Sorry this is late getting out.
-Dark-
She clicks off the TV before she turns to Evie, who appeared just as unsure as she felt.
That had been…
Uncomfortable.
And, unexpected.
She certainly hadn't expected Hiro to be so-
Contained.
Yet, equally, and this is where the uncomfortable came in, open.
He'd put so many cards on the table.
More cards than she ever would in his position.
More cards than any of them would.
Who the fuck did that? Put themselves out there like that.
Admitted how close they'd been to becoming a villain.
Her head was still reeling.
That whole debate had been one surprise after another.
And the fact he'd had the gall to ask Queen Leah why she hadn't invited her mother to that stupid christening?
She takes a deep breath.
He defended them.
All of them.
Her.
Her pack.
Kids he'd never even met.
Defended them.
Fought for them.
At the expense of himself.
Of his reputation.
Her cheeks flare with heat.
She never would have gone that far.
To that extent.
It meant so much it scared her.
She thought for sure she was going to be pissed.
Had been pissed.
But now?
Now she found unexpected respect for Hiro lodged in her chest.
Like, a mad amount of respect.
He put everything on the line for them.
"Should, should we go get C now?" Evie asks in a whisper, as if afraid Carlos could somehow hear her.
She sighs as she catches the concern etched into Evie's face.
How long had she been lost in thought?
How long had Evie sat there watching her, wondering what she was thinking.
"I mean, am I wrong to think that went, well, certainly better than I thought it was going to." Evie continues when she doesn't answer immediately, "And I'd rather C hear about this from us."
"Yeah," She nods. "Better from us."
She was happy it had been Hiro.
That it had been Carlos they'd whisked away.
Their pup was so much better with being left in the dark than Evie was.
She eyes the other girl.
Lil' hypocrite.
Evie nods before she stands and straightens her wrinkled skirt, smoothing the fabric back into place after the abuse of being twisted in her wringing hands.
She pushes herself off the couch and cracks her neck.
"Do you think Jay is okay? I'm pretty sure he went to find David and Nani," Evie sighs as she checks her face in the mirror, "but he usually lets us know."
"I'm sure he's straight." She assures with a shrug, "And, I would bet my art that that's exactly where he is." She exhales deeply as she stretches her hands behind her back. "C'mon."
She waits for Evie to put away her compact before they head out.
Lucky for them, the walk to Doug and Roy's room doesn't take long.
"Yo." She knocks loudly before she tries the door, rolling her eyes when she finds it open, and lets herself in.
Doug's smile widens when he sees Evie behind her, "Hey ladies."
"Hi Doug," Evie smiles brightly as she walks over to him.
"I know it's school tomorrow, but come on, M," Carlos whines as he twists to speak to her over the couch without having to take his eyes off the TV, "we still have two more campaigns to finish."
"And, you can come back to play after dinner." She shrugs, "Right now, we need to have a pack meeting."
Roy sighs before he ends the game, "It's cool, One o' One. Pack meeting is a pack meeting, right? We can totally restart later, no prob."
Her lip twitches into a ghost of a smile.
As much as she was loath to admit it, Roy was steadily growing on her. "See, now c'mon."
"See you at dinner then?" Doug asks as he carefully lifts a delicate curl to scoop back behind Evie's ear.
"Sounds like it," Evie smiles with a delicate nod. "Either way, I'll text you later."
Carlos quickly wraps his controller up and sets it on the coffee table before he bumps his fist against Roy's, "Thanks for understanding."
"No prob, fam is fam." Roy grins. "I've got to go chill with Tuck anyways."
Now they just had to get Jay back to the room.
She pulls her phone out as they step out to the hallway, only to have it beep at her.
Nani's office.
Food and explanations.
-J
Just collected pup.
On our way.
-M
About time he contacted them.
She catches Evie's eye as she looks up.
"Change of plan?" Evie asks as she absently plays with Carlos's curls.
"When isn't there," She sighs, before she steps back into the other boy's rooms.
"They'll see you after dinner!" She yells, not waiting for a response before she shuts the door and starts walking.
No need to worry them unnecessarily.
They'd done enough of that over the last few days.
The least she could do was give them a heads up.
"What change of plan?" Carlos frowns as he looks between her and Evie.
