The World Falls Apart (But We Can Fix It)
Part One of the Earthquake Series
Chapter Four
Beta Read - Shaitan Elnifi
Chapter Date Published - 4/2/2015
Day 0 (the following morning):
"Why didn't you tell me you had THE Robert Callaghan teaching at your Institute!?" Hiro exclaimed for possibly the tenth time. He was frantically pacing, working himself into a frenzy.
Tadashi rolled his eyes, "Well-"
"I mean, you couldn't have said, 'Hello Professor Robert Callaghan, this is my younger and smarter brother, Hiro?'"
"Hah, I-"
"Actually, I guess you did talk to him about me, he knew my name." Hiro stopped dead, looking over at Tadashi. "He. Knew. My. Name. HE KNEW MY NAME!"
"BOYS! KEEP IT DOWN, I'M CATCHING UP ON MY FAVORITE TN STORIES!" Aunt Cass bellowed up at Hiro.
Hiro immediately turned to the staircase. "Sorry Aunt Cass!" Hiro yelled back, then smacked a hand over his mouth when he realized how loud he was. He was not about to mess with Aunt Cas and her Telenet programs. The results would be disastrous.
Hiro turned back when he heard a chuckle behind him.
"Ooo, messing with Aunt Cass during her programs? You're just asking to be sent to the grinder." Tadashi said, the picture of nonchalance; laying comfortably on his bed while browsing the Net.
"I am-" Hiro paused, when he realized how loud he was again. "I am not. I'm just-"
"Procrastinating." Tadashi finished for him. "I get it, you're out of ideas and your genius has run out at age fourteen. So sad." The older brother looked up and caught Hiro pouting at him, eyes wide. "What? Oh, come on."
Hiro sniffled.
"What do you want me to do? The SFIT showcase is in thirteen days, I can't extend the time, I am not going to give you an idea (not that you'd use it), and I already promised to help." Tadashi said, exasperated. While all the things he said were true, he wished he could make Hiro stop looking so sad. Hiro acted like he had just kicked Mochi and drove the cat to their neighbor's home.
Hiro dropped the puppy dog look and shrugged, then went back to his desk. "Yeah, yeah, you're no help. I got that the first time." Hiro cracked his knuckles. "I'm sure I'll get this done in no time," he said, whipping his stylus up.
-000-
"AArrrGhhh!"
"What did I say about yelling!"
"Sorry Aunt Cass!"
"MmmppPH!"
"Well, I appreciate that you've stopped hitting your head on the desk, it was getting noisy. And I don't think you can afford losing any more of your 'genius' brain cells."
"Grrrrr…"
"Still no ideas?"
Hiro finally stopped smothering his face into his pillow and looked up at his brother.
He regretted the action.
Tadashi was grinning widely at him, casually lounging on his bed without a care in the world.
He went back to smothering himself.
"MrpppharrrrgGGH!"
The bed creaked and sagged to one side. His body slid with it, meeting his brother's hip. He didn't move. He laid completely still, even when he felt a hand rest on the top of his head. They stayed that way for awhile.
Hiro thought about saying something, but nothing came to mind. Instead he simply enjoyed the gentle pressure that was atop his head. Tadashi's hand was warm and comforting, unintentionally bringing up memories of the past where a hug and a few words from his big brother would have been enough to stop whatever funk Hiro was experiencing. In fact, Hiro could bring up countless moments like this one, his brother giving him a comforting hand. Even now, Tadashi was probably giving him his patented smile. The one that had his lips curling up softly at the edges, and made his eyes crinkle at the corners.
Hiro felt his own lips turn up in a small smile just at the thought.
Tadashi must have sensed the change in mood, because the hand on top of his head disappeared. The bed creaked again, as Tadashi stood up from the bed-
-Only to lay on top of the bed. Hiro scooted over to make room for his brother.
It was a bit of a squeeze, the brothers no longer young boys anymore, but they managed to comfortably lay next to each other; Hiro's face still buried in the pillow and Tadashi with his arms behind his heads.
Neither spoke. Until-
"I really want to get into this Institute." Hiro's words were muffled by the pillow, but it did nothing to hide the longing that was in his voice.
Tadashi turned his head to look at his brother, but didn't say anything.
"I'm not going to get in."
Hiro sighed.
