Hello again everyone! I really appreciated all the reviews people sent me! Even though it's a small number compared to some other fanfics, it still made me extremely happy!
Anyway, here's chapter 2. There might be a bit of OOCness and probably a couple mistakes but I tried my best!
Chapter 2-Chasing You
The fire department and paramedics arrived later to the scene. The rest of the flames were doused out and anyone who had been injured was treated. Tadashi received white bandages around his palms and they would heal in no time as long as he didn't do anything to cause the scratches to reopen all the way. Hiro received ice for his bruised cheek to reduce the swelling. They both remained silent when they were being attended to.
Hiro's mind and body were drained after his breakdown and Tadashi didn't know what to say. When Aunt Cass arrived after hearing about the fire on the news, she was in tears. She freaked out over their injuries of course. Tadashi had explained that he fell from the force of the explosion but when he was struggling on how to tell her how Hiro's face was bruised, Hiro interrupted and lied, saying someone who was running from the fire collided into his face with their shoulder. Tadashi grimaced. Hiro lied for him even when he didn't have to. His heart was crushed with guilt.
Three days had passed since then. Robert Callaghan's memorial service and funeral had been held on one of those days. It was strange burying an empty coffin since Callaghan's remains were never found from most likely being burned, but Tadashi was glad they still provided a proper burial for the man. He deserved it.
It was a new Monday and classes were restarting. Tadashi was currently stuffing his books and papers into his messenger bag by his bed. He could hear Hiro doing the same thing by his own side of the room. I really need to talk to him properly. He thought. Every time Tadashi tried to talk to Hiro, Hiro would come up with some excuse and leave. It was an expected reaction. Tadashi hated that he was the cause of that, and he was going to fix it.
"Hiro, I need to talk to you." He walked to Hiro's side of the room. Hiro stood there silently, not moving an inch. "I never should have hit you or yelled at you. I just wanted to try and save Professor Callaghan so bad that I was blinded from reason and-"
"Was it really that easy for you to leave me behind?"
Tadashi gaped at him. Was it? "Hiro," He reached a hand out to console his little brother, but he moved away.
"Sorry, but I have to go. I can't be late to classes considering how it's my first official day. I'll see you later." Hiro slung his backpack over his shoulder and left through the door without another word. Tadashi silently watched the door, half-expecting and hoping to see Hiro come in again. When he didn't, Tadashi walked to the window in the room that overlooked the street. He saw Hiro crossing the road with his head hung low.
Was it that easy for him to leave Hiro behind? Of course not. After their parents died ten years ago, Tadashi had vowed that he would always take care of Hiro and they would ever be separated and always stay together. Tadashi smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead. He was such a fool. He almost broke that promise. Hiro was so young when they died, so he couldn't really remember how much he had cried after their deaths. But Hiro was much older and smarter now. There was no doubt that if Tadashi died, Hiro would go through the tears and depression like he did before, except this time, he would actually remember it. Tadashi grabbed his bag and tugged his hat down, casting a shadow over his eyes. He was going to fix this. He wasn't going to give up.
Hiro sighed as he walked closer to SFIT. He knew he was being unfair to Tadashi. He had tried apologizing for a while now, but Hiro kept giving him the cold shoulder. It wasn't fair for him to keep ignoring Tadashi. But it wasn't fair for him to treat me like that either. Hiro thought bitterly. He sighed again. He had to stop thinking like that. Tadashi would have never treated him like that under normal circumstances. There was a fire, people were scared and running in a panic, and the very person in the building was Robert Callaghan, Tadashi's favorite professor and mentor. Any sane person would freak out and not think clearly under those factors, and Tadashi was not an exception. Hiro stopped. Why was he voicing all of his concerns to himself instead of actually trying to talk to Tadashi? Instead, Hiro was running away like a coward. He continued to walk to the institute, this time with his head held high and with a look of determination. I'm going to fix this.
~!~!~
The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Hiro gathered his belongings and made a beeline for the door. If I hurry, I can should be able to see him before second period has to start. Hiro rounded the corner when he collided into something and fell straight on his butt. "Ouch" he muttered, rubbing his throbbing nose. He looked up past his bangs so see what he ran into.
"You ok Hiro?" Tadashi asked as he offered a hand.
"Yeah." He took the hand and was helped back onto his feet. "Thanks…" they both continued to stand, ignoring the other bustling students around them. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Really? That's great! Hiro, I-" The warning bell interrupted Tadashi, keeping him from saying anything else. He let out a silent scream of frustration in his head.
"How about after fifth period? I don't have any classes after that and you just have time in the lab so maybe we can talk more then?" Hiro meekly suggested. Tadashi smiled warmly. It made him happy that Hiro was the one trying to mend their bind, even when he didn't really have to.
"That sounds fine." he ruffled Hiro's hair. "Wanna meet up at courtyard outside the engineering building?" Hiro nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later then." And they both went their separate ways. As Hiro walked to his next class, he felt the top of his head where Tadashi's hand had been. It felt warm.