"We're meeting Jay at Nani's office." She shrugs before she starts walking. "N'joy CoD, Pup?" She glances at Carlos with a small smile.
"Yeah, there's a new map." Carlos explains as he keeps pace with her, "Why are we meeting Jay at Nani's office?"
She sighs as she glances at Evie and then back to Carlos, "The debate thing was today."
"But everything is okay, we just wanted to make sure if you had questions, they could be answered." Evie continues gently, "And now that it's over, they can."
She watches as several emotions flit over Carlos's face, "It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. Hiro's not in trouble."
"Queen Leah even shook his hand after they finished debating." Evie smiles as she pulls Carlos closer to her, "Impressive, right?"
"I like him a little bit more now." She admits, "To give you an idea of how much of not an asshole he was."
Carlos stumbles to a halt, his eyes wide as he stares at her, "Really? Like, you're always mad at him."
"I know. I'm as shook as you." She sighs.
"We all are, but it's not in a bad way, I promise." Evie soothes.
Carlos furrows his brow before he takes her and Evie by the hand and starts walking faster, almost pulling them behind him in his haste to get to Nani's office.
She smiles.
It wasn't like Carlos to take the lead in anything.
And he rarely initiated physical contact, least of all with her.
She couldn't help the warmth in her chest at the realization as she reflexively squeezes his hand.
"There was a debate. Hiro's okay. You like him more. But Jay went to see Nani and David." Carlos says as they leave the dorms.
"We were all worried about what the shitiot was planning," She admits with a shrug. "An' you know how Jay gets when he's worried. No, big."
"And that's why Roy showed up and wanted to play out of nowhere?"
"When doesn't Roy show up out of nowhere and want to play." Evie chuckles.
For as much as Roy reminded her of a certain pirate, he acted an awful lot like T in that particularly obnoxious regard.
When the others finally got here-
She blinks before a wide smile curls her lips.
T loved playing stupid fucking games.
Maybe they'd be able to find him for a change. Or at least know the lil' shit wasn't off trying to get himself killed somewhere.
That would certainly help him pissing her off so much. Which in turn would make everyone all the happier.
Carlos doesn't slow down until they nearly crash into the door.
But instead of simply walking in, in true pup fashion, he knocks softly on the door.
From assertive to timid in two seconds flat.
She shakes her head as she opens the door, "S'up." She greets as she walks in, pulling Carlos and Evie in by proxy. "Ho- Holy fuck!"
Her mouth waters as a delicious scent envelopes her, as her eyes sweep over what had to be over a hundred familiar boxes.
She'd loved finding them on the barge.
They were one of the foods that hardly rotted by the time it arrived. At least the meat anyways.
And once you scrape the mold off the noodles and heated it, it was delicious.
She's glad she's not the only one racing to them once they're in the room.
"Ey, sup iki brahs." David chuckles.
Carlos hesitates as he looks over the food.
"Don't let us stop you," Nani smiles from where she was curled on the couch, plate already in hand, and sticks in the other.
"Is Hiro-"
"Yeah, he should be here any minute," Nani assures him. "Til' then why don't you guys make yourselves a plate."
She doesn't need to be told twice as she scans the room, finds the plates, and grabs one.
Fuck.
Where the fuck was she supposed to start?
She turns, amused to find Evie wiping the back of her hand over her mouth.
Good.
At least she wasn't the only one drooling.
Jay slides his plate to the coffee table as he stands up, "Come on Pup, I'll show you the stuff I know you'll like." He smiles as he puts a hand on Carlos's shoulder, "Some of this has peanuts in it."
"Like peanut butter peanuts?" Carlos asks as Jay shoves a plate in his hands and leads him to another row of boxes lining Nani's desk.
David chuckles.
"We've got drinks too." Nani taps the table at her elbow, drawing her attention to the soda cans there.
She nods as she fills her plate with a little bit of everything. Well, everything she could fit on one plate.
Once they all have full plates and drinks, they start to settle around the coffee table.
She frowns when she catches Nani and Carlos use the sticks to eat.
When had their pup learned to eat like that?
She looks across the tables until her eyes land on long packets by the rest of the forks and spoons and picks one up curiously.
"Konichiwa." Hiro greets before he shuts the door behind him.
