In Which a Promise Is Made And Hiro Hears All
Tadashi was eighteen and ready to take on the world. He had just finished his first semester at a premiere technological institute with a steady group of best friends and he was learning so much. Professor Callaghan assured him that he'd do amazing things with his robotics and his parents couldn't be prouder. He was the hero of his baby brother and he took the role seriously, but played with the little genius each night as well.
He wasn’t ready anymore, though. He'd never felt younger.
Hiro looked so tiny in that hospital bed, all curled up in the thin sheets with his thumb in his mouth. The doctor said he'd wake up soon. As his older brother, he should be happy about that at least, but he was dreading what would happen.
"Tadashi," Honey began softly from where she sat beside him, "what are you gonna do?"
On the other side of the bed, Fred and GoGo looked at him sadly. Wasabi, from his spot leaning against the wall by the door, kept his gaze down. The question didn't really need to be asked, but it did need to be answered. And soon.
"Someone from Social Services will be here any minute," Honey reminded gently.
Tadashi couldn't tear his eyes away from Hiro. It was a miracle the kid made it out from the car accident unscathed. Their parents, well, they weren't as lucky. Not by a long shot.
"No one's gonna take him away from me," he stated hoarsely, voice rough from sobbing.
He had only stopped crying about an hour ago. It wasn't that he didn't feel like it anymore. He just felt hollowed out, like there were no more tears left.
"Tadashi-," GoGo started, but was swiftly interrupted.
"I'm a legal adult. I can be his guardian," he said desperately, finally looking up at them.
There was pity in his friends' faces, but understanding as well.
"We'll support you, man," Fred reassured.
"But you know that's gonna be a lot of responsibility," Wasabi said uncomfortably.
"You're raising a five-year-old," GoGo blurted out.
“And he’s going to do a great job,” Honey stated, clearly making no room for argument, “I’ll help however I can.”
He gave a solemn nod and reached out to brush Hiro’s hair away from his eyes. It was getting long. He was supposed to get a haircut this week. Tadashi will have to drive him to that, and sit in the folding chair as it happened, and assure him that it won’t be too short. Hiro hated when it got cut too much. He’ll have to make him dinner each night and wake him up in the morning for kindergarten. He’ll have to drive him to school, and pack his lunch, but there won’t be any handwritten notes from Mom in it. No matter what Tadashi does, he could never be like them.
The thought was enough to make him tear up again, just as Hiro let out a soft whimper and impossibly curled up more. He leaned in closer to whisper meaningless reassurances and continue stroking his hair. Honey rubbed his back in an attempt at comfort, which was much appreciated but hopeless nonetheless.
“Dashi?” Hiro’s tiny voice uttered as he opened his eyes and finally freed his thumb.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he answered quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat.
The five-year-old clutched the edge of the sheet and squinted his eyes tiredly, leaning into his brother’s hand.
“I had a bad dream, Dashi,” he mumbled.
He knew what was coming, the moment that would turn Hiro’s world upside down. Would he even understand? No, it’d be better if he didn’t. Still, his four friends quietly left the room. This was a conversation they didn’t have the right to witness.
“Listen, Hiro, I’ve gotta tell you something, okay?” he began.
He blinked a few times and finally looked around, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight.
“Am I in a hospital?” he asked.
“Hiro, look at me,” Tadashi pleaded, voice cracking.
He wasn’t listening. Did he even hear him?
“Where’s Mommy and Daddy?” he cried, “Where are they?”
“Hiro, please, just look at me,” the teenager begged as he gently held his chin and moved it, “Mommy and Daddy aren’t coming home.”
His eyes glistened with tears as his lower lip began wobbling. Tadashi could see the dawning realization. Hiro may only be a child, but he also had a genius level IQ.
“It wasn’t a dream,” he sobbed, launching himself into his older brother’s arms.
Tadashi let his own tears fall again as he clutched the child to his chest, one hand resting on the back of Hiro’s head. His tiny hands were fisted in his shirt as his sobs wracked his body.
“I’m so sorry,” Tadashi whispered, “I know it’s not fair, I’m sorry.”
He held him until his cries died down, until his grip loosened and he just rested his head against his chest. Hiro seemed calm and peaceful, but he knew better. He knew that the five-year-old’s mind was running a mile a minute.
“Dashi?” he finally voiced.
It ached to hear that nickname in a way that it never had before.
“Yeah?”
“You won’t leave me, will you?”
The question was barely audible and sounded so fragile.
“Of course not,” Tadashi answered softly, “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what, okay? I’m gonna take care of you.”
“Okay,” he replied after a pause, snuggling even closer.
The teenager closed his eyes and swallowed nervously. There was no going back now, although it never felt like he had a different choice. He could never consider parting with Hiro, especially now that he was the only real family he had left. Tadashi would do anything to keep his promise.
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The Social Services man was reluctant to let an eighteen-year-old be the sole guardian of a child, but the desperation in his eyes and the threatening looks from his friends convinced him… for now, at least. There would be regular check-ins, which everyone decided to worry about when the time came. A month later, there seemed to be a sense of normalcy setting in. It was a brand new type of normalcy, but one they were all trying to accept. Saturdays used to be the day to relax and hang out. Lately they’ve been quite the opposite, and this one was the same.
“Ding-dong!” Fred’s voice echoed through the small apartment as he closed the door behind him and tucked his key into his pocket.
Tadashi stumbled into the hall, hair askew and dark circles under his eyes. There was instantly a sharp pang in his heart at the sight, which he quickly hid with a crooked smile.
“Hey, thanks for doing this again,” he told him tiredly, struggling to tie a dark green apron against his back.
