A/N: Welcome back to another chapter. This one is a slower chapter, a bit of a "breathing" chapter so to speak, in comparison to the previous chapters. There's a lot fluff in this week's chapter so that's a plus right? Lol, anyways we see the answer of the second most asked question in the story... who is older? Vera or Tadashi. Seriously, besides everyone wanting to know when Hiro and Tadashi would meet, the second most asked about thing was who is the older of the two. I couldn't find a canon birthday so I made one up. I had to give him a birthday that I knew would make the scene work so I gave him mine, lol.
One last note before I let you go, I want to address Hiro's jealousy. Some people thought it was kind of sweet/cute/adorable. I just wanted to put out the disclosure that those of you who thought that might not think so after this chapter.
Also to all my American readers out there, happy Memorial Day. Please stay safe if you're out having a good time. To any of my readers who are former military (in ANY country) thank you so much for all that you do for your home and nation!
"Coulson, just tell me…" Vera growled into her cell phone. Tadashi raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was exactly that she wanted Coulson to tell her. Vera had been pacing on the front porch of the Lucky Cat Cafe for way too long in his opinion. She'd borrowed a pair of his Aunt's fuzzy slippers just so she could stand outside and talk to Coulson. Vera went silent as she waited for whatever she wanted Coulson to tell her, face hard as stone. However, Coulson must have answered her question satisfactorily because she visibly relaxed. Her shoulders slumped forward and face slackened. "Thank you Coulson." Vera said, nodding despite the fact that Coulson couldn't see her. "I'll keep you updated on what's going on Sir."
Vera pressed the button on the top of her phone to disconnect. She gave a heavy sigh and beat her phone on her forehead lightly. "Hey," he said quietly, "Are you alright? You've been out here for, like, twenty minutes pacing the front stoop and talking on the phone."
Vera nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure whatever." she said waving her hand through the air dismissively. "Just giving Director Coulson a full briefing and getting the latest update. So how's your aunt?"
He laughed a little under his breath. Aunt Cass, as it turned out, was indeed capable of grounding him regardless of the fact that he was twenty-two. Actually, he was grounded until the second coming of the Messiah as he had so been informed. At least his punishment had come after he'd convinced Aunt Cass that, yes, he was really here and that, no, she wasn't seeing things. "She's great. You'll like her once you decide to stop working and come join the rest of the group." he told her.
"Someone has to slave all day and night working for S.H.I.E.L.D. to pay the bills," she teased him with a brittle smile. He laughed openly at her little jibe.
"You don't slave away." he told her firmly. "So what does he have?"
"Fox Labs is still inventorying their missing stock but their video cameras show Robert Callaghan, Yokai, in the lab."
"Let me guess, the time stamp on this security footage is the exact same time that we were all playing bullet tag with Williams and his cronies."
"You got it," sighed Vera. "Which means…"
"Hydra was the distraction this time around." he finished for her with a tight voice. "They're planning something."
"Yeah, I'd say." Vera agreed. "But what Coulson doesn't know. I can't even begin to guess either other than Hydra clearly wants your little brother and your friends for the same reasons they held you captive. To build and create their hell devices. Coulson says the field agents will be on the ground here in San Fransokyo tomorrow."
"Good," he replied. That was a relief. Breaking into SFIT and rescuing Vera and Big Hero 6 from Hydra definitely was outside the job description of robotics expert/consultant. He'd do it again in a heartbeat but he really wasn't cut out for field work. Then he thought of something else and, not for the first time that night, his gut twisted into a knot. It was the one thing that he'd found himself thinking and worrying about since learning about it. Frowning he asked, "Did you tell him about how apparently Dr. Callaghan was apparently my greatest mentor before, well, you know…"
"Yeah, I gave Coulson the full briefing or as much as I could give anyways. He says congratulations by the way. Coulson and everyone at HQ is really happy for you."
Tadashi felt his stomach unclench. He really couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face. He still had a lot of questions about his past and he still really only had that one memory of Aunt Cass from a long time ago, but for the time being he was thankful for what he did have. He had a family. "What did Coulson say about Big Hero 6?" he asked, trying to redirect her attention.
She rolled her shoulders, "Good job on finding them before Hydra."
"That's it?"
"That's it." she nodded, chewing on her lip a little.
"Did he tell you that we could share information with Big Hero 6? Did he tell you that we could tell them about Hydra?" he pressed. Seriously, after all the work they'd done, Coulson wouldn't simply just tell them "good job" and leave it at that. There had to be something more that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted them to do with Big Hero 6 now that they'd found them. Vera didn't say anything. "Vera?" he said.
"I don't know okay!" she said in frustration throwing her hands up into the air. "Coulson wasn't exactly focused on the conversation while I was talking to him. There was obviously something bigger on his mind."
Tadashi winced at her outburst. He didn't blame her though. Hydra had gone through the trouble of distracting Big Hero 6 while Callaghan had broken into Fox Labs. They were planning something but no one seemed to be able to figure out what it was. That little notion made him uneasy too. He rested his hands on her shoulders. "It'll be alright. I'm sure Coulson will call one of us back soon with the details."
