A/N: I know, I know! I apologize for the extra long wait. This chapter was a struggle for me. It came out a bit rough, so please be gentle with me.
Also, to anyone who thought Hiro was actually getting better: HA.
[Chapter 11- Outside]
After coming home, Hiro spent most of the first week in their shared bedroom. He had an odd attachment to Tadashi's baseball cap. The older brother let him sleep with it at night, thinking it couldn't do any harm. Sometimes Hiro woke up in the middle of the night, and Tadashi (ever a light sleeper) would be awakened by the screen being pulled aside and Hiro's light sniffles. Other times, Hiro needed to be alone and would end up locked in the bathroom with the lights off.
It was both comforting and terrifying. The small, dark space helped when he got overwhelmed by too many sights and sounds, but it also stirred up his new feelings of extreme claustrophobia. Luckily, he always knew he could turn on the lights, unlock the door, and leave.
After that first week, he began to venture down into the second story to watch Aunt Cass make dinner or to cuddle with Mochi on the couch. He might sit at the table, sketching out designs or just drawing. Or he might just sit, staring and thinking for hours. Aunt Cass gave him a few classic novels to read when his head became too much, and he accepted them gratefully.
It was after a month he finally made his way down to the cafe. Whenever Tadashi or Aunt Cass wasn't looking, Hiro would end up locking the glass door. They would always find out after a few moments and unlock it. When asked why, Hiro looked frantic and tried to explain, "Baymax! He's out there with- Oh. Nevermind."
The two older Hamadas developed their own habit of stopping by the door every ten minutes to keep it unlocked.
Hiro also reacted oddly to some of the customers, talking to them like they had always been friends or glaring at them with mistrust and suspicion. Tadashi hadn't realized Hiro's true mental condition until they left the hospital and returned to the world the thirteen year old thought he knew.
Hiro's entire mentality was different. Sometimes he was as childish as a kindergartener, others he seemed far too old for his age. Sometimes he knew far too much, others he couldn't seem to understand the truth at all.
There were two days when Tadashi considered taking Hiro back to the hospital.
The first time, a police officer came into the station. They'd seen him before, but Hiro had never actually talked to him. Now, Hiro walked up to the police officer, apologized, and gave him a box of tape. The man was extremely confused, and Tadashi had to offer an apology for Hiro's oddness.
The second time, Hiro had actually left the cafe, looking dazed and out of it. He wandered out into the street, barely missing getting hit by a car. Aunt Cass had suddenly screamed, and everyone turned to see what had scared her. Tadashi had barely let out a gasp before he was running after his brother.
He was surprised how easily Hiro had dodged him despite his slow waddling along. The chase seemed to go almost half way across the city before Hiro came to stop in front of an old warehouse. He turned glassy eyes to Tadashi and his head tilted curiously to the side.
He looked insane.
"There is a window," the boy pointed to the upper floor of the warehouse. Tadashi followed his gaze, wondering what had prompted Hiro to come here.
"Hiro, there's something wrong. We need to take you back to the cafe-"
"I found where your tiny robot wants to go," Hiro cupped his hands like he was holding something.
"Hiro! Tiny robot?! You're not making any sense!" The older brother panicked. Hiro whimpered at the loud noise and covered his ears. Tadashi took a deep breath and tried to steer Hiro back to the cafe. "I'm sorry, Hiro. I'm just really worried. This is really strange, and I think you should see the doctor."
"There is a window!" Hiro repeated, almost on the verge of tears. "There is a window!"
"We're not going in a deserted warehouse, especially not with you like this," the elder insisted and dragged a hand down his weary face. He didn't expect Hiro to aggressively shake him off and run over to the window. He jumped up and down, trying desperately to get inside.
"You're not going to leave until we look inside, are you?" Tadashi sighed. He made his way over, helped Hiro through the window, and followed him up. "So. What now?"
Hiro looked around for a moment before he made his way downstairs. He led Tadashi to the middle of the warehouse.
