tadashi while he finished brushing his teeth. He raised an eyebrow and smiled around his toothbrush.
Tadashi scuffled his feet at the edge of the bathroom tiles and dropped his eyes to the floor. "Um..."
Fred spit out his toothpaste and quickly rinsed out his mouth, wiping it on the towel he'd thrown around his neck from his shower. "You okay, dude?" he asked. Was Tadashi still worried about Hiro? His brother had apologized for not seeming supportive, but maybe his friend was still having his doubts.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering if maybe... Would it be okay if we shared your bed again?" he asked timidly. Fred's jaw went slack.
Tadashi hurried to explain himself. "I mean we don't have to. I don't want to be a bother or anything," he said, holding his hands out in front of him as if to ward off something. "It was just, um, it was really nice."
He practically wilted at that last part and it made Fred want to wrap him up in a hug and never let go. How could he possibly say no to that? It wasn't like he ever would have said no anyways.
"Sure, we can do that." He felt a little weight lift off his chest at the relief in Tadashi's eyes. He removed the towel from his neck and draped it over one of the hooks in his bathroom.
Tadashi's eyes trailed down to his chest and Fred suddenly remembered that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He felt his face heat up and prayed to the universe that Tadashi didn't notice him blushing. He had no reason to blush dammit! Just the other night Tadashi had been stripping down to his birthday suit on top of his bed. Sure, a lot of alcohol had been involved there, but there were plenty of other times they'd seen each other half naked.
He cleared his throat and ducked past his friend to find a shirt.
It could have been his imagination, but he almost thought he saw a little pink to Tadashi's ears when he walked by him.
He grabbed his regular sleep shirt off the edge of his bed and threw it on, trying to act as nonchalant as possible about the whole situation. On the inside he was screaming at deafening levels. But he was going to ignore the hell out of that screaming because it was the only way he was going to survive.
He tucked himself under the covers and patted the space beside him meaningfully. Tadashi gave him a wan smile before complying and crawling in next to him. As soon as the other was comfortably situated he leaned over to the lamp on his nightstand and switched it off.
They stayed silent for a few minutes, their breathing the only sound to be heard. Then suddenly Tadashi seemed to gather his courage and close the distance between them, slipping carefully into Fred's arms and resting his head beneath his chin.
Fred wondered if Tadashi could hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest. It sounded deafening to Fred- he could only imagine what it must be like with his head positioned right above his heart.
"Is this weird?" Tadashi whispered into his collarbone. Fred squeezed his arms a little tighter around him.
"Nah. Come on. I'm a retired superhero that runs a bar for criminals, some of my best friends are still superheroes, another one of my best friends is a mercenary that can't die and routinely gets blood stains on my floor, and my dad is also a retired superhero. This is probably the least weird thing about my life," he joked.
He felt more than saw the smile that Tadashi gave him.
So what if he ended up in unrequited love hell for eternity? So what if Tadashi ended up marrying Booster Gold and growing old with him? As long as he knew he had Tadashi's friendship, that was all that mattered to him.
A/N: sorry i'm spamming u all with multiple chapters but I legit forgot that this website exists lol. My bad. If you wanna make your life easier you should join ao3 where I update one fucking chapter at a time haha. Plus there was like 5 months when I didn't have a computer, so that didn't help