"We're still a step behind even though we got to Big Hero 6 before Hydra?" she muttered under her breath.
"It's going to be fine. The important thing is that we got to them before Hydra could. We were able to turn the tables long enough to get Big Hero 6 out of danger for the time being. We'll give Hiro, Baymax, GoGo, Wasabi, Fred, and Honey Lemon every bit of info we have on Callaghan and Hydra while we wait for Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. to get back to us. Best offense is a good defense right?"
"Yeah, sure." Vera said deflatedly in response. Not exactly what he'd been hoping for.
"Come on, let's go back upstairs. You can admire the super awesome healthcare companion robot that I built while everyone swaps stories about how many times I came home with a black eye after rescuing my little brother from bot fighting mob bosses." he told her with a grin, desperately trying to draw her out of her worry.
Vera laughed a little under her breath. "I've met your robot. In fact, now that I think about it, it's quite obvious that you wrote its programming."
She made no move to turn with him back for the house. Vera stood still in her spot on the front porch. "Vera?"
"No, I'm fine." she answered with forced cheerfulness. Vera waved her hand, "You go on up and catch up with your friends and family. I'll stay down here and see if I can figure out any more details we might have missed about Hydra and Dr. Callaghan."
"Oh, come on. I know you've got your own stories you're dying to tell them." he insisted.
Vera only shook her head. "Seriously, don't worry about me."
He raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "You have ten seconds to tell me what's wrong and why you won't come upstairs and hang out with the rest of us." he told her seriously. Vera didn't turn around to face him. That's when he really started to worry about her.
"You aren't coming back to New York." Vera said abruptly. Her tone was matter of fact.
Her words weren't lost on him. Very painfully he realized that she hadn't called New York "home." Suddenly, he also realized that he hadn't even thought about what would happen after this entire fiasco with Callaghan, Hydra, and Big Hero 6 was over. Though to be fair, it had been a rather whirlwind kind of night. His initial gut reaction was to tell her not to be ridiculous, of course he was coming back to New York. Then he stopped himself because he knew that wasn't true. In the few short hours he'd spent with Hiro, Aunt Cass, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Fred, GoGo, and Baymax, he knew he was home. Damn it all if he couldn't remember anything, but this cafe and these people... this was where he belonged. The realization sent jolt of pain into his chest. It hurt all the more that Vera had her back to him and absolutely refused to look at him.
"Vera, look at me." he pleaded with her. He knew she understood. The way she spoke told him that. However, he still felt like he owed her some sort of explanation. Like he needed apologize. She shook her head and stood staring straight ahead across the street.
"Chi..." Vera started but then abruptly stopped. Her voice sounded brittle as though she was holding back tears. "Tadashi, I'm trying really hard not to make your decision to stay here hard on you."
He hadn't heard anything past "Tadashi." The name that sounded so right when Hiro Hamada, Aunt Cass, and all his friends said it just sounded plain wrong to his ears when Vera said it. Just the way she stopped herself from calling him Chiune and stumbled over the syllables in "Tadashi" was enough to make him stop. Without warning he threw his arms around Vera's shoulders, taking her by surprise and pulled her flat against his chest. Vera squawked in protest, tugging at his arms to try and loosen his hold. "Tadashi! Let go! Oh for God's sake!" whined Vera.
"Let's get one thing straight imouto." he told her as he tightened his hug, "To them I might be Tadashi but to you I will always be Chiune. Got that?"
"If I say fine will you quit trying to break my ribs?" she complained.
"Maybe," he teased her lightly.
"Get off," she told him in exasperation. He could hear her eyes rolling. However, he let her go and Vera turned to face him.
"Vera, I..." he started but Vera held her hand up.
She gave him a soft smile. "I get it. You've been wondering about who you are and your family for a long time. This is what you've wanted. I'm beyond happy for you. I would never ask you to stay in New York for me. I have no right."
"You have more of a right than you think imouto."
"Not more than your brother up there, who idolized you even after he thought he lost you. Not more than your Aunt, who raised you after your parents passed. Not more than the friends that watched you sweat, cry, and knowing you bleed over your projects and helped you when you needed it."
Vera fell silent. She wrapped her arms around herself as a gust of wind breezed past them. The action made her look so small. "I need you to promise me something." he told her quietly. Vera looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "I want you to at least consider letting Travis move in with you."
It took a moment for his words to register in her mind. When they did though, Vera shook her head. "I'm a big girl. I don't need someone to live with me. Contrary to what you believe, I can pay rent by myself."
"That's not what I mean and you know it." he shot her a hard look. Vera sighed and stared up at the sky momentarily. "Please Vera. Just think about inviting Travis to live with you. I really can't stand the thought of you all alone when you might need someone beside you during a flashback or a nightmare."
"I know, I know." she mumbled. "I'll think about it."
