This story is rated K+ however a gay slur is used once, so if that makes you uncomfortable, please don't read.

Otherwise enjoy my latest plot bunny.

"Tadashi, your mama and brother are home."

The 6 year old careened out of the room at a speed that would surely break his neck were he to collide with something. His father chuckled and grabbed his shoulders before he could crash into the wall.

"Slowly. Hiro is sleeping."

"Sorry." His father shook his head goodnaturedly and ushered him into the room.

He had only seen his mother and Hiro once: just after Hiro was born.

"Hello, mama." Tadashi hugged his mother, careful not to stir the baby sprawled on top of her.

"Tadashi." His mother ran her hand through his hair. "My baby boy."

"'M not the baby, anymore. Hiro is."

"You'll both always be my babies. Even when you're old and you leave me."

Tadashi looked at her in confusion. "Why would we leave you?"

"To live your lives, darling."

"I can live my life and stay with you. I'm not going anywhere." He told her, stubbornly. Why would he choose to leave with a family as amazing as his?

He was absolutely baffled by the tears in his mother's eyes.

"Okay. You can stay with us for as long as you want."

Tadashi was about to retort that it would be forever when Hiro woke up, suddenly uncomfortable with where he lay.

"Can I hold him, mama?"

Assenting, she handed him the baby, readjusting his arms so Hiro's head wouldn't lop backwards. "Tomeo! Come here and bring your camera!"

Mother and son laughed as they heard Tadashi's father crashing around, trying to remember where he last put that "infernal contraption".

"He's so small," Tadashi said, looking at the baby in wonder.

"He is," his father agreed, as he walked into the room with his camera. He took a picture of his wife and sons before continuing. "Which is why you've got to look after him. You need to teach him and protect him and love him."

"It's a big and important job," Tadashi's mother told him, a glint of pride in her eyes. "But we know you're grown up enough to handle it."

All the 6 year old could do was grin as the baby in his arms drifted back to sleep.

"Look, Tadashi!"

His mother held up a squirming one year old Hiro who was busy gnawing on a teether.

"He's eating a piece of plastic?" Tadashi asked. He wasn't sure what his mother wanted him to notice.

"No, silly. Look at his teeth."

So he did. It took him a moment but he finally got it.

"He has a gap in his teeths."

"Just 'teeth', darling. Yes." She put Hiro in her lap and cooed at her youngest son. "My little baby has a gap tooth."

"What's so important about that?" Tadashi agreed: it was cute. But he didn't understand why it elicited such a reaction from his mother.

"In many cultures, having a gap tooth signifies success."

Tadashi frowned. He was happy for his little brother but, as someone who didn't have a gap tooth, did that mean he wasn't going to be successful?

Later that day, as he was meant to be brushing his teeth, his father found him grappling with his teeth.

"You know your teeth are only meant to fall out once, right?"

Tadashi let go of his mouth and felt tears well up in his eyes. His father looked at him in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Mama said Hiro's gap tooth means he'll be successful. But I-"

He didn't finish but his father seemed to understand.

"Come here."

He scooped up his son and took him to the other bathroom, where his mother was giving Hiro a bath.

Tadashi heard his father telling his mother what had happened.

"Tadashi, can you hold Hiro while I shampoo his hair?"

He obliged, giggling as the 1 year splashed around, not wanting to get the soap in his eyes.

"It's okay, Hiro. Tadashi-nii won't let anything happen."

Hiro stopped, looked up with his big brown doe-like eyes. "Da…"

His parents went silent.

His father then suddenly got very excited.

"Come on, Hiro! Say 'dada'!"

Hiro scrunched his tiny button nose in concentration.

"Da…Da-nii!"

Their mother burst into laughter.

"It's not funny, Maemi." But he was smiling as Hiro chanted the botched version of Tadashi's name over and over.

When they got Hiro dried and dressed, Tadashi was pulled into his mother's lap.

"You're the most important person to Hiro," she whispered, both of them watching Hiro trying to disassemble the nearest toy. "Just because you don't have the gap tooth, doesn't mean you won't be successful." She turned him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "I have no doubt you and Hiro will go on to do great things."

Tadashi felt content with that. He just leaned against his mother and closed his eyes.

"I wanna go home, Dashi-nii," Hiro wailed for what felt like the hundredth time.

