Mummified, my Teenage Dreams

Walking back into the Lucky Cat café after over a month and a half of captivity was a strange experience. Hiro didn't know what he expected but it certainly hadn't been to find that almost nothing changed. Half of him had expected his room to look like it had three years ago, when Tadashi was still alive which is why he stumbled to a halt when the sight that met his gaze was anything but.

Tadashi paused beside him with a smile. "Lie down and rest a little and I'll go rustle us up some lunch. We all know hospital fare is not the best thing around." Tadashi instructed before turning and leaving Hiro alone to face his room.

Hiro glanced around the room looking for signs of his brother's presence. One bed, one desk, one computer, one bookshelf covered in bots, half-finished projects and picture frames displaying frozen moments from the past, moments more than three years old captured before Tadashi ran into the fire and died. There had to be something, anything to prove that Tadashi was really here, that this wasn't all just a dream his mind had concocted in order to deal with the trauma of his captivity. Walking into the room he continued the search.

Nothing had changed. Everything was exactly as he'd left it, exactly as it had been when this room had become his instead of theirs.

Thud. Thud. Thud, thud.

His heartbeat rose, escalating rapidly in the tension that had snuck up on him. Fear and panic rose up like a beast, suffocating him, overwhelming him, threatening to overtake his senses. 'Tadashi's not here. Tadashi's just a figment of your imagination. Tadashi is dead. He died. You watched him die. You buried him. You're losing your mind. Tadashi is just a hallucination. You've been losing it for a while now. You're crazy, bonkers, off the deep end.' Rapid pants escaped his lips, short shallow gasps as he fought for breath, fought for control.

"… is elevated. Might I recommend you take deep calming breaths?" Hiro only caught the tail end of Baymax's speech mere seconds before launching himself into motion. Running away. He was once again running away, racing down the stairs in a desperate attempt to silence the dark whispers of his mind. He wasn't crazy. He wasn't imagining things. Tadashi was here! He'd seen him, touched him, smelt him and he was going to prove it. Turning the corner he ran straight into the kitchen, stumbling to a sudden halt just as he crossed the threshold of the room, eyes wide, breath still escaping him in wild panicked pants.

Tadashi is here…

Tadashi turned to face Hiro, skillet in hand. He was busy making their favorite dish, spicy chicken wings, in a bid to get Hiro to eat something. The doctors had informed him and Aunt Cass that they needed to watch what Hiro ate. They needed to make sure he took in enough protein and energy to replace what he'd clearly lost. The panic in Hiro's eyes, however, quickly changed Tadashi's priorities. He dropped the skillet onto the stove and rushed to his brother's side. "Hiro?" Tadashi reached out to cup his brother's face holding it still so he could look straight into the dilated pupils.

Tadashi is here… Hiro could smell him, see him and feel the touch of his brother's hands on his skin but it still wasn't enough to silence the doubt, the whispers that continued to tell him he was mad, living in an illusion, a dream of his own making but the whispers were mistaken. Hiro knew they were mistaken and was going to prove it. He reached up and pinched Tadashi's hands.

"Ow!" Tadashi exclaimed pulling his hands away flicking them in automatic reaction. "What was that for?"

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak. Baymax waddled into the kitchen, performing a scan as he entered. "I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said 'ow', what appears to be the problem?" The healthcare companion asked, detecting no real injury.

"We're ok, Baymax." Tadashi lifted a hand as he spoke. "Hiro decided it was a good idea to pinch me. I'm still trying to determine why." Even though the statement was directed towards Baymax, Tadashi kept his gaze on Hiro pointedly waiting for a response.

Hiro bit his lip, suddenly filled with uncertainty, tinged with a mild sense of guilt. He dropped his gaze, unable to hold Tadashi's stare any longer. "I…" Hiro paused, licking dry lips. "I just wanted to check that you were real… that this is really happening, that this isn't all just some kind of dream…"

The softly spoken words tugged at Tadashi's heart strings urging him to provide some kind of comfort. Reaching out, he pulled Hiro into a hug ruffling his hair in the process. "In order for that theory to work, you're supposed to pinch yourself, not me." Tadashi informed him, holding the slim figure close.

"Like I'd be dumb enough to inflict pain on myself." Hiro retorted before he could think better of it, unwittingly bringing images of blood, sightless eyes and death by suicide to the forefront of his mind. Maybe those words didn't hold as much truth as Hiro would like them to. Reaching up, he grabbed hold of Tadashi's shirt clenching his fists and clinging to it for dear life.

Tadashi sensed a change in Hiro's posture. Hiro had always carried a vibrant sense of energy with him. He was always moving, his body subconsciously expressing the rapid intelligence that coursed through Hiro's sharp witted mind. It was as natural to Hiro as breathing. The stillness that now encompassed him was the complete opposite. It was unnatural, heart-breaking and very wrong and Tadashi didn't know what to do about it. "Want to talk about it?"

Hiro shook his head still clinging to Tadashi.

Tadashi reached up to ruffle his hair once more. "Ok, knucklehead. Let me know when you're ready."

They stayed like that for a long time, Hiro clinging to his brother simply taking in his scent and Tadashi running comforting fingers through the wild far too long strands of Hiro's hair.

- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –

A/N: Hiro pinched Tadashi XD XD XD

Anony mouse101: Thanks XD

Ern Estine 13624: Agreed. After experiencing something like that, the last thing I'd want to do is hang out with friends.

shooting2stars: Baymax is always there for Hiro, even though Hiro may not always realize it. Tadashi is too. Hopefully Hiro will realize how much his brother does for him. The gang are taking it hard but they know Hiro needs space...

Rosycat: Yes Tadashi read the journal but he is not going to say anything about it seeing as it is a sensitive subject.

Dreamer: I'm glad I am able to surprise you with this story. I thought I was giving everything away. It's nice to know I'm not ;). You are wise to consider this part of the story a momentary reprieve as there is still more coming though I don't really think Tadashi is sitting on the sidelines? Tadashi is the one that actually rescued Hiro. As for your sanity... no reason to want it back, we insane people have the most fun ;) Glad you did well on your finals! (PS: Sorry for the short reply. I'm not feeling well today.)