Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2626148.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      Big_Hero_6_(2014)
  Relationship:
      Hiro_Hamada/Tadashi_Hamada
  Character:
      Hiro_Hamada, Tadashi_Hamada, Cass_Hamada, Gogo_Tomago, Honey_Lemon_
      (Marvel), Fred_|_Fredzilla, Wasabi-No_Ginger, Baymax_(Marvel), Mochi_(Big
      Hero_6)
  Additional Tags:
      Some_Minor_OCs_-_Freeform, Smoking, Clubbing, Drinking, delinquent_(kind
      of)_Hiro_Hamada, Diversion_from_the_main_storyline!, Sibling_Incest, It
      gets_more_hardcore_as_the_story_progresses
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-11-16 Updated: 2014-12-14 Chapters: 4/7 Words: 27144
****** Bad Habits ******
by Rachael_Rothman
Summary
     Hiro and Tadashi have a major fight, causing Hiro to seek refuge in
     the less than savoury habits of the bot-fighting scene. Tadashi
     starts to pick up little hints of what his brother might be up to...
     and eventually, when he finds out, all hell breaks loose.
Notes
     This story is going to contain stuff about underaged smoking,
     drinking, etc. Edited, I apologise for the initial spelling/grammar
     errors or sloppy style because I was desperate to share this idea
     ASAP and didn't proofread it a final time! :(
     TIMELINE:
     Takes place after Tadashi and Hiro's night at the holding cell, after
     their encounter with Yama. But Hiro doesn't immediately attempt to go
     bot-fighting after being bailed out by Aunt Cass. He finds Tadashi's
     GPS tracking device instead... And gets really REALLY angry.
     I know some of you guys really can't stand OCs, but I assure you
     these are of the non Mary-Sue variety, and actually contribute to the
     overall plot. Enjoy!
See the end of the work for more notes
***** Just One Puff *****
It was another night in San Fransokyo, and the usual in one of its less than...
family-friendly streets. 
Graffiti covered the walls of Kabuki-cho, and though most of the shops were
closed for the night, a few people staggered along the cement pavements, drunk
and laughing. The steady beat of DJ Magika's new single could be heard
from Club Sokyo a few buildings down towards a dirty alley, littered with
broken beer bottles and cigarette stubs. 
The neon lights flickered as a young teenager walked quickly through the
street. He was looked terribly out of place, with short, messy black hair and
adorably big and innocent dark eyes, looking around cautiously, the unfriendly
atmosphere keeping him on edge. An odd little robot was held in his hand, a
goofy yellow face painted on its head.
Despite his nerves, he felt rather sated after leaving a bot-fight, unharmed
and loaded with cash. It turned out the West Side bot-fighters weren't sore
losers... unlike those from the East Side... namely Yama.
Hiro still remembered the way it hurt when the larger man had flung him against
the wall, after Hiro tore 'Little Yama' apart (what an ironic name). The teen
slid the night's earnings out of his pocket, allowing himself a little peek.
Good harvest, he thought smugly to himself as he slid them swiftly back into
the pocket of his jacket.
His new jacket. 
Why yes, he'd actually went and got himself an article of clothing without Aunt
Cass.
Why?
'Cuz Tadashi was a stupid, over-protective brother who lied. 
He’d figured out how Tadashi always managed to track him down!
That jerk had sewn a tracking device his hoodie! He had found out after shaking
the dust off it after that night in the holding cell... and felt an odd little
bump in the collar. He never would have found it if he hadn't used a pen-knife
to very carefully unstitch the almost invisible thread Tadashi had used to seal
the opening. It was the same size as a microchip, a silver, circular shape. 
He had been (and still was) FURIOUS!
Hiro sighed angrily as he remembered the fierce argument they had upon its
discovery.
===============================================================================
 “I’m only doing this for your own good! You're wasting your life onillegalbot-
fighting. You’re going to get thrown in jail someday— Heck, you'd have been
sent to a boys' home by now if I hadn’t saved you all those times.” 
The younger Hamada finally snapped.
“I THOUGHT YOU TRUSTED ME!!!" He screamed, angry tears escaping his eyes.
"You’re always breathing down my neck about quitting  bot-fighting and joining
your stupid nerd school! Why can’t you just accept that I DON’T WANT TO GO TO
COLLEGE, and stop telling me what to do?!"
Tadashi's paused, his eyes filled with hurt. Did his little brother really feel
that way? Hiro looked angry- and for the first time in his life... Tadashi knew
this wasn't like one of their normal fights. No, this time it was different.
His baby brother was finally growing independent from him, no longer looked to
him to guide him in life. It hurt... he always knew this day would come, just
not like this. 
 There was an awkward silence as Hiro struggled to decipher what his brother
was thinking. 
 Tadashi sighed, causing Hiro to flinch, and massaged the bridge of his nose.
He looked tired, Hiro noticed. The eye bags, the unshaved jaw, the resigned
expression on his face when he looked at him. Hiro felt a stab of guilt. Was
all this because Tadashi worried about him? 
 It lasted only a few seconds... before Hiro rememberedwhyexactly he was angry,
and reverted back to stubborn exterior. He frowned and crossed his arms,
turning away from his brother, not wanting to let himself be trickedinto
feeling guilty. 
 "Hiro?" Tadashi asked, slowly. 
The younger refused to answer. 
"Hiro... please. You're being childish."
Clearly this was the wrong thing to say. So, now he was CHILDISH?! Hiro's
nostrils flared as he exhaled and he resisted the urge to tackle his brother
onto the floor.
The awkward silence continued, Hiro getting more and more irritated by the
second. Neither of them was willing to admit defeat. Hiro refused to give his
brother the satisfaction of an apology; because that would be admitting that it
was okay to put freakingtrackers in his clothing, and god knows where else!
Tadashi was just... tired. Very tired. 
Finally, the sound of Tadashi flinging off his cap and shrugging his jacket
onto his bed caused Hiro to turn around, wondering if his brother was ready to
call it quits and hug it out. Their fights always ended with a hug, and
sometimes a noogie- 
 “… You know what, Hiro? I'm done. I need a damn break.” Tadashi said, his
voice as hard as steel. 
 The door slammed shut, startling the already disgruntled Hiro. His eyes
widened.
... Tadashileft?
For once, it had beenTadashiwalking away from an argument.  It left Hiro
feeling rather... shocked.  Was Tadashi finally giving up on him going to the
San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (aka, nerd school)? 
 Hiro felt his tense body relax, but for some strange reason he couldn’t escape
this nagging feeling that this was a bad sign. Something didn't feel right.
Half of him wanted Tadashi to come back and nag him more (seriously!) and the
other half wanted to just flop onto the bed and fall asleep, maybe continue
ignoring his brother because who the hell gave him to right to invade people's
privacy?!
 The moment of unease was eventually overcome by the urge to go bot-fighting to
ease his mind. 
 Oh, and nevermind Tadashi, his brain supplied. They'd end up making up sooner
or later... they always did. 
 What could possibly change this time?
 And now, there would be nobody to interrupt his fun! Though he might need a
back-up plan in case he got cornered again like the last time. Maybe make a
stun-gun... disguised as a mobile phone! He brightened, immediately thinking up
a million and one ideas, his brain ready to get to work.
 Oh, but before he got started...
 Hiro took the jacket Tadashi had violated and flung it into the trash.
 He didn't need it anymore.
===============================================================================
“Hey, kid.” 
Hiro froze, and his body tensed. He clutched Megabot tightly to his chest,
while his other hand slipped into his jacket, fondling the mobile stun-gun he'd
(thankfully) remembered to bring. 
What was it this time?
Another gang of bullies waiting to pick on their next victim? 
Hiro was getting tired of these sore losers, he was more than tempted to sic
Megabot and the stun-gun-mobile on them...
“Got a light?”
The fourteen-year-old blinked at the unusual question, actually turning around
to see who it was.
It was hard to see at first- this particular section of the alleyway was poorly
lit. Slowly, his eyes focused. 
Leaning against a cracked and spray-painted brick wall, stood a man, probably
in his mid-twenties. He was a tall (slightly taller than Tadashi), pale and
intimidating with dark-green hair that fell in wavy, layered waves around his
face. He was also wearing a shabby looking white shirt printed with celtic
hearts and vines, partly hidden by a worn leather jacket.
He knew what Aunt Cass and Mrs. Matsuda called guys like him. Ruffians. Though
he had a nagging suspicion Aunt Cass secretly thought they were cool... 
And boy, he sure did look like one... what with all those odd holes in his
jeans (they seemed rather forced and too organised, almost like he made them
himself), the smudged black eye-liner (or was that just his eyelashes?) and
sickly-pale complexion, like he was starved of sunlight.
The man didn't appear to be a threat, though you could never be too careful
(Tadashi's exact words, much to his chagrin). Hiro decided to just answer him
and get it over with quickly, rather than offending him by walking away.
He had gotten chased for it once, when a couple of guys had asked to take a
look at Megabot (he knew they were just going to take it, though). 
“...A what?” Hiro replied.
“A light. Like… a lighter? With fire.” His voice was like a slow and deathly
rasp, his tone lazy. 
“Don’t have one. I don't smoke... sorry!” Hiro said, about to turn away- when
the guy offered him a cigarette. 
That’s right.
Held out the pack and nudged it towards him. 
Alarm bells began ringing inside his head.
Was this a joke?
“You look like you need it.” The man simply stated, not affected by Hiro's
shocked expression. 
The latter was appalled.Seriously? Didn't this guy know the penalty for
offering a minor cigarettes (four months in jail and a heavy fine)? He thought
about what Tadashi would say and—
Oh, right. 
He was angry at Tadashi, therefore he didn't care about what Tadashi would
think! ... Or so he told himself. 
Still. He was pretty sure his older brother would explode if he ever caught
Hiro smoking at fourteen-years-old. He cringed at the thought of Tadashi and
Aunt Cass catching him with a cigarette... the potential outcomes could
be disastrous...
... And yet, the more he thought about it, there more he wanted to try.
Why was he still thinking about what Tadashi would do? Tadashi wasn't their
Mom! He had no right going around giving him orders, nagging him about curfew
and sewing stupid tracking devices (he still couldn't believe it!) into his
clothing! Not even Aunt Cass was that strict!
 And since Tadashi never thought about his feelings before putting that bug in
his hoodie, so why should  he  give a fuck? It's not like what he was doing
would harm Tadashi's precious nerd school. 
That's right! Fuck! He said (well thought) 'fuck'! The f-bomb! 
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!! 
Wow.
And so, Hiro came to a decision.  
He shrugged (in what he hoped was a cool way), reaching out for the cigarette
(fingers shaking ever so slightly) and slid it out of the cardboard packet. He
noticed the guy giving him an amused smile, like he knew - well, he probably
did - that it was his first time. 
It felt like... well, paper. What had he expected? It felt very fragile, and
easily bendable, with a cancerous, flaky filling. It also had a little leaf
symbol printed on the divider between the white and orange-end, where he would
hold it. 
"It's a menthol. Feels like ice when you smoke it." The guy informed him,
noting Hiro's curious expression.
Before he could respond, there was the sound of footsteps (the sharp clak of
heels on cement) and high-pitched giggling, accompanied by a lower voice,
belonging to a male. Probably some club-goers heading down to the konbini for
more alcohol (he knew it was cheaper when you smuggled them from the outside to
avoid extra charges).
Their footsteps stopped... right behind him. Hiro gulped. 
He slowly turned around- only to come face to face with a pair wild green eyes
and a toothy smile.
He jumped, scooting back as he eyed the person before him, her glaringly-white
teeth seeming almost... unnatural.
And boy was she was tall.  Incredibly tall... It actually hurt his neck to look
up at her. Even taller than Tadashi’s friend, Honey Lemon (maybe because her
heels were higher). How did she balance in those insane shoes? 
“Who’s this, Toshi? New meat?” The girl asked, her purple eye-shadow sparkling
as brightly as her eyes, like a predator examining her next meal. Her choice of
words did little to soothe Hiro's nerves (though that was probably the intended
effect). 
She had dyed ash-purple hair, twisted up into a messy bun with a pair of
jewelled, ornamental chopsticks. She allowed a section of hair to cover the
left side of her forehead, as a fringe. On her thin, narrow figure, she donned
a short redyukata, accompanied by ripped neon-purple stockings and laced,
heeled boots. In her right hand, she held a little red embroidered purse, and
red paper umbrella was strapped firmly across her back along the obi.
Hiro recognised her as 'Yoko'.
She was one of the fujitas who refereed the bot-fights. The paper umbrella was
their trademark symbol. 
They were employed by an unknown benefactor, to referee and judge the battles,
dishing out the winnings to the victor and collecting a small (10%) interest
rate to take back to their boss. They were also the ones who supplied
information to the website's programmers on when and where the next bot-fights
would take place.
Then Hiro turned his attention to her companion. 
It was another teenager (about eighteen?), with blonde hair slicked back and a
pair of piercing ice-blue eyes. He was dressed in a black singlet. A tattoo of
a snake curled around his left bicep. He had a silver-stud on his eyebrow and
another one below his bottom lip. Hiro tried to ignore the menacing way his
arms flexed... and tried not to think about how much it would hurt if he ever
earned a punch from this particular ruffian. 
He was... another familiar face— though Hiro didn’t know his name, he
recognised this boy as one of the less rowdy spectators who observed the
battles. 
Toshi's voice drew Hiro back to the situation at hand. 
“Nah, just some kid I ran into. He’s was all stressed out, so I boned him a
stick,” Toshi said to Yoko, beckoning her closer. “Give us a light, will ya?” 
“What’s the point of smoking cigarettes when you don’t even have your own
lighter?” She snapped, but nevertheless, produced one from her little purse,
flicking a flame to life and holding it to his cancer stick. 
He sucked in appreciatively- and almost instantly, smoke poured from his
nostrils and lips.
The cold wind blew the smoke to Hiro's face, and he forced himself not to
wrinkle his nose at the heady smell (a quirk he and his brother shared). He
wished he'd worn an extra under-shirt, feeling the cold wind bite his skin
through the thin fabric of his jacket. This one wasn't as thick or as
comforting as his old one.
Yoko then turned to Hiro, holding the flame it to his face while cupping it
with her hand (those pointed nails look like they hurt) so it wouldn't go out.
He hesitated, mind quickly contemplating the pros and cons.
Tadashi had (of course) warned him about the dangers of smoking when Hiro had
turned eight, being the excellent and forward-looking brother everyone knew he
was. According to him, smoking made you smell really bad, sped up your pulse
and caused it to beat irregularly, made your teeth and nails yellow... and if
you kept at it for too long, it would give you lung cancer and you could die. 
