Marry Me, Nii-san?
Hiro idolized his big brother. Tadashi was tall and strong, funny, and friendly to everyone he met. He wanted to be just like him when he grew up. From the way Tadashi walked, to what he ate, and how he dressed, Hiro was his mini twin. He often heard people say that they were like "two peas in a pod." He was a little unsure as to why they thought they were vegetables, but it made Tadashi smile, and if his brother was happy, so was he. They spent most of their time together, except when Tadashi had to go to school or work. On those days, Hiro stayed with Aunt Cass at her house. He loved his aunt, but it wasn't the same as Tadashi. She was busy in her café, so he whittled away the hours by coloring or playing by himself, just waiting for Tadashi to return. Sometimes, however, when Tadashi didn't have class, he brought Hiro to the lab with him. Tadashi told him that he was building a new friend that would help Hiro feel better if he was sick. At first, Hiro was upset. What did Tadashi mean by "new friend"? Was he going to leave him like their parents did? When he expressed his concern, (through the not-so eloquent manner of a tantrum and river of tears), Tadashi hugged him as tight as he could and reassured him that he wasn't going anywhere; Baymax was going to be another friend. Once Hiro's fears were allayed, he warmed up to the squishy nurse-bot in an instant. He liked when Baymax scanned him, all for the simple fact that he received a bright red cherry lollipop as a reward at the end of the exam. In recent months, Hiro had heard the word "genius" being tossed around by teachers or other adults when referring to him, but he didn't understand why. Hiro thought that Tadashi was much more deserving of that title. Baymax didn't like to listen to Tadashi when he told him to do something, but Tadashi didn't give up and kept trying to fix him. Hiro was super proud to have a brother as smart as Tadashi.
There was so much to see at the lab, and as much as Hiro enjoyed going there, he loved the weekends more. Two whole days for him and Tadashi to do all sorts of fun things, like watch movies, construct robots out of Legos, and play soccer in the park.
This Saturday was lazier than usual, however. Tadashi had gotten in way past his bedtime and so he declared that the morning would be spent doing nothing at all, which Hiro was fine with. He was tired too, having waited up for Tadashi to get home. (Which Tadashi didn't know about)
Breakfast eaten and dishes put away, the brothers were relaxing in the living room.
"Hey, Hiro. Come here. I want to show you something." Tadashi waved him over. There was a big white book on the coffee table in front of him.
Hiro ran to where his brother was on the couch and held his arms in the air, a wordless request to be lifted.
Tadashi leaned down and hauled him up and over to sit in his lap. "Comfy?"
Hiro nodded and Tadashi reached over to grab the book, holding it in a way so that the majority of its weight didn't rest on Hiro's knees.
"What is it?" Hiro asked, patting the leathery cover that had shiny gold trim around the edges.
"It's a photo album," Tadashi explained, opening it to the first page. "There's pictures inside."
"Pictures?" Hiro's brown saucer eyes pored over the images before him. "Where am I?"
Tadashi ruffled his hair. "Ah, well, you're not in these, buddy."
Hiro deflated. "How come?"
"You weren't born yet," Tadashi said with a light chuckle. "I wasn't either. Look who's in the picture."
Hiro studied the faces of the couple in the picture, a man and woman. The young Asian woman was smiling at the camera, her arm looped through the crook of the man's elbow. She was dressed in traditional Japanese attire, plus a white hood that covered her hair, the shape reminding Hiro of a fortune cookie. The man wasn't looking ahead; he had his gaze on her. His expression was soft and warm, an affectionate smile on his lips. He was wearing a tailored charcoal suit, his light brown hair combed into a neat style. Behind them, the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, the delicate pink petals strewn around their feet.
"It's okaasan," Hiro said, bending his head back against Tadashi's chest. "And otousan. They look fancy."
"Mm-hmm. It's the day they got married. This is their wedding album."
Hiro looked at the pictures again and turned the page. There were a lot of people in the shot. They were all laughing and dancing with each other.
"Why did they get married?"
The older boy hummed. "Because they loved each other. When two people love each other and want to be together, they get married. Then they have a big party to celebrate with all their friends and family."
Hiro leaned into Tadashi's arms, glancing up. "I'm going to marry you, nii-san."
His brother's eyebrows went up. "You are?"
"Yeah. We'll be together forever."
Tadashi smiled. "Well we don't have to get married for that. I'll always be here for you, Hiro. Forever and ever, no matter what. You will always have me."
He linked their pinkies, the most sacred vow to a child. "I promise."