She blinks, but somehow during that second, Carlos managed to not only put his plate down without spilling any sauce but was now latched around Hiro.
Hiro chuckles as his arms wrap around Carlos. "Sup' Chibi-chan?" He ruffles his hair, affection clear in every aspect of the word.
"You should have told me," Carlos explains, his voice muffled in Hiro's shirt.
"Gomen-Sorry." Hiro says sheepishly as he runs a hand over the back of his hair, "Next time, I will. Promise."
"Did you guys want to talk about it during or after eating?" Nani asks as she eyes everyone in the room, "Or I guess a better way to ask this is who would like to finish eating before we talk, and who wants to talk while we eat?"
She looks over to Evie, "After."
She knew how much E hated people talking with full mouths.
She'd been lectured enough times to know that.
Evie nods.
"Then I think it's time the guys grab food and head over to David's space." Nani grins conspiratorially as she relaxes back against the couch, "And leave us girls in peace."
David chuckles, "You heard the lady," He grins as he stands.
"But, I stopped off to get these tart dessert things." Hiro grins as he holds up a plain white bag, "I heard someone here likes strawberries. And someone else likes apples-"
She drops the sticks on her plate as she scrambles to her feet, "Give me."
Hiro chuckles as he pulls two smaller boxes from the bag, "You win, Malgon." He snorts, "And one for the sister-in-law who loves me so much-" He grimaces as he slides another box into her hand.
"Mm-hmm." Nani glares, "We'll be talking later." She frowns.
"Yay." Hiro smiles widely as he hugs Carlos to him, "I love family bonding."
Hiro was fine.
He was standing right next to him, and he was fine.
That didn't stop the small pit of fear from churning in his stomach.
And he wasn't ready to untangle his hand from Hiro's shirt either.
Not even for more Chinese food.
At least not yet.
He kept it together after Mal and Evie told him about the debate.
Did his best to just breathe and eat.
It took everything in him to not ask the millions of questions he wanted-
No, needed.
Needed answered.
But the moment Hiro walked in the room, it was as if what everyone told him made sense.
Clicked.
Hiro was okay.
Hiro was okay because he could see him.
Could hear him.
Could feel his hand resting on his head.
Could smell the oils used in his inventions mixed with the cologne he'd told him Lilo bought him every year.
Because he had a hold of him, had the soft material of his shirt pressed tightly in his hand.
Hiro was fine.
"What do you mean Chibi-Chan didn't watch it?" Hiro pouts.
Jay rolls his eyes, "Have you met you?"
"Not yet, but workin' on it. Why?"
"Cool story, brah," Jay winces as he gestures to Carlos, "have ya met C?"
"I-" Hiro pauses, "Concede."
He sighs before he's pulled to the couch. "I'd like to watch it, though," He says as he carefully glances up, "if that's okay?"
"I don't know," Hiro turns to eye Jay, "Can Chibi-chan watch it, pleeeeeease?"
"Really, dude?" Jay sighs as he settles beside David on the floor.
"Cool," Hiro grins before he pulls out his phone and thumbs over the screen before he hits a button and masterfully tosses his phone to the table.
"We just didn't want you to have to deal with him not, ya know, being right there, C," Jay shakes his head, "Not when we didn't know what was going to come out of his mouth."
"Hey," Hiro snorts, "Don't act like I knew either."
Jay shakes his head before he goes back to the overloaded plate.
He takes a deep breath before he smiles gratefully at Jay.
He knew what he was.
And he knew that would have been a massive panic attack.
Worse than the one he had the first time Hiro talked to Queen Leah.
And with how jumpy he'd been lately, probably worse than the one he had on David when the AC freaked him out.
He tilts his head back, looking up to make sure there were no vents near them.
Hiro pulls his watch to him and hits a button.
A giant screen pulls up above his phone as an image of Hiro appears, fiddling with his phone lazily as a strange murmur buzzes in the background.
"The shirts I had printed have already sold out, by the way." Hiro grins unrepentantly.
David chuckles, "You've got a bigger set than me, brah." He shakes his head.
"Watch me own this noob?" Jay lifts an eyebrow.
"I know, wasn't it awesome?" Hiro grins widely as he leans back and throws an arm around him.
