AN: I'm actually feeling some depression and writing this helped me a little bit. I know it's super weird but it's kind of addictive in its strangeness

Chapter Three

I hate being scared. The heroes on TV are never scared, they're brave. They're as brave as Tadashi is and I want to have some of his bravery. He's four years older than I am so that probably makes him braver. I hold onto my pillow tightly and watch him. As soon as he notices me, he sits up.

"Hey, little bro," he yawns and I know that I've woken him up. I always hear my friends tell me that when they wake their siblings up, they get pissed off at them. Tadashi doesn't get angry because I think he understands that I'm not always brave. I get bad dreams. "You have a nightmare again?"

I pull the pillow towards me and shrug, he sits up and yawns before patting the bed next to him. He has always been the big brother that I look up to, my hero.

Tadashi shifts over in the bed and lifts the covers up for me. I nervously shuffle forward but he lays down on his side. "No snoring, okay?" he jokes and I realize that despite being a pain to him sometimes, he wants to look out for me. He's always doing his best to take care of me.

…..

…..

He's finally getting some sleep. I let my fingers spread over the blanket which is over him and see his chest rise and fall as he appears to be dreaming. Do dogs dream? I can't believe that he's here and in this body and that he almost got himself killed today. If we hadn't been there to save him, that fake Tadashi would have shot him. The real Tadashi bit the fake's wrist and he lost his aim at me. Just a few seconds slower and I would be dead…or a dog…I could possibly have been made a dog.

I look at his tiny sleeping face. He's offered a lot of expressions of the former him, the human him, but I have to realize that he is not the human him. I sit by the bed and then push myself up. I'm glad that he's sleeping in his old bed, that we didn't get rid of it. I would have offered him mine though. I know that an outsider would suggest a dog bed for him but he's more than just some random dog.

He barks in his sleep and I feel my chest tighten.

Unless there is some way of getting him back into a human body, we can't have the relationship that we once did. He can't be the big brother who always took care of me and watched out for me. He's too small for that, too weak. I refuse to expose him to danger.

As I gently use one finger to pet him, he opens his tired eyes and then looks at me. He gives a short and happy bark and I see his tail start to wag. He's already given me so much. I look at his face as he stares at me, his eyes have stayed the same color and depth despite his now canine biology.

"I had a bad dream again," I tell him and he reaches one of his spotted paws out for me. "I'm sorry," I whisper and scoop his floppy body up in my arms. I pull him close to my chest and get down into a position to share the bed with him once again. I hold him to my body, being extra careful of him. I owe him so much. I'm not letting anything happen to him again.

He whimpers and tries to look at me but I shake my head.

"I'm taking over the bed, you just get some sleep," I tell him as I try not to cry. We may never have the relationship that we once did but he's my big brother. He's not a pet. He's my big brother, he'll always be my brother.

…

…

Hiro's body is warm. Maybe it's because he's so much bigger than I am now – which is a strange concept after fourteen years – but his body is comforting and I can feel the rise and fall of his chest as he holds me. I headbutt him lovingly before pulling away from the embrace. I manage to wriggle out of his hold and jump onto the floor. The sun is starting to come out. I sit on the floor and stare up at my little brother who I don't want to wake up.

I hear him turn in his sleep, "Tadashi…" he whispers and I bow my head knowing that he's thinking of my human form and that I've disappointed him by being this way. "Don't…don't go in there." I sigh and bow my head. I really screwed up when I did that.

"I'm sorry," I try to tell him but only my barks come out.

I look around the home that seems so much bigger than before and I try to think of what to do so that I don't wake him up. I grab the blanket with my teeth and pull it back over him. It takes a lot more effort to do these things but I can try. I can smell something, coffee or bread or something and I manage to create a gap which I can squeeze through in the doorway. I look towards Hiro sadly and then shake my head going to see where the smell is coming from.

I've really let him down by allowing myself to get put in this body.

I carefully get down the stairs knowing that a tumble is going to hurt and I see Aunt Cass sitting at the table with her cup of coffee. Did I wake her up as well? I sigh before walking over to her and she looks up quickly before seeing me and stands up, walking over to me and then kneeling in front of me.

"You woke up pretty early," she tells me as she scratches me behind the ear. "Come on, I'll get you something to eat." I look at her and push my head against her chest. She picks me up and holds me close to her. She sits back at the table and sets me on her lap. "You can stay with me today," she tells me and I can see that she's trying to accept me in this form.