… It was all pretty accurate. 
Though it wasn't like he was doing this without taking note of the side
effects.
It was just one time anyway, to avoid offending Toshi and his friends.
What could possibly be so hard about resisting a stick of leaves wrapped in
paper?
Hiro held his cigarette to the flame and sucked in sharply like how Toshi did.
Big mistake!
He felt the pain almost instantly, his eyes going wide and welling with tears
as he choked on the sudden bitterness burning his throat. Fuck, it hurt. It
didn't help that it was a menthol either- Hiro couldn't decide whether his
throat was on fire or being stabbed with ice. He gagged, resisting the urge to
heave as he coughed out plume after plume of smoke.
“Aw, poor thing! It’s your first time, isn’t it?” The fujita asked mock-
sympathetically, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. “It’s alright— just
breathe in slowly, and hold it for just a few seconds. Try not to cough, it
gets worse if you do. Then breathe out! It's that simple!” 
“She's right, kid. It’s not as complicated as it seems.” Toshi said, giving
Hiro a lazy smile and a thumbs up. He reminded Hiro a little of Tadashi's other
friend... Fred? Or was it Fran...? Bah, whatever. Why did he keep relating
everything back to Tadashi? 
Tired of their conversation, the blond-haired teen rolled his eyes.
“It’s justsmoking, not the fucking SATs.” 
“Whatever, Eve.” Toshi replied, amused.
“That is not my name," The boy scowled, and his fists clenched. Toshi merely
sneered, blowing out some smoke at the blond's direction.
Hiro momentarily wondered if Toshi had a death wish.
"My name is Ivan. Use it."
“I'mma just keep calling you Eve if you keep acting like a pissy bitch.” 
“Youfucking—“
Hiro turned his attention away from the bickering pair (he didn't want to be
dragged into the fight) and back to the cigarette. He felt Yoko’s sharp eyes
still on him, and shakily held the cigarette to his lips. 
There was no going back now... 
He did as she said, and sucked in… slightly. He tasted the tobacco briefly on
his tongue before the feeling of ice coated his throat. It burned a lot less
compared to the first time... so he continued to suck in, and then held it
there, feeling the heat cloud in his windpipe.
It wasn't unpleasant... but it wasn't exactly the best feeling in the world
either. 
After two seconds, he exhaled, eyes wide as he saw the smoke escaping his lips,
misting his view of Yoko’s face. 
Holy mother of megazon. 
This was it.
He'd just taken his first official smoke. 
He felt a little shiver travel down his spine as he thought about what he had
just done. He'd only ever seen people do it in the designated smoking rooms,
but he never imagined he'd be one of them.
Yoko's face though— it was like a mother watching her son walk for the very
first time. Hiro failed to see what she was so happy about. 
“Good job! Welcome to the smoker’s community-” She was about to pat him on the
head when she paused, an eyebrow raised. “Say, what’s your name? Ya look
kinda... familiar… can’t remember why, though.” She knew, Hiro knew she did!
She was just trying to-
Ivan turned his attention to Hiro, ending his and Toshi's little spat.
“You're Hiro. Hiro Hamada. Aren’t you?” Ivan noted, much to Toshi's shock (he
tensed almost immediately), and Yoko's sadistic delight. Ivan turned to Yoko,
an accusing finger pointing in the fourteen-year-old's direction.
“He’s the guy that’s been beating the shit out of everyone from the East rings.
What thefuck is he doing here?!” 
Toshi snapped out of his lazy reverie, his head snapping around to face Hiro.
“You’re the Fox?” 
Hiro didn’t know whether to pee himself in fear, or burst out laughing.
The FOX?! Was that what they were calling him?
Where the heck did they get that?
He struggled to keep a neutral expression, willing himself not to laugh. A
chilling thought crossed his mind. What if they wanted to take Megabot... or
worse, send him to Yama? He knew Yama's gang was probably on the look-out for
him. He had landed their boss in a police station, and though he was sure they
had bailed him out, Yama wasn't the kind of man to let a grudge go. 
Hiro had to play his cards carefully.
“… You’ve got me confused with somebody else. I’m new at bot-fighting! I can
barely control my bot!” He began to play his innocent persona (oh, was that why
they called him fox?).
“You little liar,” Yoko said, though her tone was more intrigued than angry.
“I’ve heard about you from Kagura. She was the fujita there when you defeated
Mr. Yama of the Yamazaki Yakuza. Said you turned his own bot against him.” She
sighed wistfully, no doubt wishing she could have been there to see. 
Hiro was about to make another excuse when the clump of ash from his cigarette
(apparently you were supposed to flick them off after a certain period of time)
landed on his forehand.
 It stung like pressing his skin against the stove (like he accidentally did
last week when he tried to help Aunt Cass make dinner).
He yelped in pain, nearly flinging the whole thing onto the ground.
“Hey, careful. These are my best ones.” Toshi warned, smoke trailing from his
lips. "Fox or not, don't you go wasting a good joint."
"Sorry." Hiro shrugged, taking another puff, much to his own surprise. He had
done it without thinking. 
He sucked in again, watching Yoko smile with pride... and tried to ignore
Ivan's suspicious glare. The fact that his eyes were unnaturally blue didn't
help any. Toshi, on the other hand, was once again fading back into his lazy
attitude, the shock of Hiro being the fox (he still found it incredibly
hilarious) wearing off. 
A comfortable silence fell upon their little group.
Hiro could even hear the traffic coming from the main street, a few blocks
away.
That reminded him.
He had to get home, and soon (before Tadashi or Aunt Cass found his bed empty
and called the police)!
It was then when Ivan decided to voice his frustration. 
"Why are you here?" Ivan finally asked, breaking the silence. Hiro blinked in
surprise, coughing on his smoke. He still wasn't completely used to the
feeling.
"I... came here for a bot-fight? Duh." Was his intelligent and dangerously
sarcastic reply. Hiro began to wonder if Toshi's reckless indifference was
contagious. Ivan narrowed his eyes, stepping towards Hiro menacingly.
The latter stepped back in reflex, holding the cigarette tight between his
fingers and crushing it slightly.
Yoko watched with obvious interest while Toshi continued to smoke, swiftly
finishing his cigarette and flicking it to a wall where it exploded into a
million sparks. Hiro would have thought it pretty if he hadn't been trying to
edge away from Ivan's approaching muscles- uh, person. 
The cold hardness of the brick wall greeted Hiro's back.
Ivan had him cornered. 
And Yoko and Toshi didn't look like they were going to intervene, either. He
didn't know if it meant they knew Ivan wouldn't hit him or they would simply be
satisfied to watch. You just couldn't be sure with these people.
"Do not play coy with me, fox," Ivan warned. "I'm not aware of your true
intentions, but if you try anything funny-"
The unspoken threat was left hanging in the air. Hiro swallowed... hard. 
Tired of Ivan's paranoia, Yoko decided to cut in. 
"Relax, blondie," Yoko snapped, though keeping her voice a light-hearted,
friendly tone. "He's not up to anything. My sisters would have informed me by
now if he was. We keep tabs on everyone. Foxie here is probably just in it for
the extra payment!" She deducted, gave him a little wink. 
Hiro didn't know whether to be grateful or afraid. Payment? What extra
payment?!
"Whatever." Ivan spat, lips twisted into a sneer. He eyed Hiro up and down
before stepping back, slicking his hair back cooly with his hand. "We'll see
you around... Hiro." 
Ivan turned and left, with Yoko in tow, her high-heeled bots once again abusing
the already damaged pavement. Toshi watched them leave and sighed, nudging
himself up and off the wall to follow. 
"... Well, that was fun. Look, kid... if you ever feel like it, you know where
to find us." Toshi said, ruffling Hiro's hair as he passed him. "I got a soft
spot for kids like you, so don't sweat it." 
Then he trailed after the duo, already pulling another cancer stick from his
pack, harassing Yoko for another light. 
Hiro watched them leave, and then looked down at the cigarette in his fingers,
still lit.
He could throw it away now.
They weren't looking. 
... But why waste a cigarette?
Hiro held the stick to his lips and took another puff.
And another.
And another...
He blew the smoke upwards, marvelling at how it curled and twisted in the cold
night air, almost like it was dancing. After smoking it to the line, he flicked
it towards the wall like Toshi did to his. 
It exploded in a million sparks, like a firework.
Hiro turned, and left for home. 
===============================================================================
Back at the Lucky Cat Café, while Aunt Cass and Mochi lay asleep in her bed
(they were like logs... dead to the world and rather heavy), Tadashi Hamada
paced back and forth amongst the furniture like a man possessed. His cap was
off, and his fingers were clawing at his face and neck. 
Then he halted in his steps, slamming his fists onto the counter-top. 
Where was Hiro?! Tadashi thought to himself, growling in frustration. 
It was well past midnight- Hiro had never been out this late... Wait, scratch
that, he had.
But... he had always worn his jacket.
The hoodie Tadashi had so expertly sewn a GPS tracking device into, thus
causing his little brother to explode and throw a major tantrum... Tadashi then
decided to go downstairs to cool off and stuff his face with extra-hot hot
wings (he still felt the burn).
He regretted that. Clearly, leaving Hiro alone after a fight as intense as that
was a very very bad idea. 
He knew Hiro wouldn't come down and apologise. Wasabi's tip on reverse
psychology hadn't (and would never) worked. Hiro was far too smart to fall for
something as simple as that, and much to prideful to admit his was wrong
without some gentle prompting. 
So why had he done it?
Leaving his brother alone for hours in his room was a terrible move (he
couldn't help but rethink again and again how it could have all gone
differently)- especially since he got roped into helping Aunt Cass downstairs
during the evening rush hour. Amidst the chaos of dealing with cranky night-
shift workers, sleep-deprived college students and bossy hipsters, Hiro had
managed to sneak out, undetected. 
He chose not to inform Aunt Cass. She had been upset enough when they had been
thrown in that holding cell (thank god it was only temporary, he didn't know
what Professor Callaghan and his friends would say if they found out he'd been
thrown in jail).  
Tadashi was pretty sure he was on the verge of heading out and hunting his
little brother down himself. He had to. The kind of trouble a fourteen-year-old
boy as adorable (and asarrogant) his brother could get into... 
He heard the front door creak open.
And the quick patter of light footsteps as they struggled to escape his
brother's notice-
Too slow!
Tadashi turned around, his athletic reflexes kicking in, and tackled his little
brother to the ground.
"Where have you been?!" Tadashi hissed through his clenched jaw, his arms
wrapped tight around his little brother. Hiro was wearing a different, dark-
grey hoodie. Tadashi wondered what happened to the old one (he had purchased it
for Hiro last year). He looked fine, for the most part.
The elder brother felt his singed nerves slowly cool, finally assured that Hiro
was safe. 
"None of your business!" Hiro snapped, somehow managing kicking Tadashi in the
shin. He gasped in pain and loosened his grip. Hiro quickly untangled himself
from his brother's arms and scooted back, against a table. 
"Hiro, please, just stop it! It's late, and I'm tired-"
"Good! So go to sleep!" 
"How could I possibly go to sleep knowing you're out there alone on the
streets?!" Tadashi exclaimed, his voice cracking. He paused, noticing the way
Hiro froze up at his tone, reminding himself to keep his anger in check. It
wouldn't help any if he started berating Hiro now... his brother had made that
clear that nagging was a surefire way to make Hiro even more stubborn.  
Then... he noticed the odd smell. 
"... Why do you smell like cheap air-freshener?" Tadashi asked, wrinkling his
nose (they shared the same quirk) as he noted the heavy stench on his brother's
body. He'd have to remind Aunt Cass to open the windows in the morning because-
 pheeew did that stink! What company made this crap anyway? Who would possibly
buy it?
"I got spritzed by a cleaner chasing me out the toilet," Hiro lied
effortlessly. "She didn't want anyone in there while she was cleaning up."
Tadashi nodded, finding it funny (but this wasn't an appropriate time to
laugh). He himself had been the victim of cranky sanitary workers back at the
university. Though he never thought they'd actually have the guts to attack
people. 
He'd have to be careful about that old guy back at the SFIT third-floor
washrooms...
Tadashi and Hiro glared at each other for a good minute before Hiro sighed. His
clothes looked dirty, his eyes tired and his hair was all ruffled (Tadashi knew
this only happened after aggressive head-banging, his brother's habit for
dealing with stress).
He felt his heart falter.
Had Hiro been ran into some kind of trouble? He needed to talk this out with-
"Look, Tadashi. From now on, just leave me alone. I can handle myself." Hiro
said, and before Tadashi could reply, he dashed up the staircase and up to
their shared room. 
He heard the door slam shut, just like the door to Hiro's heart. 
Hiro's words stabbed his own heart like an icy knife. It hurt. Hiro was the
only piece left of his precious family- not that he didn't love and appreciate
Aunt Cass, but there were happier times... when it had been him, Mom, Dad and
little baby Hiro. 
And then everything ended in an instant... 
Shit, it still hurt thinking about it. 
He didn't want Hiro to shut him out. He knew Hiro needed him, just as much as
he needed Hiro. They were brothers! Brothers were there for each other. 
And while he knew Hiro would be mad if he ever found the tracking device (he
was right... Hiro was beyond mad at this point), it was a necessary precaution.
Hiro didn't think he'd allow his precious fourteen-year-old brother to go
roaming the alleyways of San Fransokyo without having some kind of fail-safe,
did he?
He groaned, flopping in an armchair by the window. They really needed to
discuss Hiro's curfew and nightly ventures...
... The older Hamada drifted off to sleep almost instantly, his head slumping
against the armrest. It didn't matter that he wasn't in a proper position to
fall asleep; knowing that Hiro was safe and finally home was enough to ease his
over-worked mind. 
===============================================================================
 
Hiro flopped onto his bed- freshly showered, thankful that the foul smelling
air-freshener he'd found in the trash was finally off his skin. 
He'd remembered to cover the obvious stench of cigarettes rolling in waves off
him thanks to a bossy old lady he had encountered on the late train back home.
She had started nagging him about 'bad habits' and how youth these days no
longer had respect for law and blah blah blah. 
Then luckily, on the final walk back he had found a dumpster. He then proceeded
to dig around in it (gross) and found a scented-spray, practically misting
himself in it in desperation. 
It was foul, it was cheap... but it worked though.
Thank god. 