Jay sighs, "It kind of was, once I-" He purses his lips to one side as he looks over at David, "You didn't have to do that, you know. Tell the whole world." He rubs the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Hiro, "But, thank you. I don't think I'd ever be able to do something like that."
"Whatever it takes," Hiro shrugs before his eyes settle on Jay, "And you would. If it meant enough to you. I'd bet my brain on it."
"Talk in front of that many people?" He asks as the image shifts to show the audience waiting for the debate to begin.
Nope.
Not that many people.
"Nah, that I've been able to do since I was your age." Hiro winks at him. "Not my fave, but hey, if people wanna be educated or just need to fuckin' hear it, I'll do it."
His brow furrows.
Educate people-
It was a debate. He was going up against Queen Leah, who was not a fan of him and his family.
So, what had Hiro done to educate people?
Whatever it was, Jay seemed just as impressed as Mal.
Were they impressed for the same reason?
"What did you tell everyone?"
"Nothing I haven't already told you." Hiro shrugs nonchalantly.
He frowns as he tilts his head to the side.
Vague.
"Just watch." Hiro smiles as he ruffles his hair.
He pouts before he turns back to the hologram.
When he sees the camera pan to Queen Leah, his hand tightens in Hiro's shirt.
He was fine. This was done.
This was old news.
Only a few hours old.
But old.
And Hiro was fine.
He takes a deep breath and forces himself to focus on the images, to listen to the recorded argument.
It helped that Hiro rubbed and patted his back the whole time.
When Hiro tells the story of Tadashi, his eyes burn.
Hiro said he never talked about that, not to anyone that wasn't there.
Lilo had been the first to hear the story.
Then the rest of her family.
And him.
But now?
Hiro stood out there on a stage in front of-
He didn't even want to know how many people.
Stood in front of a camera transmitting to who knew how many homes.
But he stood up there and talked about one of the most hurtful things.
How he lost his brother to a villain.
And how he almost became a villain himself in his anger.
But he didn't. He made a different choice.
And now the whole world knew about it.
Something that private.
That personal.
That condemning.
He turns to stare at Hiro, awed by him all over again.
No wonder Jay was impressed.
No wonder Mal liked him more.
He did that for them.
To make a point.
Because that was what Hiro did. He made points.
By any and all means necessary.
Because he was-
A hero.
He sighs before he slams against Hiro's side, wrapping his arms around the man as tight as he could.
Hiro was his hero, he had always been his hero.
But now, he might actually get a chance to be like him.
Be like Hiro.
It was all he wanted for himself.
Hiro doesn't say anything as he hugs him back, securing him to his side.
He was glad the burning in his eyes didn't turn to sobs-
Recently it did. Every damn time.
But not this time. This time he manages to cry quietly.
It was strange, crying when he was so-
Happy?
Proud?
Something.
Something not bad. Just different.
"Wait, Chibi-chan," Hiro's voice interrupts his thoughts as his back is excitedly patted, "watch, watch, watch, this is my favorite part."
"Why?" David shakes his head.
"Brah, just wait for it." Hiro winks.
He turns, quickly rubbing his arms over his eyes to watch the screen again.
"I will not underestimate you again, but I will concede it was a worthy debate."
"Twice."
"Once. I didn't know who you were when you started flinging business cards like some cheap night worker."
"The cheapest. Totes' countin' the first time, baa-chan. You clapped back."
"Good luck, Mister Hamada."
"Luck, QL."
He jumps when Hiro bursts out laughing.
"Brah, ya face!" Hiro laughs at the look of disbelief on David's face.
"Yeah, they did not play that part on the live." Jay shakes his head, though he was smiling in amusement.
"Bitch switched off my mic." Hiro snorts.
"You pissed her-" Jay swallows before he sits up straighter, "I mean, you got one up on her, course she'd want a 'private' word." He bites his lip, "Ben said things like that happen with royals all the time. Like everything here is a mask too."
Hiro eyes Jay over, "Doesn't matter where in the galaxy you are. Everyone wears masks. Whether it be physical or metaphorical." He turns to David, "Speakin' of- Saw a certain black convertible on my way in."
David stiffens.
"What does that mean?" Jay's eyes widen as he watches David's reaction in horror.
Hiro's laughter echoes around the room, nearly toppling them both over in his exuberance.
