unexpected influence
When Hiro is six years old he breaks his leg trying to play with the older kids in his grade, forcing him to stay home for a few weeks as it recovered and Aunt Cass made sure the school punished the older boys for their recklessness. Hiro has never spoken a word about being bullied, but Tadashi has an inkling. He’s tried to get his little brother to open up to him about it yet hasn’t had any luck to date.
Not knowing how else to help, Tadashi simply lets Hiro have access to his video game collection while he recovers. It seems to work, much to his relief. Whenever he came home and the café was closed, the elder Hamada brother could usually find his aunt and Hiro snuggled up together on the sofa playing Mario Kart together. Tadashi would be submitted to his little brother’s puppy eyes begging him to play with them, and the whole Hamada family would spend an hour each night racing each other and tossing playful insults.
Never did Tadashi expect the whole thing to go so wrong.
A month after Hiro’s leg has been completely healed he ends up with a cast on his right arm.
Every week after that he would be sporting new cuts and bruises, worrying Aunt Cass and Tadashi despite Hiro’s honest good-cheer about the whole thing. And that’s what confused them the most - Hiro seemed happy with each injury, showing them off like battle wounds. When asked what he was doing that made him get injured so often, he would simply reply with a cryptic “practicing!” and that was that.
This continued to be a regular occurrence in the Hamada household for another seven years, until one night Tadashi finally figures it out.
And it all goes back to the damn video games.
"You can’t catch me, losers!"
His little brother’s cackling rings out through the alleyway, and though the GPS tells Tadashi that Hiro is right here, he’s nowhere to be seen.
…Until he looks up and spots his brother running up a vertical incline to flip himself onto the top of a building, and what is wrong with his stupid, boneheaded baby brother?!
Ducking out of sight as a handful of heavy-built thugs run past, Tadashi reminds himself to take deep breaths. There has to be a perfectly logical explanation for Hiro treating the world like it’s one giant jungle gym. Yes. A perfectly logical explanation for his clumsy, klutzy, uncoordinated little brother being able to move like an acrobat.
He finally catches up to Hiro six blocks away, flipping off the side of a building and sliding down the fire escape in a way that fire escapes are not meant to be used. God. Tadashi would hate to imagine Wasabi’s reaction to all the laws of common sense his brother is breaking right now. Somehow he manages to sneak up behind the little brat and scruff him by the hood of his sweatshirt like a kitten.
The only word to describe Hiro’s reaction is to say that he wilted. And looked up at him with those big, chocolate brown puppy-dog eyes.
Good thing Tadashi learned how to combat that stare when he was twelve.
It’s the tensest drive home either of the Hamada brothers have ever experienced. Tadashi is busy wrapping his mind around the fact that not only is his baby brother apparently bot fighting, but he’s also adding to the danger by… By doing pakour? Hiro is stiff as a board against his back, clearly terrified for the upcoming tongue lashing.
By the time they reach home they’re both mentally exhausted - though it’s more than likely Hiro can add physically exhausted to that list. They make sure to sneak back up to their room quietly enough not to wake their aunt. Once the door is shut Tadashi rounds on his brother, anger quaking under his skin.
"And just what,” he hisses. “Did you think you were doing?”
Hiro gulps. Opens his mouth to speak-
Tadashi interrupts.
"No- Doing even answer that!" He throws his hands up in the air, exasperated and angry. "This is unbelievable! My baby brother is setting himself up to be a criminal mastermind! Bot fighting, and… And parkour!”
From the look on his face, Hiro clearly doesn’t know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. Tadashi is not impressed.
"Where did you learn to do all of that anyway, Hiro? You’ve never been interested in physical activity before!"
Obviously intending to continue on with his ranting, Hiro quickly interrupts:
"Practice."
It’s enough to stop Tadashi in his tracks and force him to look at his little brother, incredulous. “What?”
"Well, and the internet." A pause. "And video games. Y’know… Assassin’s Creed, Dying Light, and a whole bunch of others. Pretty popular in games back in the early 2000s - you’d be surprised. It’s not hard to get good at replicating the techniques if you practice enough, so. Uh…"
“‘Practice’…”
"Um. Y-Yeah. The, uh. Broken arm that one time? After the broken leg? Fell off of a garbage can trying to climb a wall. Not the best for a beginner skill. Or, y’know. A six year old in general. It took a long time for my limbs to stop being so-“
"Hiro?"
"…Huh?"
"Just… Stop." Tadashi rubs at his face. He cannot believe this is what his life has become. "Go get ready for bed. No arguments, or I’ll tell Aunt Cass where you were tonight."
Hiro knows when to take the metaphorical plea bargain and wastes no time nodding his agreement and dashing off to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Tadashi slinks down onto the edge of his bed, face in hands. How does his little brother even exist.
"…Unbelievable.”
He gives himself a reminder to check Hiro’s video game collection the next day and see what else he might need to keep an eye out for.