“As if I’m bothered by hanging out with the little man,” Fred answered slyly, “Do ya need some help with that? I don’t think your long skinny fingers are designed to tie things blindly, dude.”
Tadashi sputtered to answer even as his best friend moved to assist. He dropped his backpack onto the hardwood floor and took the strings, fastening them neatly in a couple seconds.
“There you go,” he stated with a smile.
“Thanks,” Tadashi replied breathlessly, “So anyway, he should be good tod-,”
“Freddie!” Hiro yelled excitedly as he ran out of his room.
“There’s the little genius,” he exclaimed, picking him up with a twirl, “Are you ready for a day of fun?”
“Yeah!”
Fred couldn’t help beaming at the adorable giggles Hiro let out, not to mention the genuine smile Tadashi had as he watched them. The older brother quickly snapped out of it though, just as the clock struck 7:51 am. He scrambled back into his bedroom, assumedly to fetch his keys and wallet.
"There should be some cereal left for his breakfast, and make sure he drinks the whole glass of milk," Tadashi instructed through the doorway, "He just woke up though so he has to brush his teeth first, and there's stuff for sandwiches for lu-,"
"Dude, this isn't my first time," Fred interrupted as he reentered the hallway ready to leave, "Don't you trust me?"
Tadashi just sighed and rubbed an eye.
"I know, I know," he agreed, "I'm stressed out, sorry."
"No need to apologize, man," he insisted, "but you know, after work maybe we can talk more about me helping you out."
"You already help out a ton."
"Tadashi, come on, you know what I mean," Fred said with uncharacteristic seriousness.
There was a heated pause filled only with their tense eye contact and Hiro's confused glances.
"We'll talk later, I'm gonna be late," the older brother finally replied.
He placed a quick kiss on the little one's head, earning a disgusted noise from him, and said a short 'goodbye' before leaving. Fred sighed in exasperation.
"Can I see your beanie?" Hiro asked out of nowhere.
"I gue-,"
The gray hat was already being pulled off his head.
"Now put me down," he demanded.
"Your big bro would kill me if I didn't ask for the magic word," Fred requested sensibly.
The five-year-old flung his head backwards dramatically, letting loose a long 'ugh.'
"Please," he muttered not-so-nicely.
"Good enough," the teenager said with a shrug as he placed Hiro on the floor.
The kid put the beanie on, pulling it far down over his eyes, and ran to the kitchen somehow without hitting a wall. Fred scratched his head in amazement, vaguely noticing his now static-filled hair, and followed. He went through the now familiar motions almost robotically. Tell the kid to brush his teeth, get out a bowl, get out the box, get out the milk, get out a glass, pour the milk, pour the cereal, pour the milk, get a spoon.
Fred didn't mind babysitting Hiro. Really, he didn't. He was actually pretty good with kids and usually enjoyed it. As he fixed the beanie so it sat on his mop of black hair the way it was supposed to, he felt an undeniable fondness. It helped that he knew Hiro since he was born. He remembered him as a tiny squishy baby.
He remembered both the Dr. Hamadas, the mister and missus, being ecstatic about the little accident even when Tadashi wasn't. He remembered when the switch flipped and suddenly the status of big brother was the most important thing to him. He remembered being welcome at their house on the most hectic of days just because it felt so much better than the loneliness at his mansion.
The memories ached him, and so Fred could hardly imagine how Tadashi was doing. Watching over the youngest Hamada was the least he could do for the family who treated him as one of their own. He could do so much more if only Tadashi would let him. That guy was just too proud, and honest, and good, and stubborn, and hard-working, and adorable, and compassionate, and... where was he going with this?
The point is, Fred had more than enough money to help him continue studying at SFIT and take care of Hiro. Tadashi was well aware of that, so why wouldn't he allow it?
"Man, your brother is too stubborn for his own good," he said matter-of-factly.
With a mouthful of Cinnamon Honey Bunches of Oats, Hiro's only reply was a firm 'mmhm' and a nod.
"I think there was a comic like this once," Fred continued, "The filthy rich Tony Stark just wanted to help a friend, and they were too proud to let him. Then there was some violence and an explosion probably. That's not important... for this, I mean."
Hiro answered this in exactly the same manner as before.
"I bet Tony Stark is richer than you though," he added after swallowing the food.
He contemplated this for a moment.
"You're probably right," the teenager answered.
"I'm always right!" Hiro exclaimed.
Fred laughed and set his chin on his hand with an elbow on the table.
"Hold on to that confidence, little dude, you're gonna need it later."
The kid nodded seriously.
"Oh, I know," he told him, "Tadashi says that too. He thinks I don't hear him when he says stuff quietly to himself, but I do. I'm not a dummy."
This news interested him, partially because of the potential things Hiro heard and partially because he was curious. Well, he was nosy, to be perfectly honest. Plus maybe there'd be something funny he could bring up later.
"What kind of stuff have you heard?" He asked.
Hiro shrugged as he held the bowl with both hands and slurped the remaining milk. It was a habit he had picked up from his big brother which was now trying to be untaught by the same person.
"Stuff about money, stuff about work," he told him, "I don't remember most of it but he always says stuff when you leave."
There was a harsh tug in his gut and he swallowed anxiously.
"Oh, really?" he asked with a slight wince.
"Sometimes it's about money but sometimes he says something like in one of those dumb movies."
Now he was just confused.
"What?"
"Yeah, ya know," Hiro tried to explain before adopting a dramatic voice and giggling as he did so, "'Will he ever notice?' or 'Was that obvious?' or 'What an oblivious dork!'"
"He thinks I'M the dork?" Fred reacted loudly.
But those things couldn't mean what he thought they meant, right? That'd be ridiculous... absolutely ridiculous.
He called Honey Lemon.