"I was thinking of a new name that we could give you," she continues and my eyes widen. A new name? I suppose that it'd make things easier for when other people are here but I hope that Aunt Cass sees me as more than a new puppy. "How about Dashi?" she asks and I tilt my head to the side curiously. "Well," Aunt Cass laughs as she strokes me, "We already have Mochi so Dashi isn't far off."

I nod and bow my head but before I know it, she's pulled me to her chest. "I've really missed you," she tells me sadly and I freeze before nodding. "We've both really missed you. Oh and I came up with an idea," she puts me to her shoulder as you would a new baby and moves me over to the living room where she's written down all the letters in the alphabet. She sets me on the floor in front of them and kisses the top of my head, "You want to give it a go?" she asks me and I bark in response.

I try to think of the best message to try and then put my first paw to the letter 'I'. Aunt Cass nods and grabs a notebook but it's a short message I'm going to try. She starts to jot down all the letters that I tap my paw onto before the words are formed in the notebook. 'I l-o-v-e-y-o-u-a-u-n-t-c-a-s-s'

She squeals slightly as I stop before petting me again. "I love you too," she tells me. "We can communicate. That's great, right?" she asks me and I nod. "So, how are you feeling?" she asks and I look at the letters not sure whether to be honest or not.

"F-i-n-e" I tap out and she raises an eyebrow, I know that she doesn't believe me. How could I be fine in the body of a dog? This time it's a little longer, 'w-o-r-r-i-e-d-a-b-o-u-t-h-i-r-o" I look in the direction of the bedroom before hearing a noise behind me.

"I don't want you to spend all your energy worried about me," Hiro tells me before sitting down next to me and letting his hand brush over the fur on my back.

…

….

I feel haunted without him by my side. I went to sleep whilst holding him and I wake up and he's not there. I didn't just dream the whole thing, right? I know that it's hard that Tadashi is now a dog but at least he was here. At least he was alive. I feel my breaths become shallow and I push myself up from the bed immediately.

I see a light on. Maybe Aunt Cass can give me some understanding of the situation. I didn't just dream it all did I. I follow the light and then feel a breath of relief as I see the puppy form of my brother interacting with our aunt.

I look at the letters that Tadashi has his paw on and read the word 'fine'. I don't know the question Aunt Cass asked but I'm happy that he's here, that he's safe enough for now. I control my breathing before reading what he spells out next.

"I don't want you to spend all your energy worried about me," I reply as I sit down next to him and try to comfort him by petting his back. He's a little animal who has so much more to be concerned about. He shouldn't be focused on being a big brother right now. "This is pretty cool," I tell him and he nods. "Thanks, Aunt Cass."

"This is for me as much as it is for you," Aunt Cass tells me and I scratch Tadashi behind the ear.

I nod before looking at him, "You sleep okay?" I ask him and Tadashi barks before nodding.

He walks forward to the letters and I watch him, "s-o-r-r-y," he says and I frown as I watch him. I don't want him apologizing. I shake my head but he continues 'I-s-h-o-u-l-d-n-t-h-a-v-e-r-u-n-b-a-c-k-i-n."

That's in the past, he shouldn't be concerned about that right now. I pick him up feeling a little guilty that I keep doing that but it's hard not to. "I don't want you thinking about that, okay?" I tell him as he looks up at me. "You running back in was inevitable because you're you, as smart as you are, you're kind and you've always taken care of me. Now it's my turn to take care of you."

Tadashi nudges me with his head, nuzzling me. I keep him close.

"I've given him a new name," Aunt Cass tells me and I stare at her. It better not be Spot or Dog or something, he already has a name, a name that our parents chose for him. I'm not going to just start thinking of him as an animal because he has a name like an animal.

"What?" I ask and Tadashi rests his head on my shoulder, I reposition my hold on him to make sure he's comfortable.

"Dashi," she says and I smile. It fits with Mochi but it's actually his proper name minus a syllable. It's really convincing.

"Good choice," I tell her before sighing as I think about what Gogo said. If Tadashi was human then of course he'd be a major part of our team but he's not human and he could easily get hurt. I'm not letting him go out there only to lose him again.

End of Chapter Three

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

The human Tadashi form is going to be in the next one ;)

Thank you to the Guest who reviewed Chapter Two