He tried not to think about the heartbroken look on Tadashi's face before he
dashed back to their room. Was he still downstairs, stress eating like Aunt
Cass did? Hiro didn't know... neither did he want to find out. 
The genius was exhausted. The emotional stress he had gone through in that
single night finally taking a toll on his body. He slowly drifted off to
dreamland, just like his brother. 
And as the night slowly passed, the boy's computer pinged...
NEW MESSAGE (1).
***** Just One Sip *****
Chapter Summary
     Hiro has an epiphany... and something to drink.
     Things get a bit more complicated.
Chapter Notes
     The mood of this chapter might be a little darker as the plot
     progresses. Thank you so much for all the wonderful kudos and
     comments! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far. :)
     And a little warning here, there is going to be scene(s) where Hiro
     does sinful things.
     His little incest-conflict starts here. :3 The mood of the story is
     going to be similar to the film 'Kill Your Darlings', so you can ref
     that on Youtube if you wanna know what exactly I'm aiming for in the
     scenes here.
     This chapter is dedicated to: Diyana and Cheryl, two fellow Hidashi
     fans.
     You guys are awesome.
     Let's re-watch Big Hero 6 again!!!
     xoxo
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Birds chirped happily, as the morning rush hour slowly faded. The scent of
freshly made coffee wafted through the windows, from the lively café up into
the attic. Sunlight slipped through the blinds, giving the room a gentle,
ethereal glow as the youngest Hamada stirred. 
He keened softly, rolling over and yanking the duvet over his head, his body
curled up in a fetal position. He sighed contentedly, burying his nose into the
fresh, crisp sheets of the mattress. 
He didn’t ever want to get up.
Though there was something nagging at him at the back of his mind— and the
unpleasant, bitter tinge of staleness on his tongue. The young boy coughed,
wondering if he had somehow fallen ill— his throat felt like sandpaper, but
more moist. 
Only then did the events of the previous night grace his memory. He sighed,
rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. 
He’d smoked a cigarette.
An actual cigarette— he'd sucked in the toxic poison and had absorbed the
nicotine into his bloodstream. 
Prior to his experience the previous night, the only contact Hiro ever had with
any form of smoking was seeing cigarette boxes along the counter in the konbini
or observing the older kids in High School smoke them along the back fence. 
It was an odd feeling— a feeling of somewhat self-accomplishment (ridiculous,
but he couldn’t push away this feeling of somehow being more… experienced) and
yet guilt at his actions. 
He pinched himself on the forearm, the brief twinge of pain confirming that
this wasn’t a dream. As for the aforementioned smoking; the stench of tobacco
that lingered on his right index and middle finger was proof in itself
(something that would take a lot of citrus and soap to remove). 
Overcome by the need to scrub his hands clean, he unwillingly debated against
himself to get up. It wouldn’t bode well if Tadashi or Aunt Cass were to watch
a whiff of it.
As patient and caring as they were, naïve they were not. Although, he didn’t
really have much to worry about after last night. 
He wasn’t going back there anytime soon… probably never.
Tossing the covers away from his petite body, Hiro stretched his arms high
above his head and wriggled his toes, grunting in satisfaction at the sweet
stretch of unworked muscles. 
Hiro was famished. Specifically, he was craving for some of his Aunt’s Al
Caponedoughnuts… though he highly doubted she would allow him such sweet things
first thing in the morning (that never stopped him from getting some, though). 
He decided to take a quick shower, change and head downstairs. 
As he sat up, he noticing the empty bed across the room, bedsheets free of a
single wrinkle and pillows fluffed to perfection. It was to be expected of
Tadashi— being the exceptional role-model and excellent student everyone
thought (and knew) he was, Tadashi took the phrase ‘the early bird gets the
worm’ way too seriously. 
The only time Hiro ever saw his brother asleep in his bed was when he worked
late to develop and work on his projects, or when Tadashi had pulled an all-
nighter and was still conked out (rare). 
Grabbing a soft, green towel and some fresh clothes (a simple pair of cargo
pants and a purple, long-sleeved shirt), he walked across their attic bedroom
(the coldness of the floorboards pinching his bare feet), and approached the
bathroom door.
It was shut, and he could hear the water-heater humming. 
Being half-conscious, Hiro ignored that fact and grabbed the brass knob tightly
in his right hand, twisting it and nudging the door open—
Coming face-to-face with Tadashi, who dropped his towel in surprise. 
Tadashi was naked.
.
.
.
Naked. 
Big brother. NAKED. NAKED!!!?
There was a brief pause as Hiro’s morning brain (he was clearly nothing like
his brother in terms of peak performance times, he was more of a night worker)
struggled to process what he was looking at. 
A sharp, collaborative scream pierced through what used to be the tranquil
peace of an early spring morning. Tadashi glared as he sharply flicked his
towel toward’s Hiro’s direction. 
“HIRO!” He yelled, cheeks dusted a deep shade of vermillion. “Haven’t you ever
heard of knocking?!” 
The younger brother screeched in frustration, quickly sprinting to the sink and
grabbing his toothbrush— but in his haste, knocked it towards his brother’s
feet. 
He turned and crouched low, preparing to grab it and then high-tail the heck
outta there, but froze as he noticed something odd. H is gaze slowly trailed
upwards along Tadashi’s muscular calves towards his even more muscular thighs
and—
Wow. 
Just, wow. 
Tadashi… had grown.
A lot. 
It took him a good two seconds before he finally caught himself, jerking back
and nearly bashing his head against the tub. His face flamed red, and he broke
out in cold sweat, looking everywhere but at his brother. 
Where the hell had he been looking?! 
He yelled a quick idiot! at Tadashi, cringing at how girly his voice sounded,
then ran out, his toothbrush clutched so tightly in his hand he thought it
might snap. 
===============================================================================
He slammed the door to Aunt Cass’s private bathroom shut, letting his things
fall to the floor and leaned over the sink, panting hard. 
Did he seriously just check out his brother’s penis? Oh god, it sounded so
wrong even just voicing it in his mind. What would Tadashi do? Shy away and act
awkward and stiff around him for a week? 
That happened the last time Tadashi walked in on Hiro doing Hulk poses in the
mirror... butt-naked. He had been eight! The Hulk had gotten Hiro curious about
the human anatomy and if muscles really could swell to that height. It wasn't
his fault Tadashi picked a bad time to offer him gummy bears!
No wait, wrong, bad train of thought!
Hiro shoved away those embarrassing memories form his mind. 
The brothers hadn’t seen each other naked since Hiro was six, and upon his
seventh birthday, he declared himself ‘too mature’ to take baths with his onii-
chan (he remembered the devastated look on Tadashi's face and Aunt Cass' amused
grin when he had announced it).
No wonder Tadashi had gotten so big— it had been seven years since the last
time he’d seen his brother naked. 
And almost immediately, his thoughts went back to the sight of his onii-chan’s
huge penis. Dick. Cock. Ochinchin. No, stop it! Hiro slapped his cheeks with
both hands, letting out a muffled screech of frustration through grit teeth. 
He was not thinking about his brother’s cock, he thought wilfully, moving to
grab his toothbrush and get that damn taste off his tongue already—
Then he paused, feeling something odd. And looked down.
There was a little tent in his pants, where Hiro Jr. stood proud and tall, for
the first time in his fourteen-years. 
Fuck. 
===============================================================================
Tadashi sighed, towelling himself off as quickly as possible. 
He enjoyed the feel of the fluffy and warm towel (Aunt Cass had just done a
fresh round of laundry) and scrubbed his face dry, being sure to clean behind
his ears. 
Catching his reflection in the mirror, the college student smiled, liking the
payoff of following a healthy diet, his gym-sessions and karate training paying
off. He’d been teased back in middle-school for having a shrimpy body and ears
too big for his head, but not anymore. 
Speaking of bodies...
The robotics student thought back to what happened earlier with Hiro. And
groaned, slapping himself on the forehead, shaking his head in disbelief. That
was not how he intended for the morning to play out. 
He had planned to go downstairs, sneak up a fewAl Capone doughnuts (his brother
loved those sweet, sticky health hazards for breakfast) with a cup of tea and
greet his baby bro with a smile. He’d hoped to patch things up and talk to Hiro
about his disappearing habits but now…
He’d noticed Hiro staring at his, uh— southern regions earlier. Was he shocked
at the difference in their sizes? Or simply surprised to see pubic hair? Was it
was time to give Hiro the talk?
Yikes. He swallowed, not liking the thought of that. He remembered how awkward
it had been when Aunt Cass had attempted to tell him about the workings of a
man and a woman, together, wrestling and therefore producing a little baby-
Oh, he was not going back there. 
Maybe giving Hiro some space would do them both good. Let him have his time
alone to cool down.
Tadashi slipped on a pair of jeans and a beige T-shirt, quickly blow-drying his
hair and giving his reflection a big, toothy smile (to check for anything stuck
in his teeth. There never was). 
“Hiro,” He called out towards their shared bedroom. “I'm done, Hiro!” 
No answer. 
He hummed curiously. Was Hiro hiding? Maybe it was best to just leave him alone
for now. He tossed his used pyjamas into the clothing hamper and moved towards
the staircase leading to downstairs, past Aunt Cass’ room—
“…Ah…!” 
He froze, eyes going wide. They were s o wide, they practically bulged out. 
Tadashi turned robotically to the right, staring at the wall where he had heard
that sound as though Mochi had suddenly popped out of it singing the national
anthem.
Holy shit. 
Was that... Hiro?! 
A hand automatically flew up to cover his mouth in scandalised shock.  Holy
shit, he did nothear what he just think he did—
Then came a series of muffled cries, a voice weak with pleasure… coming from
the Aunt Cass' bathroom. 
The bathroom that was separated by a wall of plaster and old floral wallpaper
from seventy years ago, definitely notsoundproof. 
He slunk against the wall and onto the floor in horror, thinking of ways to
tell Hiro about a young adolescent blooming into manhood (wow, good going
brain— even in his mind this all sounded terrible). 
His little baby brother wasgrowing up. His cute, baby Hiro was growing into an
adult, and soon, he wouldn’t need his brother for guidance and advice anymore. 
Knowing his brother’s level of intellect, he’d probably age (mentally) even
faster than a regular teenagers, reducing their time together by half... or
more.  
Hiro would move out, get his own apartment, buy a car, graduate from university
(oh yes, he hadn’t given up on Hiro yet! He never would!) and eventually, find
a nice girl and marry her. 
The last part made his heart feel heavy. He dreaded the idea of Hiro dating.
Tadashi didn't trust his brother with anyone. 
“Haah—!” Another pleasured moan pierced through his thoughts like an arrow.
Tadashi scrambled to his feet and practically flew down the stairs, not wanting
to intrude on the younger’s 'fun-time' (Fred's words). 
===============================================================================
Hiro shuddered, rubbing the tip of his cock slowly, feeling precum slip pass
trembling fingers. 
Why hadn't he tried this before?
Oh, right, because seeing a bunch of guys grip their erect penises and grunt
loudly like pigs while tugging on them, as though possessed, had scared the
crap out of his nine year old self. He never tried to watch the 'porn' again.
As good as it was, it still felt wet, and very... slimy. Eying the weird,
slippery fluid escaping his slit, he bit down on his lower lip, trying (and
failing) to contain another moan as his hand jerked his cock forward in a firm,
tight grip. It was almost instinctual. 
He had tried using two hands, but it seemed as though using one hand kept the
motion faster, and less clumsy so his hands wouldn't get in each other's way.
Hiro's hips jerked sharply as his fingers caressed the underside of his cock,
his back arching off the wall as his hand began to pump his throbbing erection
faster. He used his other hand to fondle his balls, the edge of his palm
rubbing against his twitching entrance. His thighs and calves tensed (they were
gonna be so sore later) and his toes curled. The burn of aching muscle made the
pleasure even more notable. 
His tongue lolled out as he panted loudly, his legs spreading wider so as to
give his hands easier access. So this was masturbating? It felt so good.
He knew how adults and their sex worked. Masturbating had been scary, sex (both
straight and gay) had been... weird. The only thing he found tolerable was the
scientific articles on sexual reproduction and the precautions one needed to
know before having intercourse.
The internet taught him so much. Though, did Tadashi really think putting up
those parental firewall block things would prevent him from learning what he
wanted to know? Another annoyingly, overprotective move by his brother.
Stupid, stupid Tadashi.  
And yet here he was, ‘jerking off’ to the memory of his brother’s well-endowed
family jewels (and stick). The sight of the thick, long and flaccid penis had
made him horny, and here he was about to have the first orgasm in his young
life.
He thought about what Tadashi's cock would look like erected, big and
throbbing, ready to fill squirt 'ejaculation' into his anus as he gripped his
thighs, pounding into his tight entrance while hitting this 'prostrate' thing
straight on... ha! Like that would-
"... AH!"
Hiro cried out as he felt something twist and burst inside him — watching
through his teary eyes, glazed over from pleasure — as a translucent, white
liquid spurted out from the tip of his dick, coating his tanned skin with
white, even more sticky droplets. 
His hips thrusted weakly throughout the orgasm into his hand, a weak mewl
escaping his parted lips as his head lolled back. He had never imagined it to
feel this good. His mind was completely relaxed, along with the rest of his
body. 
He was in a state of pure euphoria... at least until the feeling faded away,
bringing him back to reality.
Exhaling, he collapsed sideways onto the cold, tiled floor. His body ached, and
he felt sweaty and sticky. Most uncomfortable of all was the guilt he felt at
what- who exactly he'd been fantasising about. Oh, and surprise! He was...
'gay'? 
Was he? He didn't know. Did jerking off to the thought of your siblings cock
mean you were gay? He remembered there was another definition for this... there
were loads of labels for differently sexually orientated people, though he
never expected himself to have to care, always thinking that he had been
straight. 
Come to think of it... seeing the web-advertisements of naked girls dancing
(usually on the bot-fighting sites) had never turned him on... GAH! He didn't
wanna deal with this in the morning!
Not even lunch time and his whole life had been flipped outside down, making
him afraid and unsure.
Hiro was able to conclude one thing, though.
“... I hate my life.” 
===============================================================================
After taking his shower and carefully removing all the evidence of what might
have conspired in the bathroom (he apologised to Aunt Cass in his heart and
vowed to find a better location for future hormonal occasions) and tip-toed
down the stairs, being as quiet as humanly possible.
He felt so dirty after what happened. Still couldn’t believe what he’d just
done. Scrubbing himself twice as much as usual in the shower hadn't helped any,
it just resulted in his skin being tinged red from all that effort. 
