Fred
Tadashi should have known it was a bad idea to bring Hiro to the lab with him today. The younger boy had pleaded, which Tadashi always had a hard time saying no to, that he just needed to manufacture a few parts in his lab and that was it. He’d use just a few of the higher quality materials and catch a ride home, he promised.
Tadashi really should have known better.
“Hiro, out of your mouth.” It was the twentieth time he had said that in the past hour.
Hiro put the book down with a frown. He couldn’t help it, Tadashi had just left the board book laying around and he stuck it in his mouth. Not his fault Tadashi hadn’t grabbed his pacifier this morning before they left.
Hiro had, however, made a point not to put anything mechanical in his mouth. Once was enough for him, thank you very much.
Tadashi frowned when things went quiet for a few minutes, Hiro was never that quiet.
“Hiro, do you need the potty or some…” He started to ask as he turned around, “Out of your mouth Hiro! That’s for one of my classes.”
Hiro blinked as Tadashi leapt up and snatched the fluffy object out of his mouth.
“What is it?” it was nice and Hiro wanted it.
“It’s for my project, a scale model.” Tadashi set the model back where it had been standing previously.
In the part of his brain that wasn’t the annoyed brother, Tadashi was ecstatic with how Hiro had responded to Baymax’s form. Control tests were one thing, but seeing his brother respond well was a great thing.
That didn’t change the fact that Hiro was, in fact, being a pest. And he couldn’t get anything done with Hiro being a pest and getting into everything.
He needed a babysitter.
The problem was, Tadashi pondered as he held a squirming Hiro on his lap, who was free to watch Hiro for him. Everyone was working on their own projects and he couldn’t put Hiro off on them.
Except for…..perfect.
“Hiro, want to take a walk?”
It didn’t take long for the brother’s to reach their destination, despite Hiro attempting to stop at every lab and see what was going on. That’s why Tadashi was keeping a firm grip on his brother’s hand, Hiro kept trying to escape.
“Fred!” Tadashi greeted the other boy with a wave, “You remember my brother Hiro right?”
“Absolutely.” Fred waved from his spot in his chair, “What’s up?”
“Say hi Hiro.” Tadashi nudged him forward.
“Hi.” Hiro mumbled, pressing backwards against Tadashi.
He wanted to stay and play with Tadashi, not get pawned off on one of his friends. It wasn’t his fault he was getting into everything, Tadashi had such cool stuff in his lab. But he was getting the feeling Tadashi was dumping him off on Fred.
“Well, I need a favor. Can he hang out with you for a couple hours while I finish up some work?”
“Tadashi!” Hiro whined.
“Not a problem.” Fred said, “I’ve got more than enough reading material.”
“Just hang out for a bit Hiro,” Tadashi said as he crouched down to Hiro’s level, “I know you like comics and Fred has plenty.”
“Want to stay with you.” Hiro mumbled, grabbing his brother’s pant peg.
“So you like comics, huh?” Fred gently placed a hand on Hiro’s shoulder, “Which is your favorite?”
Tadashi grinned to himself as he was slowly able to stand up and step away without Hiro noticing, the younger boy slowly being drawn into a conversation about comics and superheroes. When he caught Fred’s gaze, he mouthed a ‘thank you’ before slipping away quietly to his lab.
Fred was a good choice for a babysitter, Tadashi thought to himself with a small laugh.
Hiro sat in a chair next to Fred’s, he had assured Fred that nobody had been using it at the time when he borrowed it, determinedly making his way through Fred’s stacks of comics. He had never seen this many outside of a comic shop and hadn’t realized how behind on some of his favorites he had been.
“You have got to have every comic out today.” Hiro’s voice was tinged with awe as he grabbed another issue.
Fred shrugged, “I don’t it’s all of them but is a lot of them, my friend. And you can never have too many comics.”
“That is a very good point.”
Hiro was appreciating the silence as the two sat there. Fred didn’t try and make him talk, Hiro would be upset if he did because he didn’t trust his voice, and would readily respond when Hiro made an exclamation about something he that happened in the comic. He would also help Hiro find the next issue in the series the younger boy was reading.
Another handful of minutes later, Hiro reached over to grab the last issue in the series he was read. He was so excited, it was all coming together and he had to see how it ended.
“Little buddy, I need a favor.” Fred spoke up as Hiro started reading.