"Uncle is here." Hiro laughs harder. "And, as requested, brought our dog. He's with Lilo right now though, brah."
"I am not calling anyone Uncle Bubbles." Jay points out after a moment.
"Wait for it," Hiro grins widely, "It gets better."
Jay narrows his eyes, "What does?"
"Nah, you'll know it when ya see it." Hiro winks before he secures his arm back around his shoulders.
David shakes his head before he snakes an arm over Jay's shoulders, "Bubbles is one of a kind, brah. Just like the rest of our Ohana. And your pack."
Hiro grins, "And one of the coolest fuckers you'll ever meet." He looks between him and Jay, "An' one of the few people I know who'd probably get you four on a level the rest of us can't. Malgon's gonna love 'im."
He and Jay exchange a look of disbelief before they shrug.
He was glad he got to stay with David as his counselor. He wasn't sure what he'd have done if he had to work with someone new.
Especially someone David seemed afraid of.
He sighs as he slowly releases his grip on Hiro's wrinkled shirt.
David's eyes sweep over him with a grin, his warm eyes bright with something he couldn't place before he shakes his head.
"Wanna call in the rest of your brah's before they head to dinner?" David asks as he turns to look around the room. "Pretty sure we have enough to share since my wife is lolo."
Jay snorts before he bumps his shoulder against David's, "Pretty brave since there's only two doors between us."
"She knows what she is," David grins unrepentantly. "Two of everything on the menu?"
"Lolz, that's some shit I'd pull." Hiro snorts as he eyes the room. "How pissed was she to actually pull out the gold card?"
Jay grimaces, "She yelled at me when I was ordering."
Hiro snorts again, "Ha, bet she thought you were your pops."
Jay blushes as he looks away, "She realized who was ordering real quick if that's what happened."
Hiro lifts his brow as he scans the room again before he lets out a bark of laughter, "They wouldn't let a chibi place the order?"
"I do not sound like a kid." Jay hmphs, "I just, accidentally called her mom when I was trying to fix it."
Hiro grins as he turns to David, "Bet that made her year."
"Oh, for sure beat my anniversary present." David chuckles.
He chuckles as he pulls out his phone, enjoying the easy conversation as he texts the group, asking how they felt about Chinese food with David, Hiro, and Nani.
"Think the girls are done talkin'?" Jay asks David, who nods.
"Good," Jay grins as he jumps to his feet, "cause I need seconds."
"I'll go get them." David chuckles, "Thank Kai, you guys are like bottomless pits." he turns to him, "The others are coming, right?" He asks hopefully.
"Looks like." He grins as he turns his phone to show the four quick responses.
"Awesome." David nods before he heads out the door.
He looks up as a shadow falls across him.
"Good job Pup." Jay grins as he ruffles his hair, "You're still breathing. Better than I was."
Hiro looks between the two of them before his eyes settle on Jay curiously. "Ya'll need Xanax." He finally states, in the most somber tone he'd ever heard Hiro use. "Not that you'd take it." He sighs as he leans back on the couch, his arm still slung over his shoulders.
"I don't know what that means." Jay shrugs before he falls onto the couch beside them, "But it's weird to hear the lolo uncle sound so serious."
"He does that sometimes." He grins at Jay before he turns back to Hiro, "But, what is Xanax."
Hiro smirks, "Anti-anxiety medication."
"There are medicines for this shit?" Jay asks as he sits forward suddenly.
Hiro snorts. "Whoops." He eyes Jay, "Talk to Bubbles. He can give you the D-L on it. Bonus! He can also prescribe it."
Jay narrows his eyes as he pulls out his phone.
"Aww, you're looking things up on your phone." He smiles.
Finally, but he'd leave that part out.
"X-a-n-a-x," Hiro offers. "I have some-"
"HIRO!" Nani snaps as they walk back into the room. "I know I didn't just hear what I think I did!"
He was glad he wasn't the only one to yelp; it certainly helped to hear Jay react to Nani's shout the same way.
Even if he was the only one to jump.
Jump straight into Jay's arms.
Some things might never change.
"What?" Hiro shrugs, "How have you not given them that option."
"Because we're not psychiatrists, we're psychologists."