He didn’t know much about... incest (he decided he hated that word), just that
it was unnatural and resulted in mutated babies and broken families. 
Remembering a rumour he’d heard about Tanya Williams (a senior, back in his old
high school) getting pregnant with her father’s baby, he shuddered. The poor
girl had mysteriously disappeared from all her classes; some of her friends had
said she’d been sent to a girl’s home while her father was sent to court for
raping a minor.
No, he couldn’t— he wouldn’t risk breaking their little family apart. 
But why worry? Hiro tried to reason with his overly guilty brain. This was just
a phase. It's not like Tadashi or Aunt Cass would ever find out. He’d just been
at the wrong place at the wrong time when his hormones had decided to act up
(Hiro conveniently ignored the fact that he had only gotten the erection after
seeing Tadashi naked), these stupid, conflicting feelings would soon pass. 
He just needed to find another outlet.
===============================================================================
“Oh, sweetie, you guys look so cute together!” Aunt Cass shrieked, her hair as
wild as she felt, yanking her nephew’s arm so he could stand next to Kanoko
Stewart (a classmate and project partner of his at school). She was very
pretty, with short, dyed ash-brown hair and large, brown eyes. Kanoko was also
mixed-blood, and was very tall and smart. She was rather mysterious... nobody
knew anything about her except for her love of kimono dresses (she liked to
wear short, lolita-styled kimonos) and that she was rich (she had a driver send
and fetch her from school every day). 
Apparently getting Kanoko to meet him at the café so they could go over some
last-minute changes to their project proposal had been a mistake. A huge
mistake. He'd completely forgotten about Aunt Cass and her tendency to
embarrass (unintentionally, but still) Tadashi during social get-togethers. The
last time had been during beat-poetry night when one of Tadashi's teachers had
shown up and Aunt Cass had proceeded to show her every single baby picture she
could dig out. 
How the heck were they supposed to get any work done with Aunt Cass leaning
over them and taking pictures/cooing at them every two minutes?
Well, they could always leave. 
“Uh, sorry about this, Kanoko-chan.” He said in fluent Japanese, giving her a
sheepish smile. They were both fluent in it (it helped when half the signs in
San Fransokyo were in Japanese!), and Tadashi took every opportunity he had to
practice the language his parents had spoke so he wouldn’t get rusty. In a way,
it was like a connection to them. “Would you like to head somewhere else to
finish this?”
“No, it’s fine,” She assured him, giving him a kind smile. “We’ll be done in
about an hour anyway. No need to trouble yourself.”
He smiled back.
Maybe it would be a good idea to continue Hiro's Japanese lessons? He couldn't
help but wonder. Tadashi nearly snorted at himself, he was way too concerned
with Hiro's upbringing (he admitted unwillingly). 
They both turned back to their respective laptops, enjoying the tea Aunt Cass
had prepared (while ignoring her giggling). 
===============================================================================
 
Oh. 
Hiro stared at the couple, stared at the way Tadashi said something in Japanese
(something Tadashi was taught personally by their deceased parents) and the way
that they smiled at each other. 
Oh. 
He retreated back up the stairs to his room, appetite lost. 
===============================================================================
 
                               _NEW_MESSAGE_(1)
                               TO: MEGABOT_MASTER
                                   TONIGHT,
                         HANABI-CHAN’S KARAOKE LOUNGE,
                                  10PM SHARP
                                  COME ALONE.

===============================================================================
                                        
Another night, out in the shady backalleys of San Fransokyo. The place was as
dingy and unpleasant as ever, and this time he'd been unfortunate enough to
witness a drunk man throw up his dinner all over the sidewalk. Hiro gagged,
willing the disgusting image out of his head. 
At least this time, he was 80% sure Tadashi wouldn’t notice he had snuck out.
He patted himself on the back for managing to out-ninja his brother (on rare
occasions, he was careful enough to evade Tadashi's otouto sensors).
 He’d been extra careful to feign sleep, breathing in and out as evenly as
possible, even shifting a bit to replicate the odd sleeping positions Tadashi
commented he made sometimes when tired.
And only after did he hear his brother head to the garage (no doubt to work on
his robotics homework; he wouldn’t be done till the wee hours in the morning
and he’d probably fall asleep on the garage's desk or whatever) did he sneak
out of bed, slip on his new hoodie and shoes, then shifted the pillows so they
looked like his silhouette, laying on his side. 
Finally, he’d dragged a sleepy Mochi and placed him under the covers (it hadn't
been easy, he though sourly as he eyed the scratch marks on his left arm) so
when Mochi breathed, it would look like he was still sound asleep, breathing
evenly. 
Mission accomplished! 
The thought passed as the wind bit into the skin on his cheeks. He shuddered,
tugging his jacket tighter around his body. Wherever he was instructed to go
had better have a heater. It was much colder than it had been the previous
night.
Turning left, he glanced at the neon-lit signs across the small shop-houses,
all closed. Only a few windows remained lit, and the doors leading to the
basement shops were open. He noticed the words ‘花火ちゃんのカラオケ屋’ lit by green
fluorescent lights pointing to a steep staircase leading down, and sighed in
relief. 
He’d found it. 
===============================================================================
Hiro was greeted by a pat on the head from Toshi, an excited hug from Yoko and
a scowl from Ivan. The four of them had been escorted by a scowling woman in a
tight black dress towards the back— the VIP lounge.
The sad ballad of poor singing from the other customers (through the almost
soundproof walls) grated on Hiro's nerves. He hoped none of his 'new friends'
would force him to sing. He was terrible at it.
It was a small, old-fashioned lounge, the walls completely bare (decorated
slightly with some graffiti scribbled with permanent marker) and several, bare
lightbulbs hung from the ceiling, giving the room a warm, gentle glow. There
was a small, make-shift bar in the corner (a cart, actually), with a bottles of
alcohol displayed proudly, and a bartender (was he?) manning the booth.
Despite it being a karaoke place, nobody was singing. Instead, old 30s American
jazz music played softly in the background, giving the place a sort of classy
feel (even though it was anything but).  The floor was cement, furnished with a
few separate and rattly tables, big plush sofas and smelled like alcohol and
detergent. 
The place was scattered with a few people (only elite bot-fighters, dealers and
experts were allowed in here according to Yoko). Despite the surplus of space
available, they were mostly all crammed around one table, talking - more like
yelling - loudly. 
To his dismay, that was where he was dragged to, and he was forced onto the
cough in-between Toshi and a friendly-looking Indian man with a prominent
beard. They were greeted as the approached the table, some of them throwing
curious glances in Hiro's direction but not bothering to question them.
Hiro felt awkward.
Out of place.
He took a cigarette offered to him by Toshi (hands barely trembling this time,
it seemed pre-programmed, almost) and lit it up slowly (careful not to suck in
too fast this time) and inhaled, blowing out a plume of smoke in what he hoped
was a cool way, and leaned back into the cushion, trying to get comfortable. 
He didn’t know anybody here nor did he recognise their faces (he'd only started
bot-fighting in the West the previous night, after all)... though they all
seemed to  have heard of him after Yoko proudly informed them using his bot-
fighting title (“The fox? You’re kidding right? He’s only a kid!”).
But beyond that, nobody seemed interesting in conversing with him. This sucked.
Hiro had come, thinking that they would bring him to some of the higher-
ranking, exclusive bot-fights so he could blow off steam, not smoke and waste
time sitting her feeling awkward around people he didn't care to know. 
Yeah, he should probably just leave. 
He smoked the cigarette to the line again (not wanting to be rude to Toshi who
had given him a free smoke), pretending to laugh at their crude jokes and
finally stubbed out his cigarette, about to declare himself utterly
exhaustedand leave... when he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a
handsome, brown-haired caucasian male. 
The man wore a white button-down shirt under a black vest and a pair of tapered
brown pants. He also wore an expensive silver watch accompanied by polished,
black dress shoes.
His posh look didn’t seem to fit in with the wildly dressed fashionista bunch
Hiro was currently sitting with (seriously, one of them had rainbow coloured
dip-dyed hair accompanied with overalls with nothing but a pink bra
underneath... how was she not freezing?). 
“Hey,” The man's low and smooth voice greeted, eying the people around the
table. A few of the girls giggled and one even gave him a coy wink. 
Hiro expected the guy to start joining in the conversation and (like the
others) ignore him completely- but to Hiro's complete and utter surprise, he
held out a glass in his direction, filled with a cloudy, white liquid that
looked like liquid smoke.
“Juice?” He offered, giving Hiro a charming smile. 
"He’s fourteen.” Toshi remarked, raising his eyebrows, unimpressed, at the
unnamed man. The latter shrugged, still holding the drink still in Hiro’s face.
Across the table, Yoko laughed loudly, a high-pitched, grating laugh that made
Hiro tense, afraid for his safety. “Says the loser who offered him a
cigarette!” 
Hiro ignored their casual teasing, looking at the drink curiously. 
“What’s in it?” He asked, despite the logical part of his mind telling him to
just ignore the guy. 
“Oh, mostly sprite,” He said, giving Hiro a little wink. “And maybe a little
vodka.” 
“Just a little, Benny?” The Indian man asked, arms crossed. Yoko just continued
cackling with laughter. “Too kawaii for your own good, Hiro~!” She sang,
slinging an arm around her fujita friend. He narrowed his eyes. He knew what
that meant! He wasn't cute, he was handsome (Aunt Cass always said so). 
The bot-fighter flinched as the shot glass was shoved closer to his face. It
seemed as though this stranger wasn't going to take no for an answer. By now,
Hiro would have unleashed the wrath of Megabot on him, but he didn't want to
risk starting a fight with so many dangerous, unknown individuals closed in a
room with him.
He noticed Toshi glancing in his direction- he knew that look. The same worried
(and disappointed) look Tadashi gave him whenever Hiro returned home after a
bot-fight, on the occasion Tadashi hadn't been quick enough to check the GPS
tracker or had been preoccupied with work to notice his little brother was
missing (or was it the stupid tracker telling his brother he was safe, just up
to no good?). 
Hiro pushed those irritating thoughts out of his mind, not wanting his mood to
be ruined. 
“C’mon, Hiro-kun. Live a little!” Benny said, gently pressing the cool glass
against his soft, trembling lips. As he inhaled, he smelled it. The scent of
alcohol mixed with the sweet in the air didn't repulse him, but it didn't make
him feel like drinking it either (just like the cigarettes). 
Tadashi's face popped into his head again, the look of disappointment clearer
than ever. And then the image of him with his new girlfriend; the girlfriend he
hadn't bothered to tell Hiro about. 
“Sure,” Hiro said, taking the glass from Benny, their fingers brushing
intentionally as he slid it into his smaller hand. “Why not?”
He downed it in one gulp. 
===============================================================================
As a man with a reputation and a huge libido, Benny felt like having a fuck.
Maybe a boy, this time.
Sharp blue eyes scanned the room as he looked for any potential targets. 
His gaze lingered on a short, adorable teenage boy.
Benny smiled as he eyed the kid Toshi and Yoko brought along (he knew Ivan,
being the angry, distrustful shit he was, couldn’t have wanted him around).
He'd heard from an acquaintance that younger teens generally felt better, and
were easier to manipulate.  
The brunet licked his lips as he eyed the kid’s big, doe-like eyes, petite nose
and— holy shit was that a tooth-gap? He had a pretty face, too. Asian…
Japanese, from the looks of it. Though there was a distinct shade of hazel in
those eyes and the flushed, cream-coloured skin that hinted of mixed blood.
Yum. 
“Give me a ghost bomb,” He whispered to Manny (his parter-in-crime, who was in
charge of serving the alcohol tonight). Waiting patiently while Manny fixed the
drink, he sucked in his blunt sharply and allowed the drug to numb his senses,
letting a content sigh as he felt his muscles relax. Taking a hit always made
flirting a lot easier. It was like his nerves buzzed out. 
Ha, buzzed. 
Everything seemed brighter, less dull— and Benny laughed, ready to hit it up
with the kid. 
Taking the glass from Manny, he approached their little table, dodging a few
people (mostly ladies) who he didn't exactly feel like entertaining. He was
famous for being amazing in bed, and sometimes his reputation would land him in
trouble. But not tonight- tonight would be fun. 
He greeted them, and charmingly offered the kid a drink. 
Little Hiro (what a cute name) had been hesitant at first, looking away and
shying from his strong advances. Toshi looked at him with lazy displeasure, and
Benny was about to get ready to flinch away (he knew the green-haired man liked
to fling lit cigarettes at people he found irritating), when the kid had coyly
took the glass from his hand, downing the whole thing in one gulp. 
Woah. This kid had some serious balls... that, or he didn't understand how
alcohol worked. 
“Plenty more where that came from,” Benny said, gently taking Hiro’s hand and
leading him towards the back of the room, across from Manny. He sat down, his
mind buzzing his pleasure, making him feel as though he'd just sunk on fluffy
cloud. 
Hiro had blinked, asking if he was supposed to grab a chair. No problem. He
merely hoisted Hiro onto his lap, chuckling at the boy’s startled squeak. He
was warm and snug against his body. A little skinny than what he usually
preferred, though... it didn't seem to be a problem. Benny swallowed as felt
Hiro adjust himself in his lap, that tight ass doing wonders to his (once)
flaccid cock, and snapped his fingers.
Manny appeared, two new shot glasses in hand, a little, jealous leer on his
face. 
“You owe me, B.” He hissed, giving Hiro a hungry once-over. 
“Yeah, yeah, get outta’ here.” He shoed Manny away with a flick of his middle-
finger after handing Hiro the drink. The kid was tense. Very tense. He could
tell that Hiro had no sexual experience whatsoever, and that made the thought
of fucking him even more appealing. He'd make the kid feel things he'd never
felt before, fuck him into oblivion and make him scream in orgasm for the first
time in his young life.
He loved first times. 
“Here, beautiful,” He said, whispering hotly in Hiro’s ear, giving the shell a
lick and a gentle (yet firm) nip with his teeth, enjoying the little gasp that
escaped from Hiro. “Enjoy.” 
They drank in companionable silence, listening to the soft background music and
the loud, rowdy laughter and swearing coming from Toshi’s table. He felt Hiro
relax (slowly), and smiled to himself. It was a very peaceful feeling, sitting
here with a cute boy in his lap while he was surrounded by (mostly) like-minded
friends. 
Hiro surprised him by initiating a conversation. 
“So… Benny, are you a bot-fighter too?”
