Brothers

3

Ages

Hiro: 4 1/2

Tadashi: 9

Tadashi POV

I was just about to go to sleep when I heard teeny tiny tip toes coming toward my bed. I mentally groaned. That could only mean one thing. Hiro was gonna beg me to sleep with him and then ask for a glass of milk, and then a cookie, and then a bedtime story. It would be forever till Hiro would let me get sleep. He had done it four times before. Having a little brother stunk.

I remembered when Hiro first came home. At first, I was beyond excited to be a big brother, but within hours of Hiro arriving home, I got sick of him. Every stupid little thing Hiro did would impress our parents to extents that I was sure I never did. The thing that bugged me the most was that Hiro made it nearly impossible to hate him. With his big doe brown eyes, messy adorable hair, squeezable cheeks, charming teeth gap, beyond cute puppy dog face, and undeniable trust toward me, Hiro was a perfect little brother. I admired that about Hiro, but the four and a half year old boy could certainly be a handful.

I pushed the covers off of me when I heard the ever so quiet pitter pattering footsteps cease. I locked eyes with my brother, but immediately wished I hadn't. He looked so cute, I felt my manliness escape me in an instant.

He sniffled and tears were evident on his face. "D-Dashi?" he squeaked adorably. I sighed and patted toward a spot I cleared up for him next to me on my bed. He smiled, though tears still embellished his face. He climbed up with a bit of difficulty and I actually had to help pull him up. He wiggled a bit until he found a comfortable position, which resulted with his face perched on my stomach. He sighed in content, making me feel a bit warm inside.

"Dashi?" he whispered. "Hm?" I asked. "Dashi, I know mommy and daddy are all gone, but what if….what if w-what i-i-if you leave me t-too? What would I do?" he struggled to ask, fear lacing his tone so bad, it made me want to do everything in my power to make it go away.

"Don't sweat it baby bro, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I promise. I care about ya too much ya little bone head." I say, fluffing his hair affectionately. I pulled him closer to me and embraced him reassuringly. We were like that for a while until I felt my night shirt getting wet. Was Hiro still crying? "Hey, Hiro?" I asked, concerned.

"B-but D-Dashi! The man said he would hurt you if I didn't do what he wanted." Hiro whisper cried, clenching onto me for dear life, tears escaping at a break neck pace. I widened my eyes in shock. "Hiro, what man? What do you mean?" I urge. My baby bro wiped his eyes. They were blotchy and red.

"The man in my nightmare. He took me away from you and said if I didn't do exactly as he said, you'd end up leaving me forever just like mommy and daddy. He said that it was no accident that Mommy and Daddy died." Hiro breathed, shivering in fright. I gasped. Hiro was there when mom and dad died, I was at school. He knows what happened, but he only told me. They were in a supermarket when a robber came out of nowhere and shot them both. He spared Hiro, though no one knows why. I hope that wasn't the same man Hiro saw in his nightmare.

"Hiro, I promise I won't leave you. Not now, not ever. I care about you way too much to leave you alone. You're my baby bro. don't think for even a second that I'd leave you because I won't. The man in your nightmare isn't real. He's just a bad dream, that's all. I promise I'll always do whatever I can to protect you, okay?" I assure him, rubbing circled into his hands, something that always managed to calm him down.

"Pinky promise?" he squeaked, holding out an extremely tiny pinky to me. I smile and extend mine as well. "Pinky swear or may lightning strike me dead." I say, linking our pinkies.

"NO DASHI!" he whisper screamed and startled me. "Wh-what was that for Hiro?" my baby brother wiped his eyes once more and looked at me with such an innocent and scared look, I wanted to hold onto him forever and never let him go. "Dashi, never wish you were dead. Especially by lightning. You just promised you wouldn't. No matter what." Hiro scolded seriously. I chuckled at his childish antics, that, and he puffed his cheeks out and it looked hilarious.

