Chapter Seven - Freak

Tadashi looked at the menu of the takeout restaurant that Honey Lemon had suggested that they go to. He had said that he felt uncomfortable with the burn and scars to sit down at a proper restaurant and then she had told him that they could get food to go and eat it somewhere private. He still kept feeling that people were looking at him. He shifted nervously and Honey smiled at him.

"Do you know what you'd like?" she asked and he blinked again. He had been somewhere where food like this was impossible to imagine. You pretty much had to hunt and kill to survive. He shrugged.

"Whatever…whatever you suggest," he said nervously and she took a slow breath in. She wasn't scared of him. She knew that even if he changed into this Domino character that he would have kept enough of his Tadashi-ness that he would hold back on hurting her. She nodded.

"Do you want to leave?" she asked, "You can wait outside. I'll get the food to go."

"I should wait with you," he told her as he felt his heart racing. He wasn't like normal people. He couldn't act like normal people acted. He had once been told that he was one of the kindest guys that people had met. He was strong, mature, he took care of his younger brother, he was incredibly smart and capable. That didn't seem to be who he was right now.

He looked down as the world started spinning around him. He put a hand to his chest and started to try to control his breaths. He had to concentrate. Things weren't bad right now. Nothing would jump out at him right now. "Tadashi?" Honey asked as she put a hand to his cheek. She lent down to look at him. "There are benches outside. Why don't you wait out there and I'll get the food. It'll be quick, I promise," she suggested.

She wondered whether he had shown this side around Hiro and that was why Hiro was a bit more protective of him. She knew that whatever he had to have gone through was bad but hopefully he would know that he was surrounded by friends who loved him and they wanted to help him work through these issues.

"Are you sure?" Tadashi asked as he pinched his nose. He nodded to her. "Thank you," he pulled out his wallet to pay but she shook her head. He remembered enough about her to know that this would turn into a slight non-aggressive argument between them and smiled, slipping out with a thank you.

He staggered to the bench and sat down. He didn't want to be this way. He didn't want his brain to be invaded by Domino. He didn't want to be remembered for having Domino's personality. He tried to calm himself with deep breaths before hearing the voice of a homeless street beggar.

"Freak, you look worse than me," he said with a laugh and Tadashi tried to ignore him. He wasn't worth his time or attention. He was just some innocent bystander and Tadashi did kind of look weird with his grotesque burn and scarring. "Makes me feel lucky looking at how ugly you are."

"Ignore him," Tadashi told himself but felt the man throw something at him, a dirty bag.

"Here," the drunkard laughed as Tadashi took the trash bag. "Use that to clean up your face."

Tadashi felt himself losing it. As much as he wanted to grip hold of who he truly was, he could hear Domino's laugh in his head and then he could hear it coming out of his mouth. He changed the way he was sitting and looked up with a cold grin which matched the iciness in his eyes.

"Pathetic," he said coldly. "Your life is pathetic. Maybe I'll have to spend money on changing the way that I look but at least I have money. At least I have a girlfriend and a family and my life isn't some huge disappointment. I doubt you have any loved ones. Did you drive them away or did they drive you away. I'm sure it was the former. No one wants a pathetic piece of crap like you around anyway. I feel that I'm losing my intelligence just breathing in the same foul air that you are."

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me," the man replied in a singsong manner.

Domino grinned, "What a pretty little voice," he said mockingly before looking around. He stuck out his hand and made a wooden box beside the man light on fire. The man stared at him with wide eyes. "As you were so kind to point out my burns, maybe you'd like to know how I got them." He said as he approached the man who seemed to have shrunk. He seemed absolutely terrified.

Domino moved forwards, making sure that no one could see them and grabbed the man by the collar, dragging him into the alley with a tighter grip than even he knew. "Your pathetic life is over. Pray for mercy. I'm sure someone won't be repulsed by you," he said before lighting something else on fire. He managed to use the air to create a hole in the wall behind the man. "Do you want to die, you worthless piece of crap?" he asked as the fire burned in his eyes.

"No-No…I'm sorry," the homeless man whispered but Domino gave a cold laugh and smiled in a manner that a villain might. Domino grabbed him before throwing him to the ground. He felt the man's blood on his fingers and licked them. "Du-Dudde…" the man said before Domino felt someone grab his hand.