“Me? Good god, no. I just serve the poison... though I bet sometimes.” Seeing
Hiro’s confused look, he jingled the ice in his drink. “I’m a bartender.” 
“Oh!” Was Hiro’s intelligent (and cute) response. “That makes sense.” He
remarked, eying Benny's clothing again. The latter smirked and pressed Hiro
down so he was laying comfortably on his chest, feeling pleased with himself as
he saw the red that coloured Hiro's cheeks. 
Benny held in a snort. This kid was naïve… though in a good way for a virgin,
he supposed. What was a kid like this doing all the way down here? This was
where society’s trash came out to play. The forgotten, the misfits, the people
who wanted more out of life than being ordinary citizens in the fast-moving
world. Nobody wanted to be forgotten, so they chose to live wild, live free. 
That meant breaking laws and moral values, but none of them really
cared, especially not he.
Right now, all he cared about was getting Hiro's sweet ass nice and tight
around his cock, moaning and writhing under him as they fucked into next
morning. 
He felt his libido rise at the mere thought. The fact that Hiro was sitting on
his flaccid cock wasn’t helping any, either- the boy tensed up again almost
immediately as he realised what exactly had been poking at his butt. 
“Hiro,” He said, his voice smooth as silk, setting down his drink and wrapping
his toned arms around the smaller’s waist. The bot-fighter was tense— so tense
he seemed frozen solid.
Benny clicked his tongue.  They needed to fix that. 
He kissed the nape of Hiro’s neck, slowly kissing a soft trail of fluttery,
teasing kisses down to the collar of his shirt. His hands worked magic on the
boy's nerves, rubbing the boy’s chest in soft, slow circles as the other
maintained a firm hold on Hiro’s trembling waist. 
Slowly, he felt Hiro relax, leaning into his touch. 
===============================================================================
He was touching him. 
Touching him in ways Hiro hadn't dreamed he'd be touched until a few hours ago.
This was all moving so fast- even his highly intellectual brain struggled to
catch up. There was a complete stranger fondling him in some ratty old karaoke
lounge in front of a bunch of delinquent bot-fighters. Wow. It sounded insane-
like something he'd never in a million years do... but here he was, doing it
anyway.
It did feel rather odd, though. Ticklish, almost. Most of the body-contact he'd
received when were hugs from Aunt Cass and casual, familial touches from
Tadashi. Oh, and Mochi liked to rub against his legs sometimes when he wanted
affection. 
He realised it could be the alcohol blurring his thought process. He had
ingested two glasses, and he was pretty sure vodka was a strong alcoholic drink
not suitable for beginners. But he couldn't bring himself to care, and gasped
sharply as he felt Benny lick and suck on his right earlobe. So good...!
What if it were Tadashi touching him like this?
Tadashi, raining kisses on his skin and holding him like he was the world’s
most priceless jewel. Tadashi grinding up into his ass, whispering dirty things
into his ear, how he was going to feel so fucking good and love that feel of
cock up his ass. 
It wouldn't hurt to play pretend. 
===============================================================================
Benny wasn’t expecting this from a male, inexperienced, fourteen-year-
oldvirgin, but to his complete and utter surprise (this kid was full of
surprises), it happened.  Hiro turned around and joined their lips willingly.
Firm, yet charmingly shy against his more skilled ones.
He smiled into the kiss - it was always more fun when his partners initiated
things - and took over with ease.
The soft, wet sounds of their lips rang in their ears as the intense make-out
session slowly got more and more heated. Their lips massaged against each
other’s, every now and then their tongues peeked out to brush against each
other.
It was a battle to see who would cave first. 
===============================================================================
Hiro did, parting his bruised lips and allowing the older man to gently flip
him around and tug him so they were chest-to-chest, moaning softly as his mouth
was utterly ravaged by this stranger. 
No, no.
Not a stranger, his drunk mind quipped in (was he drunk? He didn't know, didn't
care).
Tadashi. 
Tadashi...
Tadashi was holding him. His brother was kissing him. Tadashi’s tongue brushed
against his own intimately, a large hand gently brushing against the bottom of
his jaw, titling his head for easier access. Tadashi's tongue rubbed hotly
against the roof of his mouth, and he felt a trail of saliva escape his lips
and he moaned, gripping Tadashi's shirt tightly. 
He had always found this gross when watching old rom-coms with Aunt Cass, but
now… 
Hiro's toes curled in pleasure as he felt Tadashi grind up into his ass,
desperate and just as horny as he was. Was this a dream? Was Tadashi finally
going to make love to him? He wanted this... so much.
Hiro laughed softly, his eyes closed in hazy pleasure and wrapped his arms
around Tadashi’s neck and broader shoulders (had Tadashi grown? He felt
different). 
===============================================================================
The lounge had gone slightly quieter, and Benny knew they were being watched.
Couldn't bring himself to care, though, not with this sexy, horny young teen in
his lap, so willing and eager. He enjoyed the way Hiro clung tightly to his
neck, and that little tinkling laugh that escaped his swollen lips.
Public displays of affection were nothing new around here— stuffing a bunch of
antsy teenagers and experienced adults in the same vicinity, both with a
penchant for danger and adrenaline, often resulted in hook-ups and sexual
advances. They were prohibited from having sex in the lounge though... he'd
have to bring Hiro back to his apartment... 
... Though it was getting pretty hard to tear away from Hiro's cute little
moans and the ass that was grinding back down on his erect cock.
Neither of them cared about being watched, their minds buzzed with drink and
pleasure to thinking of anything touching each other- more. 
 Clak. Clak. Clak. 
The last thing Benny Walters remembered was Hiro going limp in his arms, and a
sharp, intense pain on his forehead. 
===============================================================================
Hiro groaned in pain as he swore ("Stupid, annoying... fucking... truck...
ugh.") at the loud, overly cheerful music of the ice-cream truck pounding
against his throbbing forehead. He wailed as he clutched his pillow against his
ears, trying to block out the sound.
So this was a hangover. 
Alcohol.
NEVER EVERagain. 
What the hell happened? The details eluded him, and he twisted onto his side,
scrunching his eyebrows as he tried to remember.  When he tried to recall how
he had gotten home, all he could recall was a... nothing. 
The last thing he could remember was-
Oh fuck...!
Hiro scrambled onto his hands and knees — regretting it immediately as his
vision turned white and faded into fuzzy dots, the blood in his head swirling
and making him feel like the earth was spinning.
He remembered the man's touches all too well. They were still fresh on his
skin, making him shiver in fear at how far-gone he had been to get completely
besotted with pleasure. Had he slept with Benny? He shifted his ass, nearly
crying in relief as he felt no pain or soreness, which would have been a sure
indication of having lost his virginity (thank you, internet).
Then another chilling thought penetrated (ooh, bad choice of words) his mind.
He’d been fantasising aboutTadashi while making out with a complete stranger.
His older brother, who he had grew up with. His best friend, role-model and the
most important in his life besides Aunt Cass, despite his irritating, over-
protective nature. Hiro felt the guilt hit him in waves as he remembered how
poorly he'd been treating Tadashi. 
No wonder Tadashi had gotten a girlfriend. He deserved it. Tadashi's life
didn't revolve around him, after all. His brother had his own life, his own
future to worry about. They were going to grow up, and move out, grow apart
eventually... 
The thought made him sick. 
Reaching for his pillow (ready to scream into it, good thing Tadashi wasn't in
the room), he noticed something odd. 
Something yellow caught his eye. A square, yellow piece of paper stuck subtly
onto his bed-post, partially hidden by his pillow.  A note. Left behind by the
person who had somehow, magically whisked him away from the west side of San
Fransokyo back to this humble little establishment he called home. 
He swallowed, leaning closer, almost afraid to read what was on it. 
===============================================================================
Don’t take drinks from strangers if you can’t handle it! You horny little shit.
                                    - Yoko
===============================================================================
Hiro groaned and flopped back onto his bed, crushing the note into a little
ball and flicking it into the dustbin with practiced ease. What time has she
brought him home? Had she really managed to sneak him back in
without anyone noticing? Were fujitas trained in the art ofninjitsu as well?
How did she even know where he lived? Just- argh! Forget it! 
Fujitas had their ways, after all. He decided not to question it, grimacing as
the music continued to drill his patience. He had half a mind to throw
something down at the truck... maybe Tadashi's snowboard. 
The sound of quick, hurried footsteps could be heard heading towards the room
door. Hiro quickly pulled the covers over his (holy mother of megazon, had
she changed him back into his pajamas as well?!) body and pretended to be
asleep. 
"Good afternoon, knucklehead!" Tadashi sang loudly, and Hiro resisted the urge
to throw something (heavy) at his brother's head. He didn't go prancing and
singing about when his brother had gotten drunk after prom! Not that Tadashi
knew he was hungover... but still. 
He had to control his expression, though. Hiro couldn't risk Tadashi suspecting
what he had been doing the previous night. The idea of Tadashi finding out he'd
been - to put it bluntly - making out and coming extremely close to sleeping
with an older man while fantasising about him utterly terrified him. 
"Look what I've got! Al Capone doughnuts," Tadashi held the breakfast tray
towards Hiro's tense body, a big, dopey grin on his face. Hiro peeked out from
under the blanket, giving his brother a weak glare, pretending to have just
woken up
"'m not hungry." He said, as his stomach wailed in protest. He flushed pink,
hiding his face in his pillow. Tadashi chuckled and set the tray down onto
Hiro's nightstand, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately, a gentle smile
on his face. 
"Look, Hiro..." Tadashi began, scratching his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry,
alright? I should have never intruded on your privacy. But I worry about you so
much.You're so important to me, Hiro-" Tadashi began to explain himself but
before he could continue, Hiro leapt up and flung his arms around his brother,
breathing in deeply as he buried his face into his brother's neck.
Tadashi was momentarily stunned, his eyes wide as he felt his brother's shaky
warm breath on his neck as his chest rose and fell erratically. 
"Whatever, butthead," Hiro grumbled, though Tadashi could hear the happiness in
his voice. Yes. Yes! They were finally making progress. A day of not talking
and having Hiro ignore and scowl at him felt like an eternity. "Just stop
talking and let me eat my breakfast in peace." 
The older Hamada laughed heartily, his heart crying with relief, and held his
brother firmly in his arms, rubbing gentle circles on Hiro's lower back. 
"Good to have you back, nerd." 
"Nn." Hiro grunted, his grip growing tighter as he conked his head playfully
against Tadashi's collarbone. 
Hiro's mind was busy trying to memorise what this felt like. What Tadashi felt
like. Nothing like Benny, who'd been all about sex and sleazy touches-
Tadashi's touch felt like warmth, concern and love. 
They smelled very different- Benny smelled like smoke and heavy cologne while
Tadashi smelled like soap, aftershave and floral fabric softener... which, in
Hiro's opinion, was the best, most comforting smell in the world. 
"Missed you." He croaked, his throat dry, his heart fluttering at what felt
like a million beats per second.
Tadashi felt like home. 
"Missed you too, bro." 
Chapter End Notes
     Next Chapter:
     The rest of the nerd squad comes in! We learn something (not so)
     surprising about Gogo...
     Hope you enjoyed it.
     Twitter: @megabot_master
     Tumblr: lususlashout
     Any feedback or ideas are welcome! :)
***** Just A Visit *****
Chapter Summary
     Hiro meets the geek squad, and his idol, while Tadashi battles
     conflicting emotions and thoughts...
Chapter Notes
     NOTE!!!
     1) It's been a week since Tadashi and Hiro made up! The story is
     kicking into drive now-- and just take note that since they
     practically wasted a week (well, Hiro did, with his lollygagging),
     they've missed the proposal deadline for the SFIT showcase and Hiro
     will be opting to enter SFIT by the examination way (IF he decides
     to... you'll see! ;)
     2) The gang does not know about Hiro's bot-fighting habits so far.
     Japanese families (well Asian families in general) are very VERY
     private about things they're not particularly proud of. I highly
     doubt Tadashi would have told them of Hiro's tendencies to break the
     law.
     A BIG SHOUTOUT TO RUI (haha YES it's really Ray writing this story
     okay) and Craig (for help with the vocab over Skype HAHA).
     To the-nightwing-rises ON TUMBLR! Thank you so much for the
     drawing!!! I screamed really loud when I saw it, hehe! x
     Enjoy the chapter, my fellow Hidashi peeps! ;D
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                                ONE WEEK LATER
===============================================================================
                                        
----  nerdCappa [NC]  has added womanUP [WU] , fashionablyChem [FC] ,  cleanCut
[CC]  and  scienceSupergeek [SS ] to the conversation! ----
FC:H ey everyone! ^_^)/
CC: Morning.
SS:  eyyyyyyy sup my people
WU:  ?
NC:  hey, guys! :)
NC:  oh, just wanted to give you guys a heads up, bringing my lil bro over in a
bit.
FC:  Yay!!!! I can’t wait to meet him! :3
FC:  Does he like sweets? I have some chocolate fudge cake I can share with
him!!!! 
WU:  make sure you keep an eye on him and he doesn’t touch anything dangerous
NC:  haha will do!
NC:  and yeah, he does HL! :) he really loves gummy bears too
FC:  okieeeeee~  
SS:  awesomeeeeee can’t wait to see tadashi jr
SS:  does he wear baseball caps like u
NC:  unfortunately, no :( he thinks they’re stupid...
CC:  hm… he sounds like somebody i’d get along with. 
NC:  … :/
WU:wasabi

WU: don't be jealous u can't wear headgear
WU: cause of that enormous hairdo
SS:  ahahaha
SS:  OWNED
FC:  Lol!!!! >_<)/
CC:  hey! >:(
===============================================================================
Tadashi laughed, tucking his phone into his messenger bag (not a purse!) and
entered the café. 
The place was as busy as ever— with Aunt Cass and the part-timers flying around
the trying to deal with the rush hour customers. Well, he supposed all the
hustle and bustle meant that business was going well. Everybody loved her
pastries and coffee, they were the best around this side of town.
He gave Aunt Cass a smile and a wave, not attempting to walk over and hug her
as she was currently taking orders from an impatient-looking office worker. She
grinned back, shooing up upstairs as she keyed in the woman's orders, hurrying
back to the coffee counter. 
There was a plate of cold scrambled eggs and bacon on the small table near the
kitchen, a sure sign that Hiro hadn’t woken up in time for breakfast and had
wasted another plate of Aunt Cass' cooking.
He sighed, taking off his shoes as he reached the stairwell and placed them on
the bamboo shoe rack, thinking about his plans for later. Hiro would have to be
lured (or dragged) out of the house first, there was no way he was going
willingly.
