Guard Dog of all your Fever Dreams

Fire.

He was surrounded, encased in bright colour, heat and pain with no way out. Flickering amber flames lapped at his skin, tainted, orange, yellow and red with blood, his blood, devouring the very essence of his life. Each flicker was a dance, a symphony, moving to a beat he couldn't hear above the rapid rhythm of his heart, beating in tempo with his panicked breaths. He was dying, the flame eagerly devouring him like a beast consuming its prey and the agony of it was excruciating.

Deliverance.

He wanted it to end, the pain to go away and leave him in peace and he was more than willing to die in order to obtain it, his life a small price to pay for deliverance from his affliction.

Death.

The irony of the situation he now found himself in did not escape him. Once, a long time ago, he'd been afraid of the concept, afraid of what lay beyond the dark veil but now he no longer cared, tired, broken and alone. He wanted it done, longed for the darkness, silence and peace that lay just on the other side and wondered why he'd ever been afraid of it to begin with.

Falling.

The ground beneath his feet crumbled. What was once solid rock turned to fine powder, embers glowing brilliant red in the flickering flames and then he was falling… tumbling, blood and adrenaline rushing to his brain. He was weightless, drifting in space, surrounded by darkness, its icy fingers clawing at his skin. Sucking in one last breath, he braced himself for the shattering pain that awaited him at the bottom of the abyss.

Crack.

It was over. His life was ended and it would have been a relief if not for the fact that the cycle began to repeat itself once more.

Fire…

- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak.

The far too familiar sound of vinyl rubbing against vinyl pulled Tadashi from his fitful slumber, knowing exactly what he'd see when he opened his eyes. Baymax was standing at his side, leaning over him. "I am concerned." Baymax said, blinking intermittently.

"What's up, buddy?" Tadashi inquired, sitting up with a yawn, fighting hard to ignore the panic that was coursing through him. The healthcare companion hadn't left Hiro's side ever since the accident. Not even on their rather awkward flight home on Fred's family jet which Fred had suggested they use in order to avoid the logistics of getting Hiro onto a normal commercial flight.

"Hiro is not doing well. He is not recovering at the rate he should be."

Tadashi sighed, slipping his feet into slippers before heading towards the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. "I know, buddy." Tadashi said, sorrow in his tone. "He's struggling to reconcile himself with the extent of his injuries. I can't say that I blame him." He turned the kettle on. "Something like this isn't easy to accept."

Baymax followed Tadashi into the kitchen. "He is also exhibiting the symptoms of night terrors."

"Night terrors?" Tadashi stopped, mid-motion, the cup he'd been about to pull out of the cupboard completely forgotten.

""A sleep disorder, causing feelings of terror or dread, typically occurring during the first hours of stage 3-4 non-rapid eye movement sleep. Symptoms include: screaming or as in Hiro's case, whimpering, bolting upright, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate and thrashing of limbs."

"I know what night terrors are, Baymax." Tadashi said with a frown. "How long has this been going on?"

"Ever since he was taken off of the sedatives." Baymax informed him.

"Why are you only informing me now?"

"Hiro has displayed an aversion to your company." Baymax's statement hurt but Tadashi could not fault Baymax for stating it. It was true. Hiro had completely withdrawn. He had barely exchanged two words with anyone ever since the argument he had with Tadashi and Tadashi was at a complete loss at what to do about it. "Giving patients time and space to deal with the trauma they have endured is often beneficial to the patients recovery. Hiro was exhibiting the classical desire for this space and I concluded giving it to him was the best course of action at the time. Further observation leads me to believe that the intended treatment is not working. Time does not appear to be assisting the healing process. I fear he is making himself ill instead."

I fear he is making himself ill instead…

Those words only served to confirm Tadashi's worst fears catapulting him into motion. Not even bothering to grace Baymax with a response, Tadashi rushed out of the kitchen. Heading straight towards Hiro's room he rushed in to confirm Baymax's suspicions for himself.