"That's good enough for me. Now come upstairs and actually act like a semi-social human being." Tadashi threw his arm over her shoulder and started dragging her back towards the door. Vera promptly shot him a dirty look and ducked under his arm.
"Please tell me you did actually see your brother's face when you were giving me that piggy back ride. I'm not exactly welcome in any conversation between the pair of you at the moment."
He winced. Apparently Vera had indeed noticed the insanely jealous looks that Hiro had been shooting her. It also now made sense as to why Vera had requested a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers from his Aunt and then disappeared downstairs to talk to Coulson for nearly twenty minutes. She'd been trying to give him, Hiro, Aunt Cass, and his friends some space and trying not to look like a threat to Hiro. Oh, this was not going fly. Like it or not, they were all linked now and he was not about to have his blood brother not get along with his sort of adopted sister. Vera and Hiro were going to have learn to be friends at the very least. There was just no other option. "Oh c'mon imouto, you two just need to get to know each other better is all." he told her.
"Alright!" Vera told him as she pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Now you really need to stop calling me that. There are a bunch of people upstairs who, I can promise you, will prove to you that you and I are the same age."
Something clicked in the back of his mind, recalling a quick memory of something Vera said only a few nights prior. A promise she'd made about her calling him "nii-chan" if he could prove it. "I could still be older than you, if even just by a couple of months. Bet they could prove that you really are my imouto too. Then you'd have no excuse to not call me 'nii-chan.'" he said simply with a shrug.
A mischievous smile stretched across his face as he watched Vera's look turn sour. She turned to glare at him. His hand was on the doorknob. Her eyes met his and, in one short glance,Vera saw the thought going through his mind. He smiled broader. "Don't start with me." Vera warned him as she raised her finger threateningly.
"Too late," he informed her as he twisted the doorknob and threw himself into the cafe.
"Chiune!" Vera yelled as she charged in after him.
If this worked out the way that he hoped it did, he was never going to let her live this down. Ever.
X X X
"I can't believe how… similar but different he is." Aunt Cass said for what seemed like the zillionth time. She was currently peering out the window, looking at Tadashi on the front porch with Delle, or rather Vera. In her hand she continuously worried at mug of tea that Honey Lemon had put into her hand. She paused every so often to wipe at the tears that still slipped down her cheek once every couple of minutes or so. "He's the same person and everything, he just…"
"Just doesn't remember us." Hiro finished for her. He stepped up to the window beside Aunt Cass. Tadashi was lingering close to Vera's shoulder as she made some sort of maniacal hand gesture through the air with her cell phone in hand.
"Patients with retrograde amnesia oftentimes do not lose the fundamentals of who they are. Personality remains mostly intact while the ability to recall memories from before the trauma are impaired." Baymax informed them. In the twenty minutes after Aunt Cass had stopped crying, lecturing, and grounding Tadashi, Hiro and Tadashi had worked together to patch Baymax up.
Thankfully, the gunshot had harmed any of Baymax's internal structure or computers. It had just punched a hole in his vinyl which was a fairly easy fix. Hiro had had a hard time figuring out who's reaction was better: Tadashi upon realizing that Baymax was his creation or Baymax upon realizing that Tadashi was alive. One had been comically over reactive and the other had been comically and confusedly logical about how the deceased did not come back to life. It had lead to a beautiful scene of nerding out that no one had been able to keep themselves from laughing at. It had taken about five minutes for Tadashi to calm down long enough for anyone to talk to him. Vera had courteously excused herself to go talk on the phone with her boss from S.H.I.E.L.D. Good riddance.
Aunt Cass turned away from the window to face Baymax. She had a sad smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around Baymax's frame and squeezed him hard in hug. "There, there. It will be alright." Baymax told her.
"He'll be washing dishes from now to kingdom come in penance but yes, I think you're right Baymax. It will be alright." she laughed lightly before moving to scrub a few more tears away from her face with the back of her hand.
"Oh by the way Wasabi," GoGo gave a smirk as she popped a bubble, "You owe me ten bucks."
"Wait! What? How?" demanded Wasabi as he sat bolt upright in his chair at the kitchen table.
"You bet that Aunt Cass would be too busy crying to ground Hamada. He's grounded. You owe me ten bucks." GoGo informed him triumphantly.
Wasabi raised his hands in an argumentative gesture but Fred suddenly cut in, "Au contrare! GoGo owes me ten bucks because she only said Tadashi would be grounded for a month. It's way longer."
"You only said a month and a half. Aunt Cass said he was grounded until the second coming. Much longer than a month and a half Freddie. I don't think anyone technically wins." Honey Lemon said primly as she shook her head. She shot Hiro a sneaky smile, clearly enjoying stirring up trouble at the moment.
"Baymax, when do you think Tadashi will get his memories back completely?" Hiro asked, ignoring his friends' argument. However, his question was heard by all and they suddenly stopped talking just to listen.
"It is difficult to say." Baymax told them. His automated voice sounded almost remorseful. Of course that was impossible because Baymax was a robot. "Patients with retrograde amnesia frequently recover their memories spontaneously. However, with therapy and support from those closest to him, Tadashi may recover more quickly."