Tadashi really hoped Hiro wouldn’t be too mad when they reached their
destination.
He climbed up the steps as quietly as possible, wondering Hiro would react to
seeing the intriguing ideas his course mates had come up with.  There was no
doubt- he'd be pretty amazed. Hiro would be slightly intrigued, and then just
plain eager to examine and hear how their devices worked. 
And seeing their amazing new theories and inventions would no doubt get his
genius brain whirring with inspiration... giving him the urge to join SFIT!
Well, if everything went according to plan.  
He just hoped Hiro wouldn’t deny his true calling because he wanted to prove
Tadashi wrong.  
Wanting to surprise his brother (tackle him and lift him off the bed by his
ankles), he tip-toed across the floor and silently twisted the brass knob to
their room, pushing it open as lightly as possible. 
He eyed the lump in bed, his brother’s hair poking out from underneath the
duvet. The bonehead was even snoring— a cute, high-pitched, wheezy kind of
snore that made him smile. There was even a little whistling noise where the
air escaped from his tooth gap (Hiro had always been embarrassed about his
dental flaw, but Tadashi found it incredibly cute).
Removing his cap and tossing it onto his bed (it landed perfectly), he grinned,
ready to pounce—
“…Nnn…!”
A whimper froze Tadashi in his tracks.
His eyes went wide, noticing the way Hiro’s toes were curled, and the stiff,
odd posture of Hiro's body.
Was he sick?
Leaping into action, the older brother hurried over and yanked the cover off
Hiro’s body, expecting to see Hiro feverish and trembling with cold (it always
terrified Tadashi to see Hiro ill). 
What he saw though, was the last thing he had been expecting. 
Oh my god. 
Tadashi’s eyes bugged out of his skull as he eyed the obvious patch of damp on
his brother’s pants, on his crotch. 
It was too small an amount to be urine. 
And he knew the signs.
God.
A wet dream. 
Hiro was having a wet dream. 
The boy’s face was flushed pink, and he curled up slightly at the sudden loss
of warmth. He mewled as he rolled, flipping over onto his front, moaning softly
as his clothed erection rubbed against the mattress. 
And much to Tadashi’s horror (his little brother, innocent, baby Hiro was
having a wet dream), he began to rut against the mattress drowsily, still stuck
in adult dream land as his hips twitched every now and then, his ass twerking
up and down ever so slightly, causing the mattress to squeak softly.
Tadashi backed away so quickly he would have gotten friction burns on his feet
if he hadn’t been wearing socks. 
He covered his mouth, letting out a muffled screech (well, a muffled squeak,
anyway- he was far too shocked to make any real sound). 
What to do?
WHAT TO DO?!?!?!!
The emotional side of his brain screamed at him to shake Hiro awake immediately
and put an end to this pubescent madness- and the other, more logical side of
his mind told him to get the fuck (yeah, he cursed!) out of there!
He let out a shaky exhale as he watched Hiro attempt to fuck the mattress.
His movements were getting erratic, and more desperate. 
He knew Hiro was rather... active while sleeping (and the fact that he had
taught Hiro karate hadn't helped. One of the reasons why Tadashi slept in a
separate bed instead of snuggling to sleep with his brother to make sure he
didn’t sneak out at night to bot-fight), but this was ridiculous. 
Tadashi yanked his shirt over his head, covering his entire face, and hurriedly
left the room as Hiro’s soft moans heightened in pitch and turned into weak,
breathless pants. 
The door clicked shut behind him. 
If only he had stayed a moment longer, he would have heard Hiro’s breathless
whisper. 
The name of the person he'd been dreaming of. 
“Tadashi…” 
===============================================================================
Slamming the bathroom door shut behind him, Tadashi slid down onto the cold
tiled floor, groaning as he hid his face in his hands. 
This was the second time he caught Hiro… you know what. 
God! 
How was he going to talk to Hiro about this? He couldn’t just leave Hiro alone—
at the very least, he was going to have to ask Hiro whether or not he knew how
sex worked and the precautions required (and also he was fourteen, way too
young to have sex!). 
Maybe ask Aunt Cass for help...? 
No, asking her would make it twice as embarrassing for Hiro.
This was something that needed man-to-man advice, something he didn’t have the
privilege of when he’d been a kid. 
He remembered how he’d found out about the workings of sex during Health class
in the first year of high school. Running off to the toilet to escape the
teasing of his peers (he had been horrified during the whole lesson, especially
when the teacher whipped out the more... visual examples) hadn’t been a
pleasant experience. 
Tadashi sighed, rubbing his temples.
What would Mom and Dad say?
He already knew. 
Okay, okay, he’d just talk to Hiro over dinner (maybe order pizza?), get them
to eat in their room so they’d have some privacy and so Aunt Cass wouldn’t
overhear anything—
It was then did Tadashi realise, with a horrified expression (his face was
getting rather tired from all the strain), that he was… 
ohgodohgodohgod
He looked down.
Hard. 
There was a stunned silence as he stared incredulously at the tent in his
trousers.
what the fu-
He, Tadashi Hamada, awesome older brother, perfect role-model and the top of
his robotics class at the excellent San Fransokyo Institute of Technology had
an erection after watching his little brother... hump a mattress (???).
“Fuck!” He swore, running his hands through his hair as he squeezed his eyes
shut. 
Was he just… pent-up (he didn't like those words, it made him sound like a
containment unit)? After all, he hadn’t had sex in about a year. Most guys his
age would be horny and easily hormone-controlled by now.
Oh yes— Tadashi was not a virgin, like most people thought he was. 
He had lost his virginity back when he had been seventeen, to his first
girlfriend of three months, unknown to Hiro and Aunt Cass (she had been a very
nice person, with blond hair and a kind smile). After they had broken up, he
had two other lovers- both for short durations of time and kept secret from his
family. He only had sex with only one of them, though. 
He wasn’t like the others his age, who used sex as a way to blow off steam
(none of his friends were virgins, that was for damn sure). 
To him, sex had always been a way of expressing love and your attraction to
that one special person. He knew this way of thinking was considered ‘old
fashioned’ (Fred had laughed in his face, when he’d rejected an offer to set
him up with a female friend of theirs for some fun timeand told him why), but
he chose to keep to it. 
Moral values are all a man has, his father's words rang in his head.
Though that didn’t explain why he had gotten… turned on at the sight of Hiro’s
lustful body.
... That sounded terrible.
He shuddered, the thought of becoming like the child-molesters raping their old
children (scandals were always a favourite in the San Fransokyo Times) killing
whatever erection he had.
Tadashi thumped his head against the wooden door.
Maybe it was time to find an outlet. 
===============================================================================
                              ID: MEGABOT_MASTER
                               (0) NEW MESSAGES
                                (1) NEW EVENTS
===============================================================================
Hiro frowned as he closed the application window, tossing the towel onto his
bed, having rubbed his hair dry.
Reaching for a comb and running it through his wild locks, he thought about his
situation. 
It had been a week since he’d last been contacted by his wilder friends to hang
out. Had his complete lack of alcohol tolerance thrown them off? Did they find
him troublesome? Or simply forgotten about him?
Wait—
He didn’t care!
Hiro growled in frustration as he pushed himself away from his computer,
getting up and flopping back down onto the floor, pulling on his socks
forcefully. 
(He tried to ignore the itch at the back of his throat and the irregular throb
of his heart, craving for another cigarette.)
He’d just head down for lunch, and then…
The bot-fighter sighed.
Then what?
He had nothing to do now, during the day.
Life had been terribly boring after he’d graduated high school, the nightly bot
fights he attended were the only highlights in his life. And even then, they
were getting duller as his skills improved, defeating all his opponents with
basically zero effort.
Tadashi was getting busier with school, no longer having as much time to
accompany him like the good old days. 
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to attend college?
Nah. 
Heading downstairs, the buzz of the café's occupants and the scent of freshly
grounded coffee beans wafted into his nostrils.
Thump thump thump .
He raised his eyebrows at the sound of loud and hurried footsteps approaching
him.
He skittishly turned the corner and ran straight into his brother, sending them
both toppling onto the ground, forming a mess of tangled limbs and groaning
voices.
“What the hey, bro!” Hiro whined in pain, sitting up and rubbing his sore
elbow. Good thing he remembered not to swear- that would have earned him a
smack across the head.
“Sorry, bro.” Tadashi said apologetically, looking at their legs, still
tangled. 
He groaned slightly as he grabbed Hiro by the elbow and heaved him to his feet.
Kid was getting heavier. Growing up, his brain reminded him. He quickly scanned
Hiro for any bruises or scrapes, and when he found none, he quickly looked
away. 
Weird, Hiro thought at his brother’s unusual behaviour. Usually he’d fuss a lot
more.
The older Hamada tugged on his brother’s hand silently and led him towards the
café's main seating area.
Hiro winced as the bright light glared into his eyes, trying to tune out the
loud and jumbled voices of the customers around him. They made their way over
to Aunt Cass first, and Tadashi knew what he was supposed to do.
He wished Aunt Cass a good morning and allowing her to hug him to her heart’s
content. 
"Be back in time for dinner! I'm making our favourite!" She promised, yanking
them both into a tight headlock. They laughed and parted, Tadashi giving her a
wave.  He tried not to stare at the way Tadashi’s arms flexed as he dragged
Hiro towards the glass door—
Huh?
“Where are we going? Hey— dude, I haven’t even had breakfast!” He protested
weakly as they walked (well he was dragged) through the doors, passing Mrs
Matsuda (who was wearing zebra leggings with a striped crop t-shirt) and
heading towards the garage, where Tadashi’s moped was parked, its new coat of
maroon paint gleaming proudly in the sun. 
“I’m taking you out for lunch,” Tadashi replied, pointing up at the sky and
indicating how late Hiro had slept in... again. “We haven’t hung out in awhile
and I thought now would be a good time.”
“You can’t just decidewe’re hanging out.” Nevertheless, Hiro climbed onto the
backseat and slid his arms around his brother’s waist. He usually clung onto
Tadashi’s shoulders but… 
Well, it’s not like this was illegal or anything.
“I’m sorry, Hiro -sama, I didn’t know I had to make an appointment.” Tadashi
replied, eyebrow raised sarcastically as he started the engine. 
“Shut up,nerd.”
The vehicle shuddered to life, and the gentle purr of the flawless, super-
cooled engine (modified by Gogo for a faster oil-change and thus, faster bike)
greeted them. Tadashi pushed off the spotless pavement, and steered them onto
the busy road, going at a moderate speed.
Like most spring days in San Fransokyo, the afternoon weather was excellent.
Not a cloud in sight, the sky was a bright, baby blue. The sakura trees were in
full bloom, gently flickering in the air as they fell from their branches onto
the streets. 
Hiro sighed happily as he rested the side of his face on his brother’s back,
watching the blur of pedestrians and colourful street as they sped past, along
with the traffic. 
Hm. 
Sooner or later, he’d be old enough to get his own license. 
The sudden realisation and unwanted thought brought a frown to Hiro’s face. 
Once he got his license, Tadashi wouldn’t have to give him rides around town
anymore. Be it to the movies, the game shop, the mall... he'd be able to go by
himself, probably on a motorbike (he didn't want a moped, he wanted something
that could speed!), as there was no space for another car. 
There would be no more of this, Hiro thought painfully, as his arms tightened
around his brother’s muscular body. 
“Too fast for you?” Tadashi teased playfully, misinterpreting his brother's
action.
They turned the corner, towards the main road.  Hiro rolled his eyes grinned
evilly, wriggling his fingers near his brother’s side. He burst with joyous
laughter as his brother yelled in alarm, causing a couple of teenage girls to
scream as they zoomed pass, nearly bowling them over. 
An angry honk! greeted their ears as they steered back into the traffic. 
Tadashi was not amused. 
“Hiro! I’m driving! Don’t do that!” Tadashi scolded, reaching behind to swat
him on the head repeatedly. The genius merely giggled and dodged, quickly
rubbing his nose apologetically into his brother’s clothed back. 
“Jeez, sorry!” He sang, closing his eyes and enjoying the closeness they
currently shared.
He didn’t want this to end.
He wanted Tadashi to baby him, spoil him with sweets and surprise breakfasts
and share the same kind of closeness they had now. 
Though he knew this was wishful thinking. 
Things would change the moment he got his license. It would be a big wake-up
call (just like how Aunt Cass had teared with joy when Tadashi had gotten his
driver’s license and extended his curfew) that Hiro was nearly an adult and
perfectly capable of taking care of himself. 
Eventually, Tadashi would get married, move out-
“You okay back there?” Tadashi asked, noticing his brother’s tense grip and the
awkward silence, unusual for joyrides like these. Hiro liked to make
distracting comments about the sights when he knew Tadashi had to keep his eyes
on the road. 
“‘m fine.” Hiro said with false brightness, blinking as some of his hair stung
his eyes, causing a tear to roll down his cheeks. Stupid hair. Man, he really
needed to get it trimmed.
Tadashi hummed thoughtfully and returned his focus to driving. 
They continued the rest of the journey in silence. 
===============================================================================
                                    LATER,
             ENTRANCE TO THE SAN FRANSOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
===============================================================================
                                        
“What are we doing at your nerd school?!” 
“I’m just here to pick up some stuff— we can have lunch here, anyway! The
Italian food in the cafeteria’s pretty good.”
Hiro face-palmed.
He should have known this was going to be a trap!
Knucklehead!
Tadashi brought the vehicle to a stop before the entrance, and Hiro resisted
the urge to make a run for it.  His stupid older brother would probably cry or
something… like that time Hiro snuck away during this science documentary
Tadashi had wanted to show him (he had been upset for hourson end). 
Might as well get this done and over with... 
===============================================================================
“This isn’t going to take long, is it?”
“Relax, you big baby. We’ll be in and out.”
Tadashi held open the door for his little brother like a gentleman would for a
lady, a smirk etched upon his face as he carefully observed Hiro’s reaction to
the tech they had displayed in the laboratory. 
A streak of black and yellow whooshed past the Hamada brothers and Hiro jumped,
eying Gogo as she came to a stop, cooly disembarking from her bike and lifting
it up, attaching it to the lift.
Tadashi thanked her inwardly- she always knew how to make an appearance.
He watched his brother be fascinated by each and every one of his friends’
inventions- except for Fred, though he was pretty sure Hiro had taken an
unconscious liking to the science nerd, like they all had when they 'adopted'
Fred into their group.
Heknew it! Tadashi resisted the urge to pump his fist into the air in victory. 