The sight that greeted him was worse than he feared. Hiro was thrashing in his bed, tangled in his own sheets as he desperately fought to escape an unseen enemy. His brow was furrowed, a pained expression etched on his features and blood was slipping out the corner of his lips where he was biting himself in a bid to silence his own cries. He was covered in sweat, muscles taunt in terror, skin pale and rapid breaths were escaping him despite his clenched lips. It was a sight Tadashi couldn't bear to see. He barely paused to take in the details before rushing to Hiro's side, cautiously reaching out to run a comforting through Hiro's hair. "Hey, knucklehead…" Tadashi whispered, silky strands slipping through his fingers. "It's ok. It's over. I've got you." Tadashi untangled Hiro's sheets and slipped into bed with Hiro, ignoring the stray blows Hiro landed while still thrashing in his sleep.

Burning.

He was burning, fever coursing through his veins, setting every nerve alight. The flames were never ending, taunting him as they flickered in glee, dancing upon his agony, a siren's call to madness and death, luring him ever deeper into hell.

Timing his movements carefully to coincide with Hiro's flailing, Tadashi slipped an arm around Hiro's waist and pulled his brother into an embrace taking care to not to restrict Hiro's arms and legs so as not to increase any feelings of entrapment his brother may be experiencing. "I believe I promised to never let you go." Tadashi continued on a whisper, gently resting his arm on Hiro's hip, letting the natural weight of it do his work for him.

Dead weight.

His body began to fail, his muscles losing the will to fight, adrenaline finally failing him in the face of despair. It was over. He had nothing more to give, nothing more to fight for and he resigned himself to the inevitability before him. The realization lay heavy upon him, the weight of it pinning him to the ground that would soon crumble beneath him once more only… something about it was oddly familiar.

Hiro began to calm, his body curling easily into Tadashi's chest as it had all those times before. The familiarity of the position settled over him, offering both comfort and relief.

Falling.

Once again he was falling, suspended in space, heading straight towards impact only this time… this time was different. Instead of darkness, he encountered and warm amber glow, the color soft instead of burning bright. Even though it reminded him of the hot amber flames that had tortured him mere minutes before, it was an entirely different thing altogether offering him peace, comfort and love. He never hit the bottom of the abyss, drifting instead into restful blissful sleep.

Pale sunlight flickered through the blinds, softly illuminating a pile of messy hair sticking haphazardly out from beneath the bright blue duvet. Soft footsteps padded across the floor, barely audible, but a whisper in the early morning light. Tadashi paused in the doorway, turning back to check on Hiro one more time. "Pleasant dreams, little bro." He whispered, smiling at the sight of Hiro still fast asleep beneath his sheets. "I'll be back tonight." That said, he turned and slipped out of the room. Hiro continued to sleep, oblivious to the night he'd spent curled up in his brother's arms.

- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –

A/N: I don't know why but I seriously love this chapter. There's just something about Tadashi playing the part of Hiro's guardian angel.

CrazyBlueOwl: I agree... there are no real words to describe how hard it is to adjust to an injury as dramatic as losing the use of your body. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to actually overcome that. I do agree that Hiro needs everyone in his life but have not written those scenes in. This story focuses on Tadashi's contribution but that doesn't mean the others do not contribute towards it as well. There is a chapter that provides a glimpse of the gang trying to help as well.

RazzlePazzleDooDot: Very Keen Observation XD. The title of this fic does imply that Hiro is not going to remain depressed. I am also, as you have said, an evil author...

NotShort: Agreed. Hiro does have a right to break down a little. It's hard to stay strong all the time. There is a good chance we are going to end on above 100k words. The story would not have reached that count without my replies to my readers but it still ended up being a very long piece. As to the rest of your review... it almost looks like you're asking for a sequel :P The buildings were brought forward by the unstable time machine while Krei and his researchers were still trying to get it to do what they wanted it to do. The time portal would connect to a time and pull through something from it. Correct me if I am wrong but the showcase building was destroyed... The end credits show a new building having been built in its place. Tadashi's memorial building was build in the same location as the show case building.

Guest: Well spotted. You are correct. Alistair is the one that planned the attack on Krei Tech in order to lure Hiro there. Also the lie the others tell Tadashi about Hiro's whereabouts and the reasons for them was not a complete lie. Alistair had been hounding Hiro to join his team. Hiro refused which is why Alistair resorted to kidnapping. As for the sergents name, I am well aware that his name is Gerson. I deliberatly used the same surname because in my head Amelia is his daughter and I suspect she got the information about Hiro's bot fights from him XD