Say Something

As the end of the semester drew near, Tadashi was spending more and more time at the Institute than anywhere else, including home. He’d leave earlier and he’d come home later. He even started taking his own meals to the Institute, missing out on sit-down dinners, and his abnormally-large bag crackled like he was carrying a dozen snacks on him at all times. Hiro was lucky if he got to talk two minutes with him in between the time it took his older brother to come through the door and get into bed.

He didn’t like that Tadashi was so absent all the time. He understood that Tadashi had his massive final project to finish up, and it wasn’t necessarily that he was behind in his work at all. No, Tadashi had all the major functionalities covered, but he was looking for so much more than just a passing grade. There were all these extra things that Tadashi wanted to add, and that was where the bulk of his time was dedicated to.

After the weirdness that had happened with Aunt Cass, Hiro decided he wanted to get out of the house more. He got up a few hours earlier than usual (though it still wasn’t early enough to catch his brother) and headed into the kitchen to pick up something he could stuff in his mouth and walk out with. It must’ve been a while since he’d actually been outside; it took his eyes a while to adjust to how bright everything was. He didn’t have a particular destination in mind, so he wandered on over to the Institute. He had thought maybe it would’ve been OK if he dropped in to say hi to Tadashi and compliment what would’ve no doubt been fantastic work.

But his brother’s frustration had made him less than welcoming.

After being shooed off, he wandered around the labs, looking over his friends’ astounding work. He tried to ask them about what they were doing, but they all seemed to have deadlines on their mind. Like Tadashi, it wasn’t that they hadn’t managed their time well; they were just ambitious.

Actually, the more time Hiro spent looking around in the Institute, the more it all looked so… fun.

Hiro had waited until Tadashi stepped outside for a break before approaching him again. “Hey, Tadashi,” he said, yanking on his brother’s shirt to get his attention. Tadashi hummed to show he was listening but he still sat down and stared vacantly into the distance, opening up a packet of crisps. “Tadashi, what do you think about me enrolling here?”

“Can’t,” he answered.

Hiro felt his heart sink in his chest. “What?”

“You can’t enrol here.” Tadashi shook his head. “They won’t take you.”

It was a dream that Hiro had only possessed for an hour or so, but it was a dream shattered nonetheless. “Why?” he demanded. “Because I’m young?”

“Yeah, Hiro.” Tadashi made it sound like it was so obvious. “Because you’re still just a kid.”

“Hey!” He stared at Tadashi incredulously. He was offered some crisps but Hiro pushed the bag away angrily. “I’ve already graduated high school! I’m a prodigy! I’ve already done in my spare time what most of you robotics majors need months of class-time for!”

“Hey.” Tadashi put an arm around his younger brother that Hiro was too weak to fight off. “Hey, calm down. Look, Hiro, I know you’re a genius, and some of these professors might be willing to let you show them what you can do. But it’s SFIT rules. No one under 16 years old is allowed in. You’ve got another year or two before they’ll accept you.”

Hiro was devastated. It was so stupid, and Hiro would never admit it, but he was actually on the brink of tears. His brother must’ve picked up on it though because the next thing he knew he was wrapped up in a big hug.

“I’m sorry, Hiro,” his brother murmured. He pulled him back to smile optimistically at him. “It’s just a different environment, you know? You work better in your own time anyway. Just stick to doing your own projects at home for a while, OK? We can get you all the parts you need.” He leaned forward then with a haunting look in his eyes. His voice dropped to a murmur. “Just be grateful that you don’t have to do any group projects.”

Hiro shrugged. “Those sound really fun?”

Tadashi shook his head solemnly. “Group projects are the worst.”

After about ten minutes or so of group project horror stories, Tadashi brushed himself off and said it was time to get back to work. He ruffled his brother’s hair, said that he’d see him at home, and disappeared into the ever-bustling lab. Hiro, feeling like there was nothing left for him at the Institute, or anywhere else in the city, started the slow journey back home.

As he passed through the kitchen, he noticed Aunt Cass was on her lunch break. She was just sitting at the table with a hot coffee in one hand and an iced bun in the other, reading the newspaper. He had hoped to just slip by her and get some food later when she was back at work, but…

“And where’ve you been this fine morning, Hiro,” she asked, looking up and smiling.

“Oh, uh…” He turned to her, but he couldn’t look at her. He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly as he stared at the floor. “Just, uh, went to see Tadashi at SFIT,” he mumbled.

She hummed, nodding. “Your brother works very hard, doesn’t he.”

“Yeah…”

“It seems like he stays out there later and later each day.”

“Yeah, he does…”

“It must get lonely up there without him.”

Hiro finally looked up at her. She was clearly waiting for some kind of response as she took a long sip of her coffee. He tried to stammer something out. “Uh-uhm, it – not really? I’m OK, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” She leaned forward and angled her arms in such a way that her breasts pushed together, and Hiro noticed that the shirt she was wearing was a hell of a lot more low-cut than what she usually wore. He forced himself to focus on her face but that was even worse – he thought that she was actually smirking at him. “Because you know that you can call on me anytime and I’ll be there to keep you company. Whether it be day… or night.”

“Uh-m…” His cheeks were blazing. He kicked at the floor and stared hard like there was actually something there of interest. He shook his head. What was happening. “Th-Thanks, Aunt Cass…”

She laughed quietly. “Hiro, please, you don’t have to call me that. Just Cass is fine.”

“…Well, um.” He pointed to the stairs to his bedroom when words failed him. He edged over towards them, feeling like he was still pinned under her unblinking, lidded gaze. “I have, um, some stuff to do, so…”

“Wait, Hiro.” She got up from her chair and opened up the refrigerator, where she procured a plate that made Hiro’s mouth water and his anxieties fade. It was a generous slice of angel cake, topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberries, with a fork resting beside it. It was all ready to devour, which was exactly what Hiro was going to do once he got upstairs. “I thought you might like something other than noodles or popcorn, so I saved you a piece of cake.”

Hiro took the cake from her, smiling like a little boy again. “Thanks, Aunt Cass! Uh, I mean…” That smile didn’t last very long. He looked up at her and she was giving him a very encouraging grin. “…Cass?”

She leaned down. Hiro had thought that she was going to drop a kiss onto his cheek, like she sometimes did, but –whether it was accidental or not – she caught his lips instead. And Hiro had been so off his guard that he couldn’t even react until it was over and she was back at the table, reading her newspaper like nothing had happened.

He went upstairs and shut his bedroom door without a word. He set down the slice of cake before even touching it. He was too distracted by the kiss. As far as he knew, that had been the first time anyone had kissed his lips.