"My poor baby," whispered Aunt Cass. Her voice broke and there were tears streaming down her face again. Honey Lemon got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Aunt Cass along with Baymax.
A hot stab of pain pierced Hiro's chest. His brother didn't remember him, or any of them. He didn't know what he was thinking when he saw Tadashi take that scarf off of his face in the alley. It was stupid.
Hiro realized it now but there had been that desperate hope that Tadashi had been playing the amnesiac to protect him. Vera had said that he'd escaped from Hydra. He'd allowed himself to think for a few seconds that Tadashi was trying to keep Hiro and the rest of his friends and family from getting involved. For a few brief seconds, that was how he rationalized why Tadashi hadn't just said, "Hey knucklehead, it looks like I'm still having to bail you out of trouble after all this time." Or something to that effect. Then he'd seen the look on Tadashi's face. Hiro had thought he'd seen a small flicker on Tadashi's face when he met Aunt Cass, something that brought hope bubbling back to the surface. However, nothing more had really come from it.
"Hang in there little dude," Fred said softly and suddenly he felt a bunch of people on top of him, hugging him. That's when Hiro realized he was crying again. Damn! Tadashi was going to think he was some sort of giant baby or something.
"I'm alright, I'm alright." he told them all, waving them off. "You guys heard Baymax. We just have to help him remember is all. Give it a week and I'm sure he'll be back to the way he was before the fire and Callaghan… mostly."
He added the last part under his breath when he thought about Tadashi's scars. Everyone had kept silent about them. It was obvious by the way that Tadashi was constantly arranging his hat and the collar of his blazer that he was self-conscious about them. Though as he moved to the window again to spy on Tadashi and Vera some more he noticed that Tadashi didn't have the same reservations around Vera. Goody for her. He really wished that Tadashi would come back upstairs especially since it was so obvious that Vera didn't want to be around them. That had probably been the nicest thing she'd done since she'd revealed that Tadashi was alive. Oh! And she still owed him an explanation about Hydra and Callaghan. He wasn't about to forget that one. Then again, maybe Tadashi could help them out seeing as he apparently worked for the same organization as Vera.
"Hiro, come sit down." GoGo told him as she grabbed him under the arm and lead him away from the window. "He'll be back up soon, I'm sure."
He collapsed into a chair next to Honey Lemon. "We'll have to go to the store tomorrow and buy all the things to make his favorite sushi." Aunt Cass commented distractedly. She was at the window again. "We can have a small party, something to welcome him home y'know. Nothing too big. We don't want to overwhelm him."
"That'll be great Aunt Cass." Wasabi agreed quietly as appeared with the teapot to pour more tea into her mug. Hiro smiled at the look on Aunt Cass's face. Her family was back. It was little and broken, but still so strong and resilient. Hiro sighed and slumped down in his chair. He didn't even want to think about the fact that someone had broken into Fox Labs at the moment. He'd have to deal with that along with Callaghan and Hydra, but that could wait until morning couldn't it?
"Chiune!" roared Vera's voice. There was a slam and a bang followed by heavy, running footsteps up the stairs.
Tadashi appeared at the top of the stairs in the kitchen. "Someone! Quick!" he panted, "Tell me when my birthday is!"
"Don't answer that!" Vera yelled as she appeared in the kitchen behind Tadashi, equally winded, but still managing to raise her hand in… anger? Pleading? Desperation? Hiro wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to convey at the moment though her face was a rather awesome shade of purple.
"January 13th." Hiro and Aunt Cass answered together in confusion.
Tadashi whipped around and grinned triumphantly at Vera. "I proved it! Now pay up imouto!" he told her.
Jealousy burned under Hiro's skin. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at Vera. Tadashi had called him "otouto" when they were younger. It really wasn't right that he called Vera imouto. They weren't even related! Not only that but Tadashi hadn't once called him otouto since coming home.
Vera shook her finger, "Two months Chiune. That's it. Two months."
"Say it," Tadashi told her with a wide grin. "You said if I could prove it…"
"I might consider it." Vera cut him off quickly. "We're still the same age."
"I'm two months older, now say it."
"No!" snapped Vera.
"Fine," shrugged Tadashi, using a mock resigned voice. The look on his face was anything but resigned. Uh-oh. This was not going to end well for Vera. "I'll just have to make you."
Nope, it was not going to end well for Vera. Tadashi tackled Vera, wrapping his arms around her head and forcing her head underneath his arm. An amusing look of shock colored Vera's face but it only lasted for a minute because that was about the time that Vera started to grab at Tadashi's hands. Tadashi was unphased as he proceeded to give Vera a noogie that Hiro could attest was more embarrassing than painful. "Say it!" he told her emphatically. Vera contorted her face in anger. "Come on, say it!" Tadashi continued to urge her as he ducked a wild swing from Vera.
