December 13th: Saturday

Theme: 13. Candles

Well… this was… Hiro was thankful for the screen of darkness that hid his blush. His day had started off fairly uneventful. His body ached from the sledding yesterday, so Hiro figured he was prepared enough for his finals and simply rested. He eventually ventured out to do more food shopping –honestly, he wasn't even home most of the days, so where was his food going?- to restock his fridge and pay a visit to Frostbite. As the sun began to set on the horizon Hiro had stopped by Lucky Cat Cafe on the way home for dinner because he was in no mood to cook.

Predictably, Tadashi was there and Hiro with a bounce in his step joined him at the table Tadashi was sitting at. Somewhere along the way, Hiro got pulled into helping clean the cafe as closing time approached. Hiro didn't mind; Jack pulled Hiro into helping clean Frostbite all the time since Hiro spent most of his time there. A mop in hand and Hiro was cleaning away.

Things would have been fine if the lights didn't flicker violently, which in turn startled Hiro. His foot slipped on the wet floor and Tadashi leapt forward to catch him as the store plunged into darkness.

"You okay?" Tadashi asked.

"Y-ya," Hiro said. He was cradled in Tadashi's arms; his face was turning a bright red as he could hear Tadashi's heartbeat. 'It's not fair!' his mind wailed at him. It was one thing that Hiro was shorter and skinnier than Tadashi, but it was another one to be all but cuddled in Tadashi's arms! Where did Tadashi get his height from?! Most Asians weren't this tall. Actually, genetically speaking Tadashi might not be a pure Japanese. The broad shoulders were definitely not a trait most Japanese people had. Some Caucasian in his family tree? Perhaps one of his parents? No, focus Hiro! Now was not the time!

"I found the candles!" Cass called. The sound of a match being struck was heard as the tiny flame illuminated the room. The light spread as Cass lit the collection of various candles displayed on the counter.

"Are you two alright?" Cass asked once she was done. She offered her hand out to Hiro to help him up.

Hiro pulled away from Tadashi's warmth. "Yeah," he said. Turning back to Tadashi, he said, "Thanks for catching me."

"No problem," Tadashi said. It might be the poor light from the candles, but to Hiro, Tadashi's face looked rather red too.

Cass pulled out a battery powered radio from the drawer. She flipped it on to see if any news about the blackout was being broadcasted.

'Breaking News. We have received calls that a tree has snapped under the weight of the recent snowfall, taking down nearby power lines. Officials have yet to arrive at the scene, but due to the severity of the situation, it will likely take all night. This broadcaster's suggestion is to turn in for an early night and hope the power is back on in the morning.'

"I think you should stay the night, Hiro," Cass said. "If the power won't be returning anytime soon, I don't want you walking around in the dark to get back home."

"I couldn't impose," Hiro protested. Really, his apartment was just two blocks away and the snowfall wasn't that bad.

"It wasn't an option," Cass said sternly, hands on her hips.

Hiro balked silently. Seriously, these Hamadas were going to be the death of him. How was he supposed to react to that?

"I got an extra bed in my room," Tadashi offered. "We're not letting you go out there. It's too dangerous."

"Think of it like a sleepover," Cass said cheerfully.

While he had never been to a sleepover before, Hiro was fairly certain this was not how sleepovers went! Still, he didn't put up much of a fight as Cass pushed him up the stairs while Tadashi finished locking up. He only sulked a little when Cass offered some of her clothes for pajamas (as Hiro would be swimming in Tadashi's clothes) and all but tucked him into bed. Tadashi, that traitor just stood by, clearly amused by it all.

"Good night you two!" Cass said, heading downstairs to her room.

"Night Aunt Cass," Tadashi called out from his bed.

"Good night," Hiro said.

"You okay, Hiro?" Tadashi asked. The light from the candle dimly lit the room. Shadows flickered and danced as the tiny flame held strong.

"Your aunt is... " Hiro trailed off. How to explain it?

"Strange?"

"Nice." The last time anyone had fussed over Hiro, his mother had still been alive. Hiro might be twenty going on twenty one, but it was nice, to have someone care like that.

"Yeah…," Tadashi said fondly. "Wouldn't trade her for the world." Tadashi blew the flame out. "Good night Hiro."

"Good night Tadashi," Hiro said, lying down on the bed. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the land of dreams: dreams of warm hugs, a hand threading through his hair and a mother's smile.