Chapter summary: Hiro plots revenge, and we get a little insight on Matt.

"Hi-ho, neighbor," came what was probably the worst imitation of Kermit the Frog Hiro had ever heard, from behind him. He resisted the urge to pound his head against the wall and instead turned, very slowly, to face the menace that was M. McGinnis(whatever the M stood for, Hiro wasn't sure).

"Hello," he growled out as sweetly as he could. McGinnis raised an eyebrow and looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh at Hiro's scrunched up face.

"You look constipated," McGinnis said and then he did laugh.

"I'm not constipated!" Hiro shouted, face flushing red with anger and embarrassment. Who did this guy think he was? The urge to strangle him was rising steadily and Hiro was hard-pressed to ignore it, especially when McGinnis began laughing even harder.

"I'm sorry," he apologized once he had his giggles under control. He was still grinning like a loon, unfortunately, so Hiro didn't really buy the apology. "I am, really. You're just seriously easy to mess with."

Hiro still didn't look convinced, in fact he seemed even angrier at the idea that he was so easy to tease.

"Look," McGinnis sighed, giving up on the apology, "I know we got off on a bad start. How about we try again? My name's Matt." He held out his hand to Hiro and the other boy looked at it like it was a live snake. Matt rolled his eyes and withdrew. Fine, he wouldn't bother, then.

"Bad time, then," he said with a shrug. He gave Hiro an indecipherable look and then entered his lab, locking the door behind him.

Hiro glared at the door for a while. So the new kid wanted a truce, huh? Fat chance.

He'd show Matt just why you don't mess with a Hamada.

Matt slumped into his desk chair and stared out the big porthole window that ever personal lab was given.

This place was fantastic; Bruce hadn't been lying when he said Matt would be supplied with everything he'd need. He was expecting a corner in the lab common, not his own personal room. He had a key-card and everything! It was amazing, and he'd need to send the old man a thank you gift or something.

Still, he found it hard to enjoy for the moment. Setting his bag on the desk, he reached inside to pull out a card.

It was a birthday card he'd received for his last one. On the cover was a crudely drawn picture of a bot Matt had been designing, and the note written inside was probably one of the most important things he'd been given in a long time. It was short, but full of something he had never really gotten before.

Hey Matt. I know you said you'd never do it, but I really think you should give the scholarship a try. You and I both know you're too smart for that high school of yours, and it's probably the best opportunity you'll ever have! Not to mention, it would be great to talk to you in person again.

And yeah, I still really want you to meet my brother. He's never had a friend his age, and who better than you to be one, right?

Anyway, I hope you consider the option a little more before you decide. It would be awesome if we were to attend the same college! And no, I'm not gonna stop pestering you, I'm NEVER giving up on you.

Happy Birthday you little nerd.

Tadashi Hamada

Never giving up on you... that was exclusively a Tadashi thing, and something no one had ever said to him before. For some reason, it was that little sentence that made Matt finally give in and apply for the scholarship.

When he told Tadashi he'd won, the man acted as though Matt had just saved the world or something. It made Matt feel... proud, for once. Not something he could say he felt often. Something only the college student had ever made him feel. Occasionally he'd get an 'I'm proud of you," from his mother, but that was about it, which was why this man's confidence was so important to Matt.

Matt sighed and set the card next on his desk and decided to give the room a good investigation.

At first, Matt had assumed that he would have to equip the lab himself, but once again Bruce had surprised him.

He had everything he needed, from a drafting table to a 3D printer. All the heavy-duty machinery was shared among the students, but everything he needed to design and prototype were right here and Matt realized he'd need to sent Bruce a big thank you.

Maybe college wouldn't be so bad... well, if he could get on Hiro's good side. Although, he was incredibly fun to irritate, so maybe becoming his friend could wait.

For the record, no, Matt and Tadashi are not the couple here. There's no attraction between them. How they met will be explained later, but just know that they have a purely mentor/protege(ish) relationship.

There will be some time before Matt and Hiro become 'friends' and maybe a chapter or two before Matt and the rest meet. I haven't actually planned it out yet, i'm kinda going with the flow here _