He started bawling again. "Dashi stop laughing!" he whisper cried. I immediately cease my laughter. "Shhh, Hiro, I didn't mean it. You just looked so funny. It was only an expression. I meant what I said about keeping my promise. Don't worry. Okay?" I tried to calm him down. He sniffed and wiped his face. "Okay Dashi. I believe you. Never leave me." he begged, burying his small face into me, snuggling as close to me as possible. I smiled at his response.

I pull the covers over us and try to get to sleep. Right as I start to doze off, I feel the full weight of Hiro on top of me. He poked my nose not so gently and I was alert.

"What happened?" I ask, opening my eyes to see Hiro about 3 centimeters away from my face, his whole body on mine. He smiled sheepishly. "Dashi? Can we get a glass of milk?" he asked twiddling his thumbs together nervously awaiting my response. I sigh in frustration. He looks at me dead in the eye. "Please Dashi? Pretty please?" he asked with a puppy dog face, unknowingly getting me to crack against my will. "Oh, fine. C'mon then." I say pushing off the covers, unable to resist the face. Hiro's face lights up like a Christmas tree. "Yes!" he whisper shouts, grabbing my hand and dragging me downstairs with him.

The eager little maniac races to the cabinet that held the cups and waits expectantly. I smile, deciding to mess with him a bit. I walk over to the cabinet and pull out a cup. Hiro meanwhile grabs the milk carton from the fridge, struggling to carry it. He places it on the ground next to me and smiles adorably, almost making me reconsider my little prank. ALMOST.

I pour the milk into the cup and put it back in the fridge. Hiro grabs for the cup, but I hold it out of his reach. I'm so much taller than him and I love using it to my advantage. Hiro frowns at this and begins to pout like a four year old, oh wait, he IS a four year old. It's pretty cute and funny to watch. He jumps up and down like crazy, trying his absolute hardest to get the cup with no avail, making me chuckle. He tries a few more times before sitting down on the floor with his face in his hands.

I lean down. "Hiro? You okay buddy?" I ask, concerned. I hoped he wasn't truly upset with me. I place the cup down and position my hands on his shoulders. "Hey, Hiro c'mon, I was just playin. You know that right?" I ask cautiously. Hiro suddenly looks up, but instead of tears, I see a devilish smirk on his little face. He quickly grabs for the cup and downs the milk in a big gulp.

"I know." He says smugly, placing the cup down with a satisfied look. He then whisper laughs like a maniac. "Unbelievable." I say, not able to see how he fooled me like that. His adorableness will literally be the end of me.

"Guess who's not getting a cookie now." I say, crossing my arms. Hiro's eyes widen with shock. "No Dashi! Please! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, it hurts. Please don't take away the cookie!" he begged, grabbing onto my feet, all signs of dignity lost. I roll my eyes at his childish antics. "Don't sweat it bone head, here." I say, handing him the cookie I hid behind my back with a big dopey smile. He noticeably brightens up and gobbles down the cookie like an animal.

He finally finishes and drags me back upstairs. "Alright, let's go to sleep now." Hiro says eagerly, waiting for me to pick him up. I shake my head and smile. "C'mon little guy." I say hoisting him up onto my bed. Then, before I can get on, he spreads himself out in the middle, deliberately blocking off any space for me. I smirk at his try. I pick him up and he squeals with surprise. "Dashi! Put me down!" he says giggling. I place him on the floor and jump into my soft, fluffy bed.

He tries to get up himself, but his shrimpy self can't. I chuckle at his attempts. He looks at me with innocent eyes. "Dashi. Uppp! He begs. I shrug my shoulders. "Sorry Hiro, no room." I say jokingly. He gives me the face again. I hate it when he does that. At least he doesn't know how it affects me. He just does it on accident sometimes. His pupils get wider and he looks tooooooooooo adorable. "PLeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaase Dashi?" he whines/begs. I couldn't help it. I pulled him up and snuggled into him and vice versa.

"Hey Dashi?" he asks sleepily. "Hm?" I ask with my eyes closed. "Will you tell me a sto-" he cuts himself off with a yawn and goes to sleep midsentence. I shake my head. Sometimes, Hiro's too cute for his own good. It'll probably get to his head one day.

But maybe just for now, he's not so bad….