Tadashi's 9 year old heart was aching. He wasn't a fool. He knew exactly why they were going to stay with Aunt Cass, even if the adults were determined not to tell him that.

"This is our home now, Hiro."

The 3 year old sobbed. "But I want mama." How could Tadashi make him understand that they would never see their mama or their papa ever again?

Instead, Tadashi picked up his little brother and brought him over to his own bed. "You can sleep with me tonight, okay?"

Hiro quickly quietened, content with that.

"Dashi-nii?" Hiro whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"...Ok."

He looked around the room for some inspiration because none of their books had been unpacked yet. He noticed Hiro's toothy grin as the younger boy waited for him to begin the story. That gave Tadashi an idea.

Picking up a nearby teddy bear, he began, "One day, there was a little bear with a gap tooth-"

"I can't see the gap tooth, Tadashi."

"That's because his mouth is closed."

"Oh."

Tadashi rolled his eyes but picked up another bear and kept telling the story.

"The bear had a big brother bear and they both went to a library. There they found a book that told of a little gap-toothed bear destined for greatness…"

Half an hour later, Hiro was beginning to nod off, just after Tadashi finished his story.

"Dashi?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the best big brother bear ever."

Tadashi was touched.

"And you're the best little gap-toothed bear ever."

Hiro yawned. His eyes closed as he mumbled, "We'll both do cool things. You don't need the gap."

He waited until Hiro finally drifted off before tucking him in and clambering under the covers himself.

"Not as long as I've got you. Whatever the Hamada's do, we do it together."

"Come on, Tadashi! I could finish high-school in a year if you let me."

Hiro was in the middle of persuading Tadashi to let him get his high school diploma online. Tadashi knew Hiro didn't enjoy school but letting him get so far ahead? What would Hiro do with himself afterwards, being too young to work.

"You're the one always saying this means I'm destined for success and greatness," The 12 year old reminded him, pointing at the gap in his teeth. Even when his adult teeth came in, the gap persisted and was apparently here to stay.

Unfortunately, he forgot his brother had infinitely more patience than a 17 year old should.

"But what about your frien-"

Hiro barked a laugh. "What friends? The ones who look at my teeth and see a big baby instead of a sign of success? The ones that call you a fag based on the fact that you wear cardigans?" He chuckled darkly. "Some friends."

Tadashi breathed out through his mouth slowly, not expecting that. Any of it.

He sat down and buried his face in his hands. While he had been so busy trying to get into college early, he hadn't noticed what was happening to his little brother.

"I'm sorry, Hiro." His voice was muffled by his hands. He jumped when Hiro grabbed his hands and moved them away from his face.

"You can still go to college...I just...I don't want to be in school." He wrapped his skinny arms around Tadashi. "I'd rather spend that time at home with you."

Tadashi had two options: persuade Hiro to stay in school or give up and let his brother finish 5 years ahead of schedule.

When he looked at his brother, all he could see was the tiny baby he'd held so many years ago.

"...you've got to look after him. You need to teach him and protect him and love him."

He gave up.

"Fine, I'll talk to Aunt Cass." But then he glared at the preteen. "But you have to keep going to school until it's all arranged."

Hiro grinned, obviously very pleased that he got his way. "No problem, bro. Don't do drugs, stay in school, blah blah blah."

Tadashi laughed and shoved Hiro away. "Brat."

"We did it, Tadashi-nii. We changed the world."

Hiro gasped for breath as the tears rolled down his face.

It had been 10 years since Tadashi had run into the SFIT fire, never to return.

Hiro was 24.

Tadashi should've been 30.

He leaned against the grave stone, knowing that if he read the engraving, the tears may never stop.

"Mama was right. I'm successful. But not because of the gap tooth. Because of you."

The wind tossed around the autumn leaves. The only response he got.

"Baymax has helped so many people, just like you wanted. And one day, I hope you and I can help everyone."

He stood, eyes squeezed shut as images of his brother flashed in his mind. A decade didn't make it less painful.

"Cuz it doesn't matter that you're dead, Tadashi-nii. No matter what the Hamada's do, we do it together."

Hiro laid a hand on the stone, glancing quickly at the words carved into it before shoving his hands into his pockets and making his way back home.

Tadashi Hamada

"Kindness is not a business. True kindness expects nothing in return and should never act with conditions."

Roy T. Bennett