“Hm?”
“Can you take that comic out your mouth? It can’t taste good.”
Hiro’s face went red as he quickly pulled the comic out. He hadn’t even realized he had put the comic in his mouth, how could he be so stupid!
“I’m sorry.” Hiro mumbled, resisting the urge to put his fingers in his mouth.
Fred smiled and took the comic gingerly, “It’s cool little buddy. I’ve got two of this one anyway.”
Hiro nodded to himself, jamming his hands into his pockets to keep them out of his mouth. Fred hated him now, he couldn’t even go a day without sticking something in his mouth.
Fred frowned at the look on Hiro’s face, “Really, it’s all cool little buddy. I know about your oral thing.”
“You do?”
“Yup. So if you have your pacifier, you can totally use it. It’s cool.”
“Okay…”
Hiro’s face was red as he pulled the pacifier out of his pocket. He didn’t want to use it and look like a baby or something, but Fred said it was okay so it had to be.
He wouldn’t admit to the fact that he gave a slight sigh of contentment when he put it in, but he was able to focus just a bit more on reading. He did miss the slight smile and thumbs up from Fred, who noticed the drop in tension.
“You want to go for some pizza?”
Hiro blinked at the sudden statement, tearing his focus away from the comic he had been so engrossed in, and tilted his head at Fred.
“You know, pizza. Saucey, cheesy, loads of toppings. The cafeteria here makes a great one. Want to go?”
Hiro nodded, he loved eating pizza before pausing and shaking his head.
“Why not?”
“No peanuts.” The phrasing came out with lisp as he spoke around the pacifier, but Fred got the idea.
“No problemo. I’ll double check before we get some.”
Reassured, Hiro nodded and hopped up out of the chair. He stretched, enjoying how his back cracked after sitting for so long. Of course that’s when he felt the cold from his pull-up and became intimately aware of how full his bladder was, his hands instantly going to his crotch.
“Whoa, what’s the matter?” Fred asked, a bit stunned by the sudden shift in behavior.
“Potty.” Hiro was trying his hardest not to dance, but he had to go and go badly.
“Right this way.”
Hiro kept pace with Fred, despite the older boy’s longer legs, and bolted for the bathroom the instant the door came into view. Fred followed at a much more sedate pace, not nearly in the rush that Hiro was. He was drying his hands when Hiro came out the stall, fumbling to button his shorts.
“Need help?”
Hiro’s face went red, but his hands were being too stupid and clumsy to do it on his own so he had to nod. If Fred had anything to say about the pull-up, he didn’t as he crouched down and buttoned Hiro’s pants.
“Should totally wear sweatpants, you won’t have that problem.”
Hiro nodded as he washed his hands; that would be better for when his hands decided to be stupid and not work.
“C’mon, glorious pizza awaits.”
Hiro eagerly followed Fred through the doors, he was a bit hungrier than he thought.
After four pieces of pizza, two sodas, some gummy bears he filched from the ice cream bar, and another trip to the bathroom, Hiro found himself dozing off as he sat back in his chair. He was so tired, he just wanted to take a nap. Part of him wanted to go back to Tadashi’s lab and nap there, but he wanted to stay with Fred too.
He was just tired enough that he followed his brain’s first instinct and climbed into the chair with Fred, curling up between him and the right arm of the chair.
Fred, as per usual for the day, simply smiled at Hiro and switched to reading the comic aloud as Hiro started dozing off. The kid was kind of cute, so he could understand Tadashi’s slight obsession with him. Totally a good way to spend his day off.
Tadashi stared as looked at the scene before him, ignoring Fred’s jaunty wave. Hiro was taking a nap. With Fred. And he hadn’t heard any screaming or anything.
“How?” was the only thing he could get out.
“Fed him some pizza and gummy bears. Knocked him out.”
“Nothing with peanuts?” was the second response.
“Nope, special ordered and everything.”
“How was he?”
“Perfect, didn’t give me any problems.” Fred half shrugged, “Might want to get rid of buttons though, he struggled with that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tadashi carefully scooped Hiro off of the other boy and carefully slung him across his back, “I owe you one Fred.”
“It was nothing. Though if you really want to pay me back you can talk Honey Lemon into making me into a giant monster.”
Tadashi chuckled, “I’ll see what I can do. Thanks again Fred, really.”
“Anytime Tadashi, anytime.”