After what felt like eighty years, fifth period finally ended when the bell rang. When Hiro walked outside to thecourtyard, he saw Tadashi already sitting on a bench as he bounced his leg up and down, something he usually does when he's nervous. Hiro came up slowly and sat down on the bench next to him. They both enjoyed the warm breeze for a moment.
"Hiro," Tadashi said after some silence passed. "I'm so sorry." He looked at Hiro hard in the eyes. "I was such a dumbass… You're my baby brother, and it's my job to be there for you. I never should have said those thing and I especially shouldn't have hit you." Tadashi gritted his teeth at the word 'hit'. "I'm an idiot for thinking that someone else was more important than you. I'm never going to do anything stupid like that again."
"I know that, but I can't help but get pissed off. When I saw you running towards the fire, I freaked out." Hiro said quietly. "I never meant to say that Callaghan isn't worth saving, but what else was I supposed to say? 'Oh, it's ok, go ahead and burn to death, I'll be just fine'?! Every time I think about how you could have died, I start shaking and I can't stop!" True enough, Tadashi started to see him shake. Hiro's eyes started to glisten. All of his pent up distress and fear were finally coming out and there was no stopping it.
Tadashi pulled Hiro into a hug and squeezed. Hiro's face was now wet with fresh tears and he hugged his big brother back. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I swear Hiro, I am never going to leave you, ever. I'm sorry…" He felt several tears escape his own eyes but he didn't care. He hid his face in Hiro's messy hair and kissed the top of his head. "I'm so sorry otouto, I'm so sorry." He whispered like a mantra.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you Nii-chan." they continued to cry quietly. They both felt a weight lifted off their chests and felt much better now than they had for the past three days.
SNAP!
The two shot their heads up and looked from the source of the noise. Across from them, there were several trees and bushes. Hushed voices and rustling were heard.
"Honey, you left the shutter on! Secret agents never do something so sloppy!"
"Oops!"
"GAAH! There's sap coming from the tree! It's on my hands and it's so sti- OH MY GOD I THINK THERE'S A BUG ON MY NECK."
All of a sudden, Fred, Honey Lemon, and Wasabi all tumbled out from behind the trees. Gogo calmly walked out after them, popping her bubble gum.
"What are you guys doing?" Tadashi asked. Hiro quickly wiped away any tears that were left on his face.
"Weeeeell, I happened to overhear a conversation about two bickering brothers finally deciding to talk things out in the hallway," Honey Lemon started.
"And I suggested we sleuth it out to make sure all went well," Fred added.
"I was trying to stop them!" Wasabi cried out.
"I didn't have anything better to do." Gogo popped another bubble.
"Guys… just, why?" Tadashi sighed.
"We were worried about you two." Gogo answered. "We needed to know if you guys were going to be ok or not." Even though she said she came out of boredom, she had been worried about the well-being of her friends. The others nodded, all with looks of serious concern.
"Thanks guys, but I think we'll be ok now," Tadashi turned to Hiro. "Right?" Hiro gave a smile, showing the gap in his teeth.
"Right!" Tadashi ruffled his hair and smiled as well.
"Awwww!" Honey cooed. She brought up her phone. SNAP!
"So that noise before was you taking a picture?" Hiro asked.
"Yup! You guys were just too cute, cuddling each other like that! Especially you Hiro!" Honey Lemon replied happily. Hiro frowned, but it looked more like a childish pout and Honey just said 'aww' again. "Oh, we should go out tonight for dinner to celebrate!"
"Yeah! Let's go eat some good food!" Fred seconded. Wasabi and Gogo nodded in agreement.
"I'm ok with that. What about you Hiro?" Tadashi asked.
Hiro smiled again. "Sounds good."
"Great! We have to go back to the robotics lab until about 6:00, so we'll come by the café to pick you up."
"I want to come to lab too!"
"Nope. I know you have Professor Hyuuga and I also know he assigns a lot of homework for a history teacher."
"It won't take me that long to finish it."
"But it'll take you a long time to get started on it." Tadashi smirked. Everyone knew how much of a procrastinator Hiro was. The fourteen year-old frowned (pouted) again.
"Fine, but you're buying my food!"
"Deal. Now get home and start your homework." Tadashi ruffled Hiro's hair one last time before he left. Tadashi continued to wave at Hiro's retreating back, a large goofy smile on his face. He turned to the others, and said "Come on guys, if we finish our projects quick enough we can go back to Hiro faster." and then he ran towards the direction of the robotics lab.
"I don't know what's more annoying: Tadashi being super depressed and gloomy or being so happy it would put Mary Poppins to shame." Gogo muttered.
"Yeah… I think I saw flowers shooting off the guy." Wasabi chuckled.
"I think it's cute!" Honey beamed.
"What else do you expect from a guy with a brother complex?" Fred asked. They all nodded and followed Tadashi to the lab, although he was already long gone. Everything was going to get better. It was a new start.