"I'm a genius," Hiro said with a shoulder wiggle. Tadashi assumed it was a shrug. "But there's not enough time, I already wasted the first day. There's no way for me to figure out a project, get all the materials, and make it for the showcase."
"You'll figure something out," Tadashi reassured.
"Yeah, maybe, but what if I don't? I'll have to wait another year for the next showcase." Hiro finally looked up at his brother. It showed on his younger brothers face how devastating the thought of waiting would be. "Is this really...?"
Tadashi sighed, picking up on Hiro's train of thought. "Yeah. Unfortunately, for those who aren't eighteen within the year aren't eligible for Callaghan's program, unless you do the showcase. It's the Institute's rules."
Hiro went back to groaning into his pillow.
"You really want to do this." Tadashi said flatly, knowing it was more of a statement than a question.
There was a muffled 'yes' in response.
"Then why don't you just apply to the Institute? You've already graduated from the Academy and with your records there's no way they'll reject you. Then you can apply for Callaghan's program where you'll probably be accepted within the month."
Hiro stayed still the whole time Tadashi was speaking. Honestly, the older brother couldn't tell whether or not he was getting through to his younger brother.
Hiro didn't reply.
Tadashi rolled his eyes, this was getting ridiculous.
"You know, if you're having trouble coming up with something, then maybe a little bit of activity would help you out." Tadashi said as innocently as he could.
Hiro finally looked at his brother. "Activity..? Wait! No-"
"Too late!" Tadashi started to furiously tickle Hiro, attacking all openings; his sides, under his armpits, his neck. Hiro tried to defend himself, he was too late. He burst out laughing, and kept laughing with every barrage of tickles. Tadashi giggled, which he would later deny, and kept going with the onslaught. "You know what they say! Laughter is the best medicine!"
"Ugh-" more laughter, "-you're such a-," he gasped for breath between laughs, "-such a dork!"
For some reason, that sent Tadashi into full blown laughter.
However, that brief moment when Tadashi started to laugh, made his tickle attacks falter. Hiro managed to curl into himself, allowing him a brief respite from the tickling. With it, he managed to plant his feet into his brother and shove his older brother off the bed. Laughing, Tadashi let himself get pushed off.
Hiro's laughter petered off, as he realized his brother wasn't getting back onto the bed. He pulled himself to the side of the bed and peered over the edge. Tadashi wasn't there.
Hiro felt himself get pulled by the ankles, "Huh- wha-?" Tadashi stood at the end of the bed, yanking Hiro's ankles over his shoulder, making him dangle upside down.
"If the tickling wasn't working.." Tadashi started to prance around.
"What are you doing!" Hiro said as he flailed about.
"Shaking things up!" Tadashi chirped back. "Use that big brain of yours to think your way out."
"What?" Hiro tried to look at his brother's dumb smiling face.
"I believe in you Hiro, just look for a new angle." Tadashi turned his head so Hiro could see him smile, and he finally stopped moving.
Hiro just flopped back with an eyeroll. Then, from his new upside down angle, Megabot caught his eye.
"Huh…"
Comments -
1) Telenet (TN) is essentially like the radio and/or podcasts (ones that are put on the TN are official and made by professionals) in this world. To note, the Telenet doesn't work like the radio does. In this world, there isn't "television," like there is in our world. They have video capabilities, but programs are put up on their Internet. Basically, because of the amount of resources and the history of this world, a television purely created for entertainment was never invented. By the time that the resources and technology were available for making the television, people had already made computers and the Internet.
2) The smile I mentioned is the one that is paused on when Baymax shows the video's of Tadashi. You know the smile I'm talking about.
-000-
Author's Note -
I love writing this fic.
I just have to say that. It makes writing this so easy, and it comes so naturally. I haven't been able to write this much, this fast, in a very long time (I know, it doesn't show in my updates). However, it is in part because this is a movie rewrite. I always have the movie to rewatch, then I can pick and choose the scenes that I want to write out. For now it's easy.
However, I am getting to the part where things will change, and I haven't quite planned out what will happen after that point. I'll be relying on your guys' support to help push me and inspire me to write. I really do want to post more updates on a quicker schedule, but I would prefer to reach a certain place before taking a break. If the end is in sight (of part one that is), then I will start posting more.