Vera let loose an inarticulate screech. "Let go of me right now nii-chan unless you want an elbow to your gut!" she snapped. The grin on Tadashi's face grew even bigger if possible. "Happy now?" demanded Vera in a huff.
Tadashi relinquished his hold on her. "Quite," he told her with an air of superiority as he brushed his hands off.
Vera huffed again, straightening out her clothes and hair. "I'm going to go do some more work." she muttered under her breath. She ducked past Tadashi and grabbed his laptop that was sitting in his messenger bag on the end table. "Jerk."
"Oh come on," laughed Tadashi. "Don't be like that. Sit with us and talk."
Hiro really didn't want her to accept the invitation. For a split second, her eyes met his. Vera's affronted demeanor changed. "There's still a lot of things that need to be checked on." she told Tadashi with a quiet sigh. "You'll be fine without me Chiune. Do you mind if I use your living room Ms. Hamada? I don't want to disturb everyone else."
Aunt Cass gave Vera a very warm smile. "Of course, go right ahead. And Vera… it's Aunt Cass."
"Thank you," Vera said returning the smile. She rose on to her toes and pressed a kiss against Tadashi's cheek. It was hard for Hiro to miss the way that Vera didn't so much as blink at kissing Tadashi on the livid red, mottled burn scars. He also couldn't miss the way that Tadashi reached up and patted her on the head, smoothing down the hair he'd messed up from his headlock. They were so familiar with each other, so comfortable with one another, that it hurt Hiro. He and Tadashi had been like that once. Tadashi had never hesitated to ruffle his hair or pat him on the back. Now, though, it was like Tadashi was constantly worrying about whether or not he was going to offend Hiro by so much as touching him on the arm. "I'll be in the other room if you need me." she told Tadashi.
"Vera," Baymax called to her, making her turn back to face him. Hiro turned to look at Baymax too. His red scanning light was going off repeatedly on Vera. Vera cocked her head to the side and looked at Baymax curiously. "Are you at all feeling stressed? Recent scans seem to indicate that your neurotransmitter levels have not returned to normal since earlier this afternoon."
Tadashi gave Vera a dubious look. Vera however laughed it off. "I'm fine, thanks." she told Baymax.
"I would still recommend getting some sleep. I think you will find it most beneficiary."
"I'll consider it." Vera told Baymax in a dry voice that really didn't make Hiro believe that she was going to even remotely consider the idea.
"Also please take care not to aggravate your wrist or ankle anymore otherwise swelling and pain might occur. Your wrist especially…" Baymax continued.
"Yes, thanks. Got it." Vera cut him off abruptly. Hiro glared at her. Vera only forced a smile before going into the family room.
"Hey, real quick." Tadashi said. Vera popped her head back and shot a questioning look at him. "What were you asking Director Coulson about on the phone, y'know, what you were so adamant about knowing?"
Vera's smile looked like a cross between fake and dry. "Just confirmed our location is all." she shrugged, "Now stop talking to me. Talk to your family."
She gave one last little wave before disappearing to commandeer the family room. Hiro's eyes burned a hole in the spot she'd last stood.
"I've been teasing her about our ages since I first met her. She can be a bit rough around the edges. I'm sorry she isn't being more friendly at the moment." Tadashi apologized for her quietly as he came to sit in the chair that he'd been sitting in before he'd gone downstairs. The one next to him.
"I'm still trying to figure out where I've seen her before man." Fred said as he rubbed his chin. "Call me crazy but she really seems familiar."
"You're crazy," he, GoGo, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon all said at once. Tadashi shook with silent laughter.
"Why does she call you 'Chiune?'" Hiro asked sourly, arms still crossed over his chest.
"Well, since I couldn't remember my own name and I didn't want to go by what Hydra had been calling me, Vera suggested 'Chiune.' Apparently, it was the name of a Japanese hero during World War II who got hundreds of Jews out of Lithuania when the Nazi's invaded. Vera thought it was fitting." he explained sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"So, how did you meet Vera?" GoGo asked as she swung her legs up on to Fred's lap.
"And why did she think 'Chiune' was a fitting name?" Honey Lemon tacked on.
"That's a long story." Tadashi said dismissively as he waved his hand in the air.
"We've got awhile," Wasabi pointed out. For one very quick, half instant, Tadashi's eyes darkened and the look on his face grew cold. It was so jarring that everyone went stiff on seeing it. Hiro couldn't recall a time when that look ever graced his brother's face. However, Tadashi must have realized everyone's wide eyed looks and the darkness was replaced by a forced smile.
"It isn't important." Tadashi said simply and with a note of finality. The door to that conversation was effectively shut tight. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap." he mumbled as he raked a hand through his hair.
Aunt Cass reached across the table and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry about it sweetheart."
"So I really went to SFIT?" Tadashi said with an apologetic smile. Trying to redirect the flow of conversation into a territory that was more comfortable for him. Hiro leaned forward, eager to help.
"Yep," he nodded but then tacked on, "Didn't graduate though... you kinda, well..."