~!~!~
Hiro walked into the Lucky Cat Café and said hi to Aunt Cass as she tended to her customers. When he walked into the bedroom he and Tadashi shared, Mochi darted out and ran past his feet. "What the-!" Hiro tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground with a thud. "Ow! Stupid cat…" he grumbled, rubbing his elbow. He was distracted from his bitterness when he heard beeping and something inflate from the other side of the room. He looked over and saw Baymax, now activated and trying to maneuver his way from Tadashi's side of the bedroom. After knocking over some books, the plushy robot waddled over to Hiro and waved his hand in a circular motion.
"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." he said in an automated voice.
"Baymax, what are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be in the lab with Tadashi?"
"Tadashi transported me here in order to work on another project he had for class." Baymax blinked and walked closer to Hiro. "I also heard a sound of distress. What seems to be the trouble?"
"Oh I just fell. I'm fine" Hiro answered.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?"
"A 0?"
"I will scan you for further injuries."
"What? No, don't scan me."
"Scan complete."
"Unbelievable." I need to tell Tadashi to program Baymax to be less pushy. Hiro thought.
"My sensors indicate you have a slight contusion on your right elbow. I recommend avoiding any other possible damage to the affected area to prevent it from becoming any worse. I also sense that your hormone and neurotransmitter levels indicate that you are experiencing mood swings, common in adolescents." Baymax raised a finger. "Diagnosis: Puberty."
"Whoa, what? No no no, let's just you back into your station, ok?" Hiro pushed Baymax towards his carrying case and proceeded to try and stuff him into the tiny space.
"I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care." The puffy robot stated. Hiro continued to push himself on top of his soft, white head. "Would you like me to further explain the side effects of puberty?"
"No thank you! Baymax, I am satisfied with my-HOLY CRAP!" Hiro cried out. Baymax's inflatable head popped out from being squeezed and catapulted Hiro into the air. He landed on the ground with another thud. He let out a frustrated puff of air into his bangs and glared at the underside of his bed. Of course that would happen…Huh? Hiro heard a strange noise and saw slight movement coming from something underneath his bed. He reached over and grabbed his jacket and saw something moving around in the pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out a microbot from the night of the showcase. "What the… This doesn't make any sense."
"Puberty can often be a confusing time for a young adolescent flowering into manhood."
"No," Hiro waved off the robot as he gripped the moving microbot in his hand. "It's supposed to be attracted to the other microbots, but the rest were destroyed in the fire." He placed it in an empty petri dish that was on his desk and watched it twitch in one direction. "It must be busted." Hiro left it as he tried to make more room on his messy desk to get started on his homework. Baymax waddled to the dish and picked it up. He started to rotate and watched the microbot move in the same set direction, much like a compass.
"Your tiny robot is trying to go somewhere." Baymax informed Hiro.
"Oh yeah, why don't you go see where it goes?" Hiro said with a smirk.
"Will that stabilize your prepubescent mood swings?"
"Uh huh, sure." Hiro shuffled through more papers on his desk. When did I leave so much crap on my desk? He snapped his head up when he heard the café bell ring from downstairs. He looked around and saw there was no giant inflatable marshmallow-bot in sight. "Baymax?" Hiro began to look around the room. "Where'd you go?"
SCREECH! HONK!Hiro dashed to window and smushed his face to the window. Outside in the middle of traffic was Tadashi's greatest work, following the little microbot. Hiro's eyes widened. "SHIT!" He dashed out of the room while grabbing his jacket and shoes and ran outside after telling Aunt Cass he was going for a light jog. Technically, he wasn't lying.
He must have looked like a mad man, dashing around street corners and bursting in front of cars as he tried to catch up to the healthcare robot. Hiro saw Baymax go down an alley and Hiro followed in a desperate pursuit.
Hiro finally saw Baymax stop in front of an old abandoned warehouse. "Baymax!" Hiro called out as he tried to catch his breathe. "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"
"I have found where your tiny robot wants to go."
Hiro let out a frustrated sigh and took the petri dish from Baymax's plush fingers "I told you, it's broken. It's not trying to g- huh?" Hiro looked at the microbot. It kept going towards the warehouse doors even when he turned the dish in different directions. Hiro walked closer to the double doors. "Locked." he grumbled when he eyed the giant lock and chain.
"There is a window." Baymax pointed to an open window above their heads. Hiro looked at it and then back to the microbot. It was still trying to go towards the warehouse. I need answers.
~!~!~
Hiro looked around the dark interior of the warehouse. He left Baymax back at the window they came in through so he could reflate himself. Hiro followed the microbot's directions and turned a corner and stopped. He could see different machinery up ahead. He went back and brought broom as he walked closer. You have to be prepared, right? Looking through a vinyl sheet, there were robotic arms moving about. Hiro moved away from the sheet and towards a conveyor belt on a different side. There were microbots, the microbots that Hiro designed himself being dropped into a large barrel.
"What the hell," Hiro picked up a handful of bots from the barrel and looked at the other hundreds of barrels. "Someone's making more."
A large hand clamped down on Hiro's shoulder.
Whoops it's over. Sorry, I would have had the chapter up days ago but the reconciliation part was driving me crazy and to be honest, I'm still not 100% happy with it. Plz don't hate me too much. -.-
Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up sooner since the plot's really about to take off. Thanks for reading and please review! They are most helpful indeed!