Welcome Home
Hiro giggled, poking the lens of the video camera. "Why are you taping me?"
Aunt Cass smiled, peeking out from behind the machine. "Well, I realized that I have all these home movies of you when you were little, but practically nothing now. Before I know it, you'll be all grown up and out of the house. Say 'hi' to the camera."
"Hi to the camera," Hiro repeated, an impish grin forming on his lips.
"Very funny, mister. Tell everyone what we did today."
"We saw a movie. And then we went to the arcade. I totally crushed Honey at air hockey, by the way."
Hiro looked over at his brother's girlfriend, who was standing beside his aunt.
"It's true," she admitted. "But we'll have a rematch soon enough. Then you better watch out."
"You're on."
"So you had fun?" Aunt Cass asked. "A little, pre-birthday celebration?"
Hiro nodded, rocking back and forth on his heels.
"Good. Well, there's something else."
That piqued Hiro's interest, and his eyes lit up. "What? Like a surprise?"
"You could say that," Honey piped in.
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "We're still going out for pizza, right?"
He heard the jingle of bells behind him, the tell-tale sign of someone entering the café. Hiro wouldn't have given it much thought, if it weren't for the fact that Aunt Cass had already closed up for the day.
"The thing is, I was really hoping we could have Aunt Cass' famous chicken wings."
"Wha-?"
Hiro spun around in the direction of the voice. Warm. Deep. Familiar. He froze. No way. It couldn't be...
"'Dashi?"
Standing by the open door was his brother. The brother he wasn't expecting to see for another three months.
Overwhelmed tears welled up as the shock settled in.
Aunt Cass chuckled. "Go give him a hug." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, nudging him.
Hiro didn't have to be told twice. He ran to Tadashi, practically knocking him over as he wrapped his arms around the older boy's torso. He had changed out of his uniform, instead wearing his beloved gray cardigan and prized baseball cap.
"Hey, buddy," Tadashi whispered. He ruffled Hiro's hair, then leaned down to kiss the top of his head.
"That is awesome."
Hiro glanced over and saw Fred, his brother's best friend from high school. He had his phone in his hand, capturing the whole reunion on film.
"Do you know how hard it was to keep this a secret?" Aunt Cass spoke up, equal parts relief and excitement in her voice.
"Yeah," Hiro said, the affirmation coming out more like a whine.
"Look at you," Tadashi said, unlatching Hiro from his waist so he could peer down at him. "You even wore your shirt."
Hiro smiled. It was his favorite, the navy blue material proclaiming in big, bold letters, MY BROTHER IS IN THE ARMY.
"He didn't even know you were coming and he wore that shirt," Honey said.
"What are you doing here so early?" Hiro half-demanded, wide brown eyes scouring Tadashi's face for an answer.
"I'm here for your birthday, knucklehead," Tadashi said, his voice laced with a hint of mischief.
The news nearly rendered Hiro speechless. "Really?"
"You're turning double digits tomorrow. That's a big deal. I couldn't miss that."
"But--"
Tadashi carded his hand through Hiro's hair. "I know. But I got special permission from my commanding officer. He granted me a three-day leave."
Hiro flung his arms around Tadashi's middle once more. He couldn't believe what was happening. The memory of that day in the airport came to mind. Surrounded by a sea of camouflage as their family joined the many others saying goodbye to loved ones.
"I'll be home before you know it," Tadashi said, attempting to console him with a smile.
"You're going to miss my birthday," Hiro sniffled. "We always spend our birthdays together."
"I know." Tadashi squeezed his hand. "But the second I get back, we'll do something fun. Anything you want. I promise."
Hiro cried all the way back home, eventually falling asleep on the couch from pure exhaustion. Oftentimes, he snuck into Aunt Cass' room to stay with her because he didn't like sleeping in his room all alone. He wrote letters to his brother every week, each one increasing in length as time passed. Hiro didn't leave out a single detail; he didn't want Tadashi to feel like he was out of the loop on any aspect of their family's life. Phone calls and video chats were rare, but nonetheless something Hiro looked forward to. He talked a mile a minute, and when the conversation ended, Hiro told anyone who would listen about it. The calendar Aunt Cass gave him gained a giant red X each day; a visual countdown for when Tadashi would be back.
As Fred jumped in to the group hug, Hiro squashed a pesky thought that entered his brain. While he knew that the visit was only temporary, and that Tadashi would soon have to return to his duties, he tried not to focus on that. Tadashi was home now, and that was all that mattered. It may only have been a few days, but he couldn't have been happier. Hiro was grateful for the time he had, and he intended to make the most of it.