"Ran into a burning building to save Dr. Callaghan." supplied Tadashi dryly. Another dark look crossed his face. Not as dark as the look earlier but still enough to give them pause. To Hiro, it almost looked as though Tadashi was lost in the ghost of a memory. Maybe he was trying hard to remember what he'd lost. Hiro couldn't tell. All that was obvious was that the news of Callaghan's betrayal had struck Tadashi hard. He'd sat dazed for a few minutes after they'd told him that Callaghan had been his greatest mentor and the reason he'd been presumed dead. Tadashi let out a groan and buried his face in his hands. "And here I thought that with my level of knowledge I had at least a Master's. Maybe if I'm lucky Coulson won't take my degree away and make me go back and finish it." he laughed lightly, "Really? I never graduated?"
"Nope, sorry dude. You're just a genius." Wasabi shook his head.
"You would've graduated with us." Honey Lemon added.
"Maybe you can get college credit or something for all the super spy work you've done." suggested Fred.
That made Tadashi laugh loudly. "No offense to any of you who earned it the traditional way but I think I might deserve my Master's after everything I've been through in the last three years."
"None taken Hamada but if you ever step out of line, I reserve the right to hold your lack of finishing school over your head." GoGo informed him.
"Fair enough," nodded Tadashi. Without realizing it, Tadashi leaned sideways in his chair and draped his arm over the back of Hiro's chair. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his face as he leaned back, tilting his head against Tadashi's arm. Of course that made Tadashi realize what he was doing which sent a jolt of surprise all through his arm. For a split second Hiro panicked and a weight sunk into his heart. He was almost sure that Tadashi would jerk his arm back. He met Hiro's eyes with an equally, slightly panicky look before laughing lightly under his breath and relaxing. The weight lightened but only a little. Hiro had no clue how long it would take to get back to the level of familiarity they'd shared. At least this was a start. That was something wasn't it.
"Okay, next question." Tadashi said, "Where exactly did I learn karate because, I'm not gonna lie, that one kinda threw me for a bit of loop."
"You took lessons down the street at local dojo for, oh gosh! How many years?" Aunt Cass exclaimed. She held up her hand and started counting the years on her fingers.
"A lot of them," Hiro answered with a shrug Then he smiled, "You had all my high school bullies running scared."
"Wow…" whispered Tadashi in awe. Absentmindedly, Tadashi rubbed the back of his neck. "Always a protector, huh?"
"Definitely," everyone all said at once. For some reason that made Tadashi nod contentedly.
"I think I can live with that fact."
"Why does that surprise you Hamada?" GoGo asked him as she leaned forward.
"It doesn't," Tadashi sighed. "It's just after everything I've been through, everything that happened in that compound, and all the questions I still have about what happened in that fire… it's reassuring to hear something like that."
There was a lingering pain in his voice. One that Hiro had no clue how to fix. He reached over and grabbed his brother's hand, the one that was hanging over his shoulder. Again, Tadashi seemed to jump at the touch. He wasn't about to let Tadashi slip away from him again. He'd learned the hard way what happened if he let go. He was never letting go of Tadashi again. Hiro gave him a reassuring smile. "You've always been my hero."
Tadashi nodded, a slight smile on his lips. For a moment he looked as though he wanted to say something but them but then he bit his lip as though he'd thought better of it. However, the way that Tadashi's hand tightened around Hiro's shoulder told him that wasn't the case. "What?" Hiro asked him.
Tadashi shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. "I was, um, well… I wanted to know… what were our parents like?"
Just like that all the color drained out of Hiro's face. His mind came to a screeching halt. How many times had Tadashi asked him in the past about what their parents would say about some of the more stupid things he'd done? He had always just shrugged it off. He'd been three when their parents had died. He could barely remember them. That had been Tadashi's job. Tadashi had been the one to remember their parents. Tadashi had been the one to tell him about their parents. Not the other way around. Never the other way around. Hiro sat up, pulling himself from Tadashi's grasp and leaning forward to hide his face. Suddenly he now understood all the looks of mortification that Tadashi had given him when he'd brushed off the stern lecture of "Mom and Dad would be appalled." Hiro understood and white hot shame rose in his throat. Why had he never paid attention? He should've paid more attention.
"I'm sorry," Tadashi said quickly, "I just… I didn't want to hurt… I'm so sorry."
"It's alright sweetheart." Aunt Cass told Tadashi just as quickly, reaching forward and taking his outstretched hand. It was then that Hiro realized that Tadashi had, once again, hesitated in comforting him. This was just great! The perfect way to reestablish their brotherly bonds, admit that he didn't know and couldn't answer the questions about their parents. A soft hand touched his cheek, drawing his face up again. Aunt Cass was smiling her understanding but brittle smile. "Let me take this one okay sweetie." she told him.