"I thought you had like one more-"
"Yes, Hiro, but I'm not there yet." Nani glares. "And at the moment they're in guardian limbo 'til things are finalized." She rubs her temples. "So, it hasn't been a real treatment option yet."
"Cool." Jay nods before he slips his phone back in his pocket and passes him to Hiro, "This is part yours."
"Thank you." Hiro grins, eyeing to make sure Nani was glaring at him before, "Just let me know." He mouths to Jay.
Jay's eyes widen, "Dude. No." He shakes his head.
Nani turns on her heels, "Carlos, can you please step away for a moment."
His arms automatically tighten.
"Ha!" Hiro clings to him tighter.
Nani glares at Hiro, "I know where you-"
She stops in surprise when Jay wraps his arms around her, "He's just keeping us informed so we can ask questions, mom."
Nani visibly deflates, "You're right." She smiles at Jay as she hugs him back.
"Lucky," Mal snorts as she eyes Hiro in amusement.
Hiro holds up his other arm in agreement, "Usually." He shrugs.
"Hey guys, wanna help me out?" He hears David ask in the hallway, "Here, Ben, you grab that box. Lonnie, there's another behind Nani's desk. Roy, help me with the sodas?"
"I guess everything went just fine if we're moving to David's office." Evie giggles lightly.
"More sitting room." David grins. "Nani likes it cozy." He teases as he kisses the woman's forehead.
He smiles before he taps Hiro on the shoulder.
"Sup' Chibi-Chan?" He asks quietly as the others talk over themselves excitedly.
"Thank you."
It didn't really begin to cover it.
Just two words.
How could they?
But it was the best he had for now.
He wasn't a talker like Harry.
Or an artist like Gil.
He certainly wasn't a writer like Deez.
So yeah. Thank you was the best he had.
Hiro eyes him over, "Don't know for what, but, duh."
For standing up for me. Me and my friends.
For trusting me.
For being a good person.
For wanting me.
He smiles.
For being a real hero.
But he couldn't say those things. Not right now.
Not with everyone else here.
Though he wasn't sure he'd be able to say it even if it was just them.
Maybe he'd pull a Deez one day.
But, until then-
"For being awesome," He snorts, "duh." His brow furrows before he continues, "And for not getting into trouble."
Hiro's eyes brighten as his grin widens, "For you, Chibi-Chan, I can keep most of my thoughts to myself." He ruffles his hair. "Most of 'em." He repeats mischievously before he leans forward to swipe his phone off the table. "But some, I just gotta share." He winks. "Like inviting-"
"Mom to join us?" He asks excitedly.
He loved getting to use that word for someone like Lilo.
Loved how every time he said it, it got easier to believe.
His mom Lilo, and dad Hiro.
Hiro's head whips to him, "Yeah," His eyes soften. "that." He hugs him. "But let's keep it a surprise, hai?" He winks.
He shrugs, but nods as he pulls his phone out.
Have time for dinner?
Please?
-C
Always.
We'll be there in twenty.
-L
We'll?
Who was part of the-
Oh.
Oh!
That explained Hiro's humor.
And the fact it wasn't even his fault this time.
Whoops.
Sorry David.
Sorry David.
Anyone excited for some Bubbles action though?
We definitely didn't have him in our first write through of this series. Then again we didn't have any of the Lilo n' Stitch or Big Hero 6 cast either.
Anyone else do a double take when Hiro managed to earn Mal's respect?
Earned all these kid's respect.
Respect and admiration.
Were you guys even expecting Hiro to go that deep during the debate in the first place? We were certainly taken by surprise.
Yeah, I know. I know. I'm his writer. I should've known what he was going to do-
But, wanna know a secret?
-I never do.
I'm just as surprised as you guys about what comes out of these fingers.
LoLz.
It kills Dark on so many levels.
But what can I say? No seriously, what can I say? I've no idea where it comes from either. Or who in my case. Dissociative disorders man, they're some fun shit.
Happy we started from Mal's PoV and got to see some of her thoughts on the debate?
Got to see Carlos'?
Fave quote:
"Thank you." Hiro grins, eyeing to make sure Nani was glaring at him before, "Just let me know." He mouths to Jay.
Jay's eyes widen, "Dude. No." He shakes his head.
-In reference to Xanax
What's yours?
Much love and whatever,
-Twisted