If things went according to plan, Hiro would be eager to join SFIT by tonight. 
When Fred begun his theory on Invisible Sandwich, Tadashi quirked his head, and
gestured for his brother to follow him. 
This was going to be the moment— oh god, he was so excited.
And nervous.
What if Hiro didn’t like Baymax?
Found flaws in the design, the mechanics (like he always did)?
What if Baymax malfunctioned? 
Inwardly, Tadashi knew there was no way there would a malfunction of any sort,
especially not after Professor Callaghan himself had double-checked the wiring
and approved this project for his semester submission.
This looks like an A+ to me, Mr Hamada, he had said.
Leading him to his private student laboratory, he closed the door behind them
and headed for the desk, reaching for the duct tape (a little payback for Hiro
sneaking out for all those bot-fights) and turned around- when they were
interrupted by a knock on the door. 
He blinked. Now who could that be?
“Come in!” Tadashi said, exchanging glances with Hiro (who looked startled at
the sudden intrusion and Tadashi's surprised expression, automatically walking
to his brother’s side for security, a habit of his when dealing with
strangers). 
“Good afternoon, Mr Hamada,” Professor Callaghan’s smiling face greeted them as
the door swung open. He looked slightly surprised to see Hiro, but quickly
covered it up with another gentle smile. “And guest. And who might you be,
son?” 
Hiro had a feeling he already knew, what with that stupid smirk on Tadashi’s
face. He was starting to have a nagging suspicion that everyone had been
expecting him... some kind of group ploy to get him to join SFIT.  
“Uh, I’m Hiro. Hiro Hamada.” He said shyly, giving the professor his best,
innocently-adorable smile. 
The professor nodded, holding out his hand.
He took it... and lurched forward when the professor shook it firmly, in a
tight grip.
Woah, this guy was strong!
Tadashi laughed, seeing his brother’s shocked face. He and Wasabi had the same
reaction on their first day, in homeroom. Nobody expected the gaudily-dressed
professor to be an ex-member of the military. Though with his built, they
should have guessed it. 
“So... I hear you’re into bot-fighting, Hiro.” 
This caught the younger Hamada's attention. 
“Yeah!” Hiro’s voice changed, suddenly excited to be talking about his
favourite (and only) hobby. Hemagically slipped Megabot out of his new hoodie
(Tadashi could have sworn he’d left it at home) and begun showing the bot off,
practically waving it in Callaghan's face. 
Callaghan took it, eyes intrigued as he examined the flawless craftsmanship.
He couldn’t even tell where the circuits or the chip went. 
“Electromagnetic servos…” He said, turning it around. Hiro preened with pride,
puffing out his chest and grinning a smug, shit-eating grin.
Tadashi snorted inwardly, turning away to avoid his smirk. 
“Yeah. Wanna see how they work?”
God, this was painful.
“Hey, genius,” Tadashi said, unable to hold back the chance to tease the
arrogant bonehead- and flicked a paper ball to Hiro’s head.
The younger grunted and turned around, glaring at his brother, much to
Callaghan’s amusement. He paused slightly for dramatic effect, the gestured to
his teacher.
“He inventedthem.” 
Hiro’s jaw dropped. His eyes widened, and he staggered back a few steps. 
Okay— he couldn’t watch this... without bursting into unsightly horse laughter.
Tadashi excused himself, snickering, figuring he'd allow the professor and Hiro
some time to themselves. He’d get Hiro some food while they talked. Hiro would
have a lot of questions for the genius professor, and Callaghan would
definitely be a challenge for Hiro to impress.
He couldn't wait to see the outcome. 
Humming happily to himself, he walked down the quiet hallway, almost a hundred
percent sure Hiro would be falling over himself to join SFIT by the end of the
day.
===============================================================================
Hiro watched his brother disappear out the door, cursing him for leaving him
alone with the Robert Callaghan.
Whom he'd just rudely insulted.
Gah!
Why couldn't Tadashi have warned him about this- or was this just another ploy
to get Hiro to attend this dumb nerd school?!
"So... you're Robert Callaghan... as in Callaghan's Laws of
Robotics... that Callaghan?" He was almost afraid to ask, his voice trembling
slightly.
"That's me," The man said, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he handed Megabot
back to its master. "So you've read my work? Tadashi had told me you were
smart- though he'd never told me you knew of me." 
"Are you kidding? I've read every single book, every theory-- They're amazing."
Hiro praised unconsciously, his cheeks flaming red, causing the man to chuckle
slightly with embarrassment, unsure of how to respond to such open eagerness.
It had been awhile since he'd been treated to such fresh curiosity.
The students and fellow Professors in the school were already somewhat jaded,
no longer having that childlike excitement.
While Hiro had the brain of a genius (that could easily rival his in a few
years, looking at his raw robotics work), he still maintained the character of
a young child. 
He reminded him so much of her.
"Well then, you must be preparing to apply for this term's entrance exams. They
begin in about a month's time... A little late for registration- but I'm sure a
boy with your amount of intellect will have no problem passing the tests." He
remarked, giving Hiro a pat on the shoulder. 
The latter squealed (inwardly, thank god, he'd embarrassed himself enough
already) as he tried not to jump in excitement. He was being praised by Robert
Callaghan... it felt like a dream!
And he acknowledged Hiro's ability to be there! 
At nerd school!
"I-I don't know...! I'm... thinking about it?" He replied weakly, jittery with
nerves as he glanced at the floor, hugging Megabot closer to his chest for
comfort. 
Urgh! Where wasTadashi when you needed him for moral support?
"You should be. Though with a bot like that, winning must come easy. I wouldn't
be surprised if you chose to stay in the ring- but if you change your mind...
you have to be absolutely sure. My students push the boundaries of robotics
here. We aim to change the future." His tone was serious, as his piercing blue
eyes stared into Hiro's hazel-brown ones, making the boy shiver.
With anticipation.  
They stayed like that for a while, when Callaghan decided he'd pressured (a
habit from his military days) gave the kid an big enough morale boost and
smiled, reaching out and ruffling the boy's hair (Hiro had flinched slightly,
not sure of what to expect). 
"You'll be fine, son. A word of advice though... listen to your brother. He
knows what he's doing." 
Hiro nodded numbly, a tsunami of guilt washing over him as he remembered what
exactly he'd been up to recently. If Professor Callaghan or Tadashi ever found
out about what he had done...
... Well, he wasn't sure he'd be able to earn back Callaghan's acknowledgement,
or Tadashi's trust. 
He shook his head, willing those irritating, less-than-desirable thoughts out
of his head. 
The Robert Callaghan was in front of him! He had to make the most out of this
opportunity.
This would be a good time to ask some questions...
Hiro and Professor Callaghan continued their conversation on robotics... not
noticing the silhouette by the door, watching them curiously.  
A pair of sharp brown eyes narrowed. 
 
 
===============================================================================
"Hello, Tadashi!" 
The robotics student turned at the sound of his name, smiling and getting to
his feet when he saw who it was.
Kanoko approached their group, a shy smile on her face and an empty food tray
in her hand. She was accompanied by her group of friends, giggling as they
approached.
Gogo raised an eyebrow, while the others simply stared. 
"Hey, Kanoko-chan. Done with classes?" He asked politely, though he wished she
would keep this brief. 
The geek squad had been discussing Hiro's reactions to their projects. Honey
Lemon had squealed, finding Hiro positively adorable! She had gotten her cake
from the cafeteria's general fridge (for students who brought food from home
and had to pull all-nighters or stay over) and insisted Hiro have it all ("He's
so petite! You need to make him eat more, Tadashi!"). 
Wasabi had been positive about Hiro's eventual decision to join SFIT as well.
He had been expecting someone rather different, though- the way Tadashi talked
about him, he sounded a lot more playful and mischievous. The boy had been
nothing but shy and casually polite around them... well, maybe he showed a
different side to his brother when they were alone. 
Fred and Gogo found Hiro intriguing. Such a chill little dude, as Fred had so
eloquently put.
Gogo on the other hand, had a rather... different reason for being curious.
She rarely cared about strangers, and cared even less about their personal
lives. Although Hiro wasn't exactly a stranger (they had seen him once or twice
when visiting Tadashi's café-house, but never introduced themselves- and with
how often Tadashi spoke of Hiro, she figured she knew more about him than she
needed to, anyway)... something was off. 
The aura around the boy was strange.
Little quirks in his body language alerted her of something abnormal, as though
he was hiding something. 
But then again, what could a closed-off, genius fourteen-year-old who stayed
home obsessing over bot-fighting be up to, anyway?
Maybe she was being paranoid... she ignored the fact that her instincts had
never been wrong
She turned her attention back to the newcomers. 
"So, you're Tadashi Hamada... he's cute." One of Kanoko's friends whispered,
nudging her friend in the side, the both of them breaking into giggles.
Kanoko's face turned slightly pink and she shushed them, glancing
apologetically at Tadashi. 
"I'm so sorry about this, Tadashi-kun! W-We'll be leaving now!" She squeaked,
shoving her friends towards the door. The girl who whispered turned back to
wink at Tadashi, her long black hair like a banner over her back. 
The older Hamada was stunned.
Fred whistled and smacked Tadashi on the back. 
"Go for it, dude. She's into you." He said, giving his friend a sly grin. Honey
Lemon giggled and exchanged glances with a bored Gogo, while Wasabi huffed and
merely continued to eat his salad.
Tadashi slowly sat back down as he contemplated what just happened. 
Who was that girl?
Not that he was interested- overly forward women tended to scare him in bad
ways. It's just... why did she look so... 
Familiar?
He shook his head- maybe she was just one of those faces that resembled some
celebrity. It happened every now and then- he was pretty sure he had a
lookalike out there somewhere.
Tadashi stood up and grabbed the package of spaghetti and meatballs he had
bought for Hiro. He figured his brother had been subjected to enough
awkwardness and was ready to admit defeat.
Giving his friends a thumbs up, he made his way back to his laboratory. 
"Good luck, Tadashi!" Honey Lemon called, her fingers moving quickly across her
phone's screen, no doubt updating this on all her social networking accounts.
He gave them one last smile and left the cafeteria. 
As he made his way down the hallway, greeting his course-mates as they passed
(they looked worse for wear, not yet done with their proposals), he heard an
odd sound.
It was like the sound metal bars made when they were chilled in ice (welding
class), or the sound of marbles claking when they hit each other. 
As he turned, he noticed a shadow quickly round the corner. 
Who was that? 
Tadashi hurried his pace, feeling slight paranoia and was about to open the
door to his lab- when he heard a burst of laughter from within.
It was Hiro. Laughing? Tadashi shook his head, wondering when was the last time
he had last heard Hiro laugh so openly. Before the night they had that
argument, probably. That made him feel rather guilty, as though he'd been the
reason for his brother's lack of mirth. 
He silently neared the door to his own lab. 
Though he knew this technically counted as eavesdropping, he lowered his ear to
the small line between the door and the wall and breathed as quietly as
possible, wanting to hear what exactly they had been talking about.
Making fun of him maybe? He rolled his eyes. 
"That big?!"
"Yes, it was enormous." 
"No way! How'd it even fit in there?"
What the...?
"Well, we had to lubricate it and then increase the amount of force applied on
the left end... it was a painful process but we got it in eventually. Worth
every bead of sweat." 
Tadashi swallowed, his eyes widening. 
"Sweet! Haha, you're gonna have to show me sometime!" 
??????
"Of course, Hiro. I'd be happy to help any robotics enthusiast. Though if you
were a student here- I'm sure I would have more time to assist and provide you
with advice on your construction methods." 
Tadashi burst into the room, the packet of food held high above his head. He
laughed nervously, noticing Hiro's shocked expression and Professor Callaghan's
raised eyebrow. "Food's here!" He announced, handing the spaghetti over to his
brother, who smacked his lips hungrily. 
"About time, bro! I'm starving!" He chirped, grabbing it and heading over
Tadashi's desk, flopping in his desk chair. 
"Sorry, Professor- but my empty stomach is calling me," Hiro said, apologetic-
yet still carrying that light, joking tone. It startled Tadashi. Hiro was never
this relaxed around strangers. He only talked this way around Aunt Cass,
himself and Mochi. "Can we continue this some other time?"
The man laughed, smiling at his younger brother. 
His younger brother. 
Suddenly, he felt like the stranger here. 
"Of course, son. It's been a pleasure. I'll be on my way now- Hiro, Mr Hamada."
The professor said, giving Tadashi a nod and left the room. He closed the door
behind him, leaving the two boys alone. 
"Itadakimasu!" Hiro chanted, steam wafting from the hot meal into his face as
he dug in, twirling the noodles around his plastic fork. Then he stuck the huge
forkful into his mouth, eyes going wide when felt the burn on his tongue.
"OW-!" Came Hiro's muffled yell of pain, as he spat the hot noodles back onto
the pile, tearing as he fanned his mouth. 
Tadashi blinked as the white circle on Baymax's suitcase glowed, causing the
robot to inflate into his proud invention... Baymax. Actually, Baymax was
another reason he had decided to bring Hiro to SFIT. He had just finished the
final design of Baymax's vinyl covering the day he and Hiro had made up. 
"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." 
Hiro squealed in shock, nearly tripping over his own two feet as he backed into
Tadashi's chest, causing his older brother to laugh and grab him before he
could topple over. 
"Hiro, meet Baymax."
===============================================================================
Tadashi and Hiro laughed, throwing popcorn at the screen. 
"This movie is horrible!" Hiro exclaimed, doubling over as the terrible actor
'cried'. Tadashi wheezed as he clutched a yowling Mochi in his arms, flopping
back onto the wooden floorboards. It was a surprise movie night, and Aunt Cass
had chosen to retire early, to catch up on some much-needed sleep. 
This left the boys to pull out some of their old retro sci-fi flicks, to
celebrate Tadashi's awesome new invention. 
As the final scene faded away and the credits began to roll, they began
gathering the litter they had scattered across the room in their fit of
laughter. Hiro hummed, sweeping a few pieces from under the couch. He eyed a
piece at the far back, rolling his eyes in frustration. Great.
The boy grunted and slid his left arm and head sideways under the seat,
reaching for the stray snack. He yelled in surprise as he felt Mochi leap onto
his butt, jerking his head up and painfully hitting it against the metal frame.
 
"Ow!" Pity Baymax was still at the lab. 
Tadashi turned around and raised his eyebrows at the sight of Hiro's ass,
wiggling at him suggestively as he struggled to get out.