Hiro nodded wordlessly as Aunt Cass began to talk about their parents in depth. God bless Aunt Cass for being able to fill in the blanks he couldn't. He completely sucked as a brother. The familiar feel of Baymax's hand on his head snapped him from his thoughts. Hiro cast a glance up at him as he proceeded to pat his head reassuringly. Okay, maybe he didn't completely suck as a brother. He'd managed to continue on Tadashi's work with Baymax hadn't he? Hiro had upgraded Baymax, made him a better healthcare companion and had turned him into a hero. That was something wasn't it? He looked over at his and Tadashi's friends. They were all giving him sidelong glances from the corners of their eyes. Hiro knew at the bottom of his heart that, even in his darkest moments, they didn't think he'd ever failed Tadashi. He gave them a small smile just to show them he was going to be alright.
Slowly the conversation began to filter away from their parents. Tadashi had taken what Aunt Cass had told him about their parents' death and how they'd come to live with her when they were younger in stride. It felt wrong that something that used to bother Tadashi so badly was now reduced to a simple head nod with a slightly confused look. It was as though he knew it should hurt, but couldn't quite unlock the full reasoning behind it. Vaguely, Hiro wondered why Tadashi had been more affected when he'd heard about his connection to Callaghan and then Callaghan's betrayal. He'd file that away in the category of things to ask Tadashi later when they were alone and probably after they got the whole deal with Hydra and Callaghan sorted out.
In the meantime, Fred had launched into a gut busting story about Tadashi had once ended up at his house after a failed test with Baymax. It included Tadashi wandering about the huge mansion in a state of confusion, not being able to hear half the things Fred said, and Tadashi yelling every response that he gave which was typically not anywhere remotely close to an answer the question Fred had been asking him. Tadashi had asked that no one tell Vera or his colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D. about that mishap.
In the middle of Honey Lemon and GoGo's story, recounting the time that they'd suckered Tadashi into playing traffic cone for a test involving GoGo's bike that had turned into a gnarly crash, Wasabi got up to get something out of the family room. When he came back he was tiptoeing out of the room. "Guys try to keep it down." he whispered as he waved his hand up and down, "Vera's sacked out on the couch."
"That's good," both Tadashi and Baymax replied at the same exact time.
Tadashi twisted around with a huge, cheesy grin on his face. "Vera was right. I so totally programmed you."
Hiro had only rolled his eyes and prompted GoGo and Honey Lemon to continue.
"I'll tell you what man," Wasabi said pointing to Tadashi before gesturing wildly to Hiro, "I have never loaned so many tools to you as I have that one over there. I mean! You saw his lab! It's a wonder how he finds anything in there and now I know for a fact that he's completely busted the shelves that you and I worked so hard to install that day."
Wasabi had eased his way into a story after Honey Lemon and GoGo had finished. Of course Fred had thought of another story but had been forced to wait his turn by Aunt Cass.
"My lab is not that messy. And I do know where everything is." Hiro snorted. Then he thought about the fact that he still had to find a few more pages of his notes for his professor. "Well mostly," he amended.
"You sure about that because I'm pretty certain I could hide the cat in there and no one would find him for days." Tadashi teased.
Hiro rolled his eyes, "You'd have to catch him first and you forget how fat and loud Mochi is. Besides, everyone knows Mochi prefers me over you so…"
A blood curdling scream cut through apartment. Hiro's smirk evaporated off his face as he jumped to his feet. He wasn't the only one. Honey Lemon, GoGo, Wasabi, Fred, and Aunt Cass all leapt out of their chairs. However, one person was quicker than all of them. Tadashi. His chair went flying backwards as he whipped around towards the family room. Tadashi let loose a series of colorful swears both in English and in Japanese as he sprinted for the family room. "Tadashi! Wait!" cried Hiro as he raced after him.
Tadashi wasn't listening though.
Sneak Peek at Next Week's Chapter:
"Best Laid Plans"
"It's brilliant." Vera said.
"It's ingenious." Fred agreed.
"Horrible!"
"Unthinkable!"
"Despicable!"
Once more, thank you to all who have favorited, followed, and reviewed!
PerrythePlatypusGirl: Thanks for your fantastic compliments. When I think back to when I was writing this story, the most prominent thing that sticks out in my mind was how certain I was everyone was going to hate it. "Tadashi lives" or "Tadashi denial" is done a hundred different ways and quickly became cliche when the movie premiered. Now, as I look at all the reviews I've received and the number of follows and favorites, I'm truly blown away. Thank you for calling Vera a cutie too. As a character, she is quite special to me!
aki: One reaction to Vera and Tadashi's age as requested! XD
EasilyDistractedBookWorm: I'm kinda embarrassed to admit this... but I don't know what you meant by Bayard will return. I'm sorry, so sorry. I took it as your excitement over the chapter. Please don't be mad...
DaydreamDepartment: Aunt Cass holds a special place in my heart. I was very careful when I wrote her reunion with Tadashi. She is essentially Hiro and Tadashi's mother and there's nothing so poignant as a mother finding her son again. I'm glad it matched up with your vision. As for Fox Labs, yes, it was indeed Callaghan but no, he isn't going AWOL on Hydra.
Falcrow-42: So glad you liked it. Everything about the reunion arc that I loved was literally in that last chapter.