There was nothing there.
Hiro looked confused, his eyes starting to clear up. He wandered over to the closest wall and ran his hands over it. Tadashi followed; he didn't know how to feel anymore.
The younger brother noticed a paper by his feet. He picked it up, eyes widening, and turned it to Tadashi. If he hadn't already heard about Hiro's dream, he wouldn't have known what it was. He wouldn't have realized where Hiro had led them. He wouldn't have understood the implications.
It was a picture of a circle, with a sparrow in the middle.
Tadashi silently accepted the paper from his brother. Everything seemed to narrow in on the now familiar symbol, and the world spun around him. Everything was falling apart; the floor shattered beneath his feet and he was falling.
He looked up at Hiro's insistent tugging on his sleeve.
The younger brother dragged he outside the warehouse and through the streets once more. He stopped at the docks, pointing out into the peaceful ocean.
At first, Tadashi didn't see anything. But then he saw something bobbing on the water, a boat maybe. Why would Hiro show him a boat? Why would he bring him-
"Hiro! Tadashi!" A chorus of familiar voices called out. The brothers turned around to see Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Fred, and GoGo piling out of the car. "What are you doing here?"
Hiro grinned broadly then and hurried over to give Honey Lemon a hug. She hugged him back and patted his head, but looking at Tadashi, clearly concerned.
"I... I don't know," Tadashi admitted. "Hiro was acting really strange today, and he suddenly left the cafe. I followed him to... to this warehouse, and it seemed like he was trying to show me something. He wouldn't leave unless we went inside, so we did! But..."
"Wait, you went into a warehouse? Did you find anything?" GoGo demanded; it was her own way of expressing worry.
"Just this," Tadashi offered the paper.
"A bird!" Fred cried, pointing dramatically. "I don't get it."
"You remember Hiro's dream?" The older brother scrubbed his face with both hands and pulled his hat away to scrub at his hair as well. "Well, I thought it seemed a bit odd. He noticed things that really happened or would happen, so I did some looking into it."
"Oh, Tadashi," Honey Lemon whispered, still holding Hiro close.
"No, but-! The experiment where they lost Professor Callaghan's daughter? It actually happened on that island! I found a report from one of the scientists on the team, and it was called- get this- Silent Sparrow," Tadashi explained.
The other students looked at the paper.
"And this proves...?" GoGo prompted.
"This proves that Hiro still needs some help, and maybe Tadashi too, because they are both becoming obsessed and that is not normal!" Wasabi cried.
"It proves that Hiro's dream might not be crazy after all," Tadashi stated softly. He pulled Hiro back to him when the boy started to fuss. The two stood together, looking to their friends for help.
"Alright, fine. Tell us everything and we'll see if we can figure out what's up," GoGo sighed.
"What?! No! They clearly need help, and not from us! From professionals, doctors!" Wasabi protested.
"We can at least hear them out?" Honey Lemon tried.
"I know just the place," Fred declared, once again being dramatic. Oddly, Hiro seemed to perk up.
-{[(•)]}-
A/N: This appears to be the actual start of the story, to me at least. This is the first time we see serious connections between the movie and the Trapped universe. People are talking and interacting for longer periods of time, we see the development of Tadashi's friends, we see actual evidence that Callaghan might be up to something. This chapter actually steers the story in the direction I wanted it to go.
At first, this chapter was a major pain. I wasn't sure how to explain that there was still something wrong with Hiro, and that the hospital was actually keeping him from revealing how messed up he really is. PTSD is a serious issue, and it doesn't just go away after staying with doctors for a month. (This is like a really screwed up version of PTSD that I'm not even sure really exists, but whatever.)
ALSO! I have a tumblr! If anyone wants to check out what I post, I'm pretty sure it's the same as my author name here: Pansychic27213. My blog(?) is also called Canada-Senpai. (HETALIANS REPRESENT)
QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Baymax plushie or Hiro pillow? I choose Baymax! ^W^ (o-o)