"Stop it!" Honey Lemon shouted as she saw Tadashi turn back to her in shock. He looked between her and the man not knowing what he had done. He had just felt overwhelmed and blacked out for a moment and now this. He took deep breaths as he looked between them. "Sir, are you -"

"Get that sick freak away from me!" the homeless man said and Tadashi just stood there frozen. He could have never done anything like this before but he had felt the taunting and the anxiety and he had just snapped.

"We're leaving, sir," Honey said as she pulled Tadashi and felt how cold he was. She brought him to the bench and saw people starting to walk around again. She looked into his eyes where he was horrified by what had just happened. This was most definitely not Tadashi Hamada who had done that, he could never have performed that act of violence. "Are you okay?"

"What did I -" Tadashi asked as he looked at his hands. "I need to apologize. I need to.."

"Let's go back to your house," Honey said as she stood again, still holding the food. "We'll eat there. I think maybe Hiro can even help us out if you're not feeling that hungry any longer."

"You're not breaking up with me?" Tadashi asked still in shock and Honey Lemon shook her head. She stood up with her hand still outstretched for him.

"No. We just need to go somewhere where you feel comfortable," she said and Tadashi nodded. He fixed his hat again before walking back to the direction of the house. He felt cold and hollow. What had happened. What had he done that night?

BH6BH6BH6

As they entered the house, Hiro was surprised that they had come home that early but he saw the traumatized expression on his older brother's face. He opened his mouth as if to ask what had happened but he didn't want to remind Tadashi about Domino. This was obviously a time when Tadashi had lost control of himself and his own actions. "Welcome back," he said and as much as he wanted to make sure Tadashi was okay, he wasn't sure how to ask him.

"I should be locked up," Tadashi commented still seeming a world away from the two of them.

"Nonsense," Honey Lemon replied. "No we just didn't feel like eating out. I hope it's okay with your aunt that we decided to come here to eat. You can even help us with the fries, if you'd like, Hiro," she smiled in her very pleasant and optimistic way. Hiro nodded and sat down but he kept looking to his brother.

"I need to be kept away from normal people," he said and Honey stared at him and shook her head.

"He's just tired," she tried to cover up for Tadashi and Hiro nodded.

"Yeah, I expect so. I'll try to make sure that he gets some more rest. I'll try to remind him of that," Hiro said but was surprised when Tadashi stood up and put his palms on the table. He looked at Hiro and Hiro almost backed up seeing that twisted pain in Tadashi's expression.

"You know what happened," he said as he looked at Hiro who took a deep breath in. He didn't want to say that he had a good feeling that Domino had done something, in fact he was certain that Domino had done something but Tadashi needed to feel safe and cared for. He didn't want to lose his brother. "I…I his blood…"

"You didn't murder him. He'll be all right," Honey said and Tadashi stared at her in disbelief. "I'm sure that he's had rough nights before."

"Rough nights?!" Tadashi asked as he felt sick. Hiro looked at him feeling his pain. Murder? Tadashi would have never thought of murdering someone before or going as far as to hurt him. Domino would though. From the short interactions which Hiro had had with Domino he had the feeling that whilst Tadashi created Baymax to heal and protect and cure, Domino wouldn't turn down violence if it served his best interests. "I had the man's blood on my fingers."

"That wasn't you though," Honey Lemon said as she shared a pained look with Hiro.

"Domino is me," Tadashi said as he looked there in psychological torment. "Domino is me. I am Domino," he said before looking at them and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said before leaving out the back. They both looked after him but Hiro stood first.

"Let me talk to him," Hiro said before walking in the direction that Tadashi had left in. He saw his older brother with his back against the wall whilst seated on the ground. He had his head in his hands. "Hey," Hiro said as he approached him and sat next to him. He put a hand on Tadashi's knee. "Are you okay?"

"Why am I back here?" Tadashi asked. "Why am I here?" he repeated and Hiro sighed.

"I'm glad that you're back," he replied. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too," Tadashi whispered before putting a hand on his forehead. "Domino shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be him," he said and Hiro sighed. He wished that was true. He wished that Domino didn't exist but he was an unpleasant circumstance that they had to live with. Hiro didn't know what to say but he hoped his presence was enough to comfort his older brother, his own hero.

End of Chapter Seven

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