Guest (anon reviewer): I didn't mean to break anyone's heart, and definitely not twice, in the last chapter. It was supposed to be a sweet chapter. So glad that you enjoyed it though.
Tony18: I'll be honest, I don't know much about the Yankees except for the fact that they're a pretty solid team (playing wise) and that most everyone hates them. Personally, I'm a Reds fan so take what you will from that lol. There were so many complex emotions to the reunion that I wanted to do justice to. I think the word that best describes the emotions felt was bittersweet. Happiness mixed with pain. I originally had Hiro and Vera as buddy-buddy pretty quickly but I realized that wasn't exactly realistic. However, their relationship is one of my favorites actually. And yes, you're right, Vera might definitely feel the strong urge to make her coffee more "Irish" than French Roast. I think she'd be pretty careful about what she mixes with her typical medications though.
UntitledJoy: Tadashi remembers some! I didn't want him to remember everything at once because that felt cliched and unrealistic. That was one of the very first decisions I made about this story's plot when it was evolving from plot bunny to behemoth. And yes, you're correct in sensing hostility from Hiro towards Vera. He's definitely wary of her, especially since his first observation of her, but he's just as much jealous of how close Vera is to Tadashi. Vera is very much trying not to be a threat at the moment to Hiro because she doesn't want to mess anything up for Tadashi and his family.
APTX4869-Kaito: Please don't cry. Be happy. These are happy feelings right now... Crying is for not so happy feelings.
arashikageriverflower: Tadashi is grounded until Jesus Christ comes again... He's going to be washing a lot of dishes. So many dishes...
ColorQuill: I knew I was ending that reunion arc with "tadaima" the moment I knew that Aunt Cass would be the last person he reunited with. I'm not a scholar of the Japanese language and I don't pretend to be. However, from an English speaker and English lit grad's standpoint, the translation and diction can be pretty powerful. Another reviewer pointed out that it means "I'm back" but it can also mean "I'm home." Honestly it's a toss up as to which fits better here. I couldn't have chosen a phrase because they are both so perfect and powerful. Tadaima gave me both of those phrases at once.
Shoyzz: Hydra's plan is definitely to snatch five incredibly talented individuals plus one huggable robot for nefarious purposes. A lot more of Hydra's plan will be revealed next chapter but if you want a hint, think about what Hydra did to Vera when they captured her. Remember, she was a Superhero/metahuman and was robbed of certain abilities by them.
Masking What Remains: Thanks for the compliments! Be nice to Hiro and the gang. They were being chased around by gun toting fanatics! Lol, when I was plotting out the car chase scene I realized that I needed an actual reason for Hydra to be chasing them, especially with the way I had everything else plotted out. With my fly by the seat of my pants approach to this story, I realized I hadn't accounted for why Hydra would be running after BH6. Luckily I figured it out rather quickly and I was able to add in that bit of humor as a bonus.
Ember Neutron: Nope, no Kill Bill mode to initiate on anyone's part. Hiro and Vera do work together though and surprisingly well given how they interact in this chapter and the last. Their uniting factor is Tadashi. They would do anything for that numbskull.
Espe Kuroba: Hiro's jealousy was a necessary component of his relationship with Vera. I love the kid to death, but I don't think that he'd be on the Vera bandwagon right away. I originally had Hiro and Vera pretty friendly and pretty quickly too. However, it didn't feel realistic for a lot of reasons. However, Hiro and Vera's relationship is the most dynamic relationship (as in the most changing) in the story. I hope everyone likes the way it evolves because, to me it says a lot about who Hiro and Vera are as characters as well as just how much Tadashi means to the both of them.
bukalay: No, no "Broken Arrow" or "Red Son" black out phrases. I've always thought that if Hydra was going to kidnap themselves a robotics genius they wouldn't tamper with his mind. He's not an assassination/killing asset as was the Winter Soldier. He was too valuable as a scientist to Hydra for them to be risking screwing up his knowledge base. As for his memories all returning, I'm sorry to say that not even I know. With retrograde amnesia it can take anywhere from months to years. What's even more frustrating is that patients with retrograde amnesia don't regain their memory simply by being reminded of those memories. It is very much spontaneous and, as I understand it, triggered by all sorts of different things. However, by the end of this story, he will remember a lot more than he does now.
lilnightmare17: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Like I said, that entire arc was probably the part I was most proud of. Very rarely do words come out on paper the way you picture them in your head. It was not the case for that arc!
SanctuaryInMusic: "Tadaima" can also mean "I'm home." Either way you look at it, the phrase definitely packs a punch. I reread the scene before I posted it last week and was crying myself. You're totally right when you say that Hiro's never had to compete for the role of younger sibling. He's always had that market cornered. It hurts him a lot to know that in the three years Tadashi was gone, Tadashi somehow picked up a complete stranger. I don't state it but now that I think about it, I think Hiro would be worried that Vera has replaced him. Alas, I didn't go with irony (though I love it). I went with straight up "haha, told you so" humor.