He swallowed - hard - and willed himself to look away, instead reaching down
and dragging Hiro out by the leg. Tadashi distracted himself and cooed
mockingly as he gathered Hiro's dusty form in his arms, rubbing the boy's sore
head. 
"Aw, poor baby." He joked, avoiding the smack Hiro sent his way. The younger
sat up and shook his head free of dust. But before he could think twice, he
blurted out his decision. 
"I'm going to your nerd school. If I don't get in, I'm gonna go crazy!" He
exclaimed, messing up his hair in frustration. 
Tadashi blinked.
Once.
And then twice. 
"Are you serious?!" Tadashi hollered, Hiro having to clamp his mouth shut to
prevent him from disturbing the neighbours. "You're really going to apply?! I'm
so glad, Hiro," He scooped his precious baby brother into his arms, swinging
him around and around the room, Mochi watching them from the couch.
"What made you change your mind?" Though he already knew that Baymax and his
friends' inventions would-
"Professor Callaghan! Duh!" Hiro exclaimed, and Tadashi tensed, setting him
down, the both of them flopping back onto the floor.
The television set cast an eerie, whitish glow on them as Hiro scowled.
"Why didn't you tell me! He was incredibly nice- he wasn't even mad about me
not knowing who he was!"
Tadashi tried to hide his disappointment behind a tight, wobbly smile. 
"Right... he's really cool, isn't he!" He said, cursing himself for sounding
slightly upset. Hiro didn't seem to notice, a starry look in his eyes as he
remembered the apparently, amazing conversation he had with his new idol.
"He's amazing. I'm tempted to rebuild Megabot with all the tips he gave me- but
I can't, because there's an exam and I need your help, I need to study, I need
to sign up and-" Hiro was cut off by Tadashi's hand over his mouth. 
He blinked as he eyed his brother's forced smile. Was he tired? It had been a
pretty long day- he was starting to feel pretty pooped out himself. 
"Don't worry, bonehead. I'll help you."
"For sure?" 
"You got it."
They did their usual bro-fist sequence, but before Hiro could pull away... he
was enveloped in a warm hug.
Tadashi's chest was firm and warm; he could feel the steady heartbeat against
his own. It made him blush, all the dirty thoughts he had been having about
this very person flooding back into his head, like a dam that had given way to
the strong river current. 
"Tadashi-"
"Just a bit more, Hiro," The taller whispered, leaning back into their plush,
velvet beanbags (red for Tadashi, purple for Hiro) and gently pulling Hiro down
next to him. "Let's just snuggle for a bit, okay?" 
Hiro nodded numbly, cheeks flushed a delicious red. He was thankful the lights
weren't on.
The younger Hamada tucked his head under his brother's chin, allowing him to
wrap his arms around his waist, sighing contentedly as he closed his eyes,
allowing himself to forget his troubles and simply enjoy the moment. 
No matter what, Tadashi would always be there for him.
And Hiro would be there for him too, in return. 
A few minutes later, they were both slowly lulled to sleep by each other's
warmth and the tranquil peace of the room.
A few hours later, unknown to their sleeping selves, the silence was broken
with a soft ping! from Hiro's communication device. 
===============================================================================
 
                                NEW_MESSAGE_(1)
                               TO: MEGABOT_MASTER
                                   MISS US?
                              ==> (1) ATTACHMENTS
Chapter End Notes
     Next Chapter:
     Hiro is invited to something big... but what? Meanwhile, Tadashi is
     coerced into 'dating' by his friends.
     Song: "Habits" by Tove Lo
     (the-nightwing-rises pointed out how this song really resembles my
     story, and they're right!!! Holy shit, even the name of the song
     fits. I might draw an AMV of this story to the song during my term
     break if I have the time. Anyway, the cinematography idea for the
     music video is really awesome and it really conveys what I want Hiro
     to feel during the later chapters, so do check it out!)
     Sorry I blabbed so much hahaha, thanks and I hope you enjoyed it! :D
***** Just to Relax *****
Chapter Summary
     Hiro studies, Tadashi parties. The key leading up to the 'ultimate
     showdown' is revealed.
Chapter Notes
     Hey, I'm back! Really sorry about the late update, I've been really
     busy with my school work, but thankfully I've finished the term and
     holidays just began a few days ago!
     Also had to deal with a LOT of anon hate I've been getting for
     defending this ship, but that's done and over with now! :) I enjoy
     writing for this cute couple waaaay more.
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
As he heard Tadashi pull out of the driveway (classes started slightly earlier
today), and saw the moped disappearing around the street corner,  Hiro lunged
for his communication device he kept under his pillow, and curiously began to
scroll through his messages. 
It had been vibrating continuously at regular intervals throughout breakfast.
They had been awoken by the annoying theme song of Super Ninja Robotic Rangers,
Tadashi's ringtone/alarm which he'd set because it had seemed like a good way
to embarrass his cool, onii-chan at the time. 
It didn't work though.
The first time it rang in public, was when they'd been having dinner at a
Chinese restaurant.
Despite the judgemental glances of the other patrons and staff around them, his
brother just merely laughed and began singing along, much to Aunt Cass'
amusement and Hiro's abject horror especially when Tadashi had picked him up
and began swinging him around to the techno beat. 
He shuddered, shoving the memory away as he deleted some spam messages from
tabloid companies. 
It was not a good idea to check his inbox whenever Tadashi was around. He was
far too overprotective for his own good. Sometimes, it got a little too
hardcore (like with the whole GPS tracker thing) and it ended up with the both
of them fighting.  
This would definitely trigger a red alert, especially in his brother's overly
paranoid mind; he never received messages from anybody except for Tadashi
himself, and sometimes Aunt Cass if she was working and couldn't call. 
It would be an obvious sign that Hiro was probably getting challengers from
bot-fighters again... after all, he didn't have any friends his own age.  
Once, a tattooed hispanic man he'd defeated had managed to hack into his
frequency and gain his contact details, and began sending him threats and
pictures of dead animals and gory, severed human body-parts.
Tadashi had found out after Hiro checked his phone during dinner and promptly
ran to the bathroom to throw up. 
Man had Tadashi been pissed(it frightened all of them, the way he had gotten so
red in the face and stormed off to his workshop, Hiro's phone in hand). He
never found out how he'd gotten the creep to stop messaging him, or what he did
to his phone, but somehow the messages stopped coming and Hiro never saw the
guy around at bot-fights anymore.
A brother's love. 
He rolled his eyes. 
Quickly unlocking it (password: gummymochi) and scrolling through the
notifications, he raised his eyebrows in alarm as it saw who exactly had been
ringing up his phone. 
... Well, he wasn’t exactly surprised.
Though he was rather shocked they were still willing to contact him after he
blacked out during the last meeting.  
===============================================================================
                               TO:_MEGABOT_MASTER
                                   MISS US?
                               CHECK THIS OUT. 
                              >> Open Attachment?
===============================================================================
 Well. It couldn't hurt.
Hiro had his anti-virus system scan the unopened document before flopping back
onto his bed and tapping on the screen, allowing it to load. What now? Another
invitation to some shady meeting with strangers? 
Not that he was being forced to go meet them, but...
His screen slowly faded to white, and a symbol appeared onscreen. 
                              ( Kokeshi Battle )
Was this some kind of tournament? It wasn't often that the illegal bot-fighters
participated in events like this. A large number of people meant a higher
chance of running into the police. Oh, and it wasn't just the cops he had to
worry about. 
The fact that he was wanted by Yama's gang and nearly all his ex-opponents from
the rings wanted him dead didn't help any. 
He was about to reply and reject their offer to whatever this was,
when the screen changed, fading to black. 
Words began to appear, as though they were being typed. 

                                  (Morse Code:

                             Oniwabanshu Mansion, 
                                    11PM, 
                              3 Weeks from Today )
Priceless treasure, huh? Hiro rolled his eyes, wondering what a bunch of low-
end gangsters would be able to offer. Though this was beginning to sound
promising. Was this an event where the tougher bot-fighters gathered to
challenge each other? He was honestly getting tired of fighting the losers on
the cold cement back-alley floors. 
And that logo did look pretty official (sponsor?). Maybe he'd consider it after
all.
But for now...
His priority would be studying all the base-topics he'd need to know for nerd
school. He wasn't going to let Professor Callaghan down, and he wanted to make
Tadashi proud.
He remembered the bright smile his brother had given him upon the news. Tadashi
had looked like a kid on Christmas morning unwrapping his presents under the
tree.
It was a nice feeling, seeing the person you cared about so happy. 
And if studying and getting into nerd school would make Tadashi happy, he'd do
it. After all, he had nothing to lose. 
He tossed his phone aside and headed to his desk, ready to begin.
===============================================================================
It was another day at the Ito Ishioka building, San Fransokyo Institute of
Technology. 
Students roamed the campus, heading to their classes, all of them sporting
heavy eye-bags and the usual signs of sleep deprivation. In the Tech Lab, were
the students who were the worst off. Professor Callaghan's top students - a few
hadn't even left for home, choosing to sleep by their desks so as to save
travel time to meet their deadlines - had one major project that would
determine sixty percent of their GPA. 
A few students (like Tadashi and Wasabi), who had been consistently working
hard since the beginning of the semester and planned out their schedules and
projects in advance, were already beginning to write-up their descriptive essay
with their final designs already approved by Callaghan, and ready for
submission.
The remaining students were strong though, determined to finish the semester
with a satisfactory project and good grades. 
In the corner, by the main entrance, was the school's richest student and the
town's best driver.
Gogo rolled her eyes as Fred began another rant on why she should 'totally help
me build a super-fast skateboard so I can save fuel'! 
"Fred, you're driven around by your driver in your family's limo every day. You
don't even need to worry about gas money." She added, a hint of irritation in
her voice as she remembered the speeding tickets she had yet to pay off.
He crossed his arms indignantly, his large nose sticking up in the air. 
"I don't have to be poor to know the value of conserving fossil fuels!"
"Yeah, yeah," She elbowed him aside, clutching her toolbox tightly in her arms
as she headed for her worktable. "We'll talk later. I need to finish the final
design for this model before the end of the week-" 
They were interrupted by an excited squeal.
"Oh, Tadashi!" Honey Lemon shrieked, running over to give him a hug and kiss on
both cheeks. The capped male laughed, looking far too refreshed in this
hellish, sleep-deprived environment. "I didn't know you'd be coming today! I
thought you were already finished with Baymax!" 
"Yeah, but I just thought I'd swing by and see if you guys needed help." He
shrugged, waving in Gogo and Fred's direction. 
"Well aren't you a saint, Hamada," Gogo spat, popping her gum. Her hair had
been pulled back into a short ponytail (it was more like a little lick of hair
protruding from the back of her head, really). "C'mon, spill. Something's up."
Fred and Honey Lemon stared at Gogo confusedly.
"How can you even tell? The guy just walked in here like ten seconds ago." He
asked, scratching his hair through his beanie. Honey Lemon scuttled over,
giving her friend a much-needed (well according to herself, anyway) hug. "Don't
take your stress out on Tadashi, Gogo! It's okay! I'm here, we'll talk about
it!" 
The Korean rolled her eyes, rubbing her temples with her index fingers. 
"No, that's not it. I'm not taking anything out on him," She gently nudged
Honey Lemon's slim body off her, and stalked over to Tadashi, eying him
suspiciously. "But why would he willingly leave Hiro alone at home to stay back
and help? I mean, especially since he's prepping for the entrance exams-"
Fred gasped, while Honey Lemon's mouth formed a little 'o' shape. 
Apparently, this was a big shock to them, given how 'overly obsessed' Tadashi
always is with his precious baby brother.
"Hey, she's right! What's up, dude, you need advice? Some man-to-man talk?"
Fred bounded over, shedding his suit as he latched onto Tadashi's stiff figure
like a koala. Honey Lemon whipped out her phone, no doubt updating her status
(3PM: Is Tadashi finally getting over his brother complex?)
Tadashi groaned in frustration, ripping off his cap and running his hands
through his hair. 
"It's nothing, okay? Look- I just wanna take my mind off some things,
that's all." He protested, trying to snatch away Honey Lemon's phone so he
could delete the status. She squealed and dodged, her heels clicking against
the floor as she rounded the corner and ran into Wasabi, who yelled in shock as
they both crashed onto the floor.
His submission report pages flew into the air, littering the floor around them.
"Ow... Where's the fire?!" Wasabi demanded (A/N: do you see what I did there),
rubbing his sore arm as he helped Honey Lemon up to her feet (heels). She
clapped her hands excitedly, ignoring Wasabi's grumbling, rushing over and
taking Tadashi's face in her manicured hands.
"What's the matter, Tadashi! You can tell me! Is it a girl? Romance related?!
Are you finally going to come on a group date with me and Andy?" She asked
excitedly, edging closer and closer to his face as she towered over him,
causing him to nearly fall backwards on his butt (if it weren't for Gogo's firm
shove). 
"... Well," He hesitated. "Maybe?"
There was a stunned silence.
Tadashi could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he felt the bewildered
stares of his best friends.
"No fucking way," Gogo cussed, running a hand through her hair. "You're finally
considering going out with someone? I thought you said you were gonna wait till
you moved out. You were such a prude about sexual stuff."
It was hard to hear her over Honey Lemon's excited squealing as she throttled
Fred, his beanie flying off. 
"Yeah, well... I changed my mind." Was his lame reply.
Gogo rolled her eyes (she had a project to work on) and turned around, stomping
back to her table and grumbling about 'stupid, overly-free bastards coming here
to get dating advice', Wasabi yelping as she trod on one of his papers. 
"Aw, c'mon! These are scented!" He whined, arranging them back together as
neatly as possible.
Honey Lemon failed to even notice, grabbing Tadashi in a firm arm-hold and
hauling him towards Fred's corner, and shoved him into the shabby (but cozy)
armchair, Fred trailing behind her, quickly forcing his beanie back onto his
shaggy locks of hair. 
"So, tell me more about her!" Honey said, plopping down in a stool next to
Tadashi, as though ready to psycho-analyse him. "Is she in our school? Do we
know her? Is it- OH MY GOD. IS IT KANOKO?!" She gasped, a hand covering her
lips (which she regretted almost instantly, the neon pink lipstick smudging her
fingertips). 
"What?! No!" He protested, making shushing motions with his hand. Tadashi
didn't need the whole lab to be in the know about his love life, after all.
Fred snorted, cramming his butt next to Tadashi's as they were both squished
into the armchair. 
"He's probably just pent-up from being... y'know."
Honey Lemon blinked. "Know what?"
"A virgