A/N- Sorry, a little short, but I'll update soon, don't worry!
Tadashi had been home for almost two weeks. It was definitely better than the first week. They had all gotten into a sort of rhythm for making it through the day. Despite the fact the fact that it was only Tadashi that suffered physically from the fire, everyone in the Hamada household had to adjust their lifestyle. For a while, Tadashi wouldn't even be able to make it to the bathroom by himself, much less get ready for a normal day, but he was getting the hang of it. Hiro had already finished his 'robotic leg' as he calls it, but Tadashi was still really weak and according to his physical therapist who came once a week, he shouldn't be able to use anything resembling a prosthetic for at least another month. His muscles had degraded greatly and he really needed to build them back.
This morning was a busy one. At the moment, Eleanor, Aunt Cass, Hiro and Tadashi were running around, Tadashi wheeling, getting everything packed. Today, Tadashi was going back to the hospital for a regular check up to make sure he was healing alright. The San Fransokyo Hospital was also the same place he would be attending group physical therapy. He didn't like the idea at first, but Aunt Cass thought it would be good for him to meet other people who were facing a struggle similar to his. He was nervous and definitely embarrassed, but he wanted to keep Aunt Cass happy so he would do it. He had caused a lot of trouble for her over the past few months. One good thing though was that Hiro was coming with him. Eleanor had offered to come with him at first, but he wasn't quite ready for her to see him like that yet.
Eleanor fully understood this and didn't take it personally. After driving him to the hospital with Hiro in the back with Tadashi she would return home to help Aunt Cass work the cafe and clean up the house a little. It had been messier since Tadashi's return purely from the lack of time to do dropping off both boys, saying goodbye with forehead kisses she got back into the car and made her way back to the cafe. It was a bright and sunny day, the kind that made children want to play hopscotch and drink lemonade. She couldn't deny, it had made her feel this way too, but she was an adult now with responsibilities so childish things like that, no matter how fun or tempting, had to wait.
The bell to the cafe made a pleasant sound that was all too familiar as Leo grabbed the door handle, wincing when her fingertips touched the cool surface. A few days previous Big Hero Seven had to deal with a few arsonists and she hadn't been paying attention and stupidly grabbed a burning piece of wood to get into a building. It had been their first real mission besides petty theft and street criminals since Callaghan. The thought of the man dampened her mood as she looked at her lightening scars. Sighing, she walked through the cafe and into the kitchen.
The faint sound of crying and shuffling made Eleanor stop in her tracks, not daring to turn the corner quite yet. Peeking around quietly, Leo saw Aunt Cass sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by important looking papers. Her nimble fingers were covering her green eyes as tears ran through the gaps. Why on Earth was she crying? She didn't look injured. What could possibly make the wonderful woman sitting across the room bawl her eyes out? The last time she really cried was when Tadashi was hurt. What had happened?
Not wasting anymore time, she approached Cassidy Hamada and lightly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. This caused the woman to jolt in her seat and frantically rub her eyes.
"What's wrong Aunt Cass? Are you hurt?" Leo said brushing some of the older woman's hair behind her ear so it was no longer obstructing her face.
"Oh, it's nothing honey, i'm just dealing with some bills. It's not a big deal, i'll handle it. Sorry, I thought you would take longer." She said wiping her eyes again, sniffling and standing up. Eleanor understood she didn't really want to talk about it, so she just hugged the woman who gladly accepted the gesture and returned to her room. Leo watched her walk away and sat down in the chair Aunt Cass had been just a minute before.
Eleanor really wasn't a nosy person,, she respected people's privacy, but she had to know what could cause the unbreakable Aunt Cass to breakeven if only for a few minutes. Looking through the papers, she realized they were Tadashi's medical bills. Thousands of dollars piled up, just waiting to be paid. How had Eleanor not even thought about how much money it would cost to keep someone in the hospital for so long, to pay for surgery and for physical therapy? Her heart dropped to her stomach when she realized she was basically living with the Hamadas and not even helping pull her own weight. She didn't buy her own food or help out. She felt terrible for being so oblivious and selfish. how could she be so blind?
With a determined look, Eleanor realized what she had to do. She needed a job and she needed it quick.What if Aunt Cass couldn't pay the bills and had to sell the cafe? That would be terrible, but where was Leo going to make enough money to help pay hospital bills? That was thousands of dollars! Like a train coming for her, and idea hit her.
She pulled out her phone and sent a text to a number she hadn't used in several years. Jake Hills.He'd be older now, but no doubt he still worked underground. She'd definitely make a lot of money there. The risk of getting caught by the cops or getting the snot beaten out of you was high, so the pay was to match. She sent him a text and only five minutes later he sent one back.
'Hey, need money. What can I do?' she sent.
'Old Henry st. tonight. Come see me, sure I can find something for you to do Rose.'
Rubbing her eyes she went up the stairs. She convinced Aunt Cass she would be going back to her place tonight to finish some of her online classes and homework for her exams. She had actually finished getting her masters degree online in child psychology, but she hadn't told anyone yet, they had other things to think about. Especially the bills, jeez.
She texted Tadashi and told him she had a paper due and that she wouldn't be there when he got back. She apologized profusely and he said it was fine, he understood, even if he was disappointed. As much as she wanted to be there for him when he got back from his first day in physical therapy, this was more urgent. She pulled on her leather jacket and her boots, exiting the cafe. After grabbing a bus, she was back at her house in fifteen minutes. She couldn't call it her home, her heart wasn't there, but her videogames and a bunch of stuff was still there, so she did spend some time there.
Using her key she entered the cold house. There was an empty set of coffee cups at the table; her parents must have been home last night. She didn't care. She made her way to her old bedroom. The door creaked as it always did. Some things never change.She thought.
The walls were still the boring eggshell color. Her window was dusty and her bed was messy from the several weeks ago she had last slept in it. She usually slept in Tadashi's bed, fully clothed, that is. They weren't like that. Well, not yet anyway.
She headed to her closet and pulled out some of her old clothes, clothes she used to wear in the slums. You had to look and act tough down there, or you'd get eaten like the last chicken wing Aunt Cass made.
She grabbed a blue tee shirt that matched her electric blue hair and now her sparks. Sometimes she wondered if she'd always been drawn to the color because of her powers. It seemed too weird to be a coincidence. She grabbed a pair of ripped skinny jeans. Changing, she put her black leather jacket on top and put her combat boots back on. Deciding she had a good couple hours before she'd need to head out, she figured she could get some practice in. Within fifteen minutes she'd taken the old, banged up car from her worse daysand made it to an old warehouse that had been conveniently abandoned for several years now. This was where she always went to practice with her powers. Removing her jacket she got started.
Taking a deep breath, she sent small sparks the tips of her fingers and back up her arms. She had learned it was good to kind of get a flow before trying to go all out with it. She felt warm and good feel her heart buzzing in her chest. She hadn't really used her powers in a while and was glad to get the chance. She'd been so busy checking up on Tadashi the past few weeks, not that she minded though. She loved him and would give up her powers in a heartbeat for him. There was no competition as to which was more important to her.
She sent the wave of pulses down to her feet too. She's learned when fighting Callaghan she could sent the pulses pretty much anywhere, but the feet were the hardest, probably because they were the farthest away from her brain. After warming up, she decided to start target practice. With a blue, crackling orb in her hand, she tossed it like a baseball toward the empty boxes across the room. She didn't hit the center, but that didn't matter. The electricity would fry anything it got close to, whether it hit the center or not. She didn avoid using her left hand, as she had burnt it slightly earlier that week, she focused more on her right hand and sending the orbs through kicks.
She had first trained before their battle with Callaghan and quickly learned that if she used her ability too much she could burn her hands. After about an hour and a half she headed out. It would only take her about fifteen minutes to get to where she needed to be anyway and soon enough, she was there.
"Wow, been awhile since i've seen you messing around down here Rose. What's the occasion?" Jake stood in the alley, obviously out for his scheduled smoke. He puffed out a stinky cloud before she responded.
"Just need some quick cash. I've gotten my life together since this Jake, so don't expect me to stay too long. What can I do tonight?" She said in her, 'I mean business' voice.. Her usual sweet voice was strictly reserved for the Hamadas.
"I can give you two hundred a night for being a waitress and if you keep track of the bidders." He said, letting out another puff, giving her his signature smirk.
"Alright." She said, avoiding breathing in his cigarette smoke. She wasn't really in the mood for lung cancer at the moment.
As much as Eleanor didn't want to go back to doing things a little bit illegal, she knew this was the easiest way for her to get Aunt Cass the money she needed. Of all people, Aunt Cass deserved it. For her, it would be worth it.
A/N-soon we'll be getting to more interesting parts, don't worry. A few chapters of dealing with real life problems and we'll meet our new villlian. I'm actually really excited to get to our new ark soon. I do apologize if I update later than I say, my grandfather is ill and recently came to stay with us, so I have a lot more responsibilities to take care of now and I do apologize for that. I will continue this story though, so don't worry about me just abandoning it! So, how are you liking the story so far? Love it? hate it? Let me know! I love feedback through reviews or PM's if you don't feel comfortable reviewing for some reason. Love y'all, stay beautiful, - Wallflower :)