"You know, the inner workings of a database are really fascinating."
"...Hiro, please, just go to sleep."
He clicks the mouse again, completely ignoring Tadashi's mumbled plea as he scans the computer screen. "Like, isn't it amazing that a group of people can organize a gigantic compilation of pretty much whatever they want? If I want, I can just-" With a pause, he raises his eyebrows. "Yeah. Just like that, I'm staring at a list of every time someone in a movie has said, 'Things can't get any worse.'"
"You were falling asleep twenty minutes ago. This isn't fair."
"And it's constantly changing, because everyone keeps it updated!" Frowning thoughtfully, he leans his elbows on his desk. "Now that I think about it," he says, "The human element is sort of a part of the network, too. The people who keep this running are, like, another layer to the system. It's almost as if the database extended so far that it became self-sustaining."
Tadashi's next response is more of a despairing moan than any coherent speech, and Hiro finally turns around with a sigh. "Aw, fine, you big baby." He shuts his laptop with a click, then switches off the desk lamp. The now-dark attic makes it a little more difficult to get from his chair to the bed, but he doesn't have any trouble navigating the somewhat-messy floor. He changes quickly, falling into bed a few minutes later.
"Night, Hiro," his brother mutters quietly.
"Night."
...
Well, this is annoying.
Hiro knows he's the kind of person to get stuck on ideas. He can't help it- if there's something he's wondering about, it bugs him until he finds some way to figure it out. And now, staring up at the dark ceiling of the room, listening to the quiet night around him, he realizes he won't be able to go to sleep until he gets his thoughts out there.
Tadashi had a point. He should be really tired by now.
He sighs, acutely aware of how awake he is. It's basically a simple choice- bug his brother for a few minutes, or resign himself to a night of rolling over and tangling his blankets without getting much real sleep at all. "Tadashi?"
"Nghh."
Taking a minute to think it over, Hiro turns to face the other bed. "...What's up with Fred?"
"Huh?" It's tough to tell, but he thinks Tadashi is at looking at him. "Fred?"
"Uh, yeah." He rolls his eyes. "Jokes around a lot, owns a mansion. Pretty sure you know him."
"Hilarious." Tadashi yawns. "Yeah, he's a weird guy. Good friend, though. What about him?"
"I dunno. He was acting kinda weird."
His brother is quiet for a second, and it looks like he's sitting up now. "Weird how?"
Briefly, Hiro gets the feeling that he's tattling, but he doesn't worry about it. "I think you went to the bathroom or something, and he got all jumpy. He looked really freaked out for a while."
"Really." Tadashi sounds a lot more serious.
"I mean, it's probably nothing. He said he had to get some air. That's why he was gone when you came back."
The attic is silent. Finally, Tadashi sighs. "Right."
"...Well?"
"Well, what?"
Impatient, Hiro rolls over so he's looking up at the ceiling again. "Well, what do you think?"
"I don't know, Hiro." Tadashi sounds even more tired now, and when Hiro glances back over, the dim outline suggests he's curled up again, hoping to get to sleep. "You're probably right. I'm sure it's nothing."
"Hm." He blinks up at the posters on the walls. In this light, he can't see anything specific, so his thoughts aren't distracted.
He's nearly asleep when a faint noise catches his attention. "...Tadashi, are you on your phone?"
"No." A quick scuffling noise betrays his brother, and a tiny light quickly shuts off.
Hiro gives a sleepy chuckle. "Please, just go to sleep," he mimics.
"Okay, I get it."
"It's not fair," he continues. "You were falling asleep twenty minutes ago!"
"I don't sound like that."
"That's exactly what you sound like."
Tadashi mumbles an argument back-and-forth with him for a few minutes, and Hiro eventually dozes off in the middle of a sentence.
[]
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-Heard about what happened. You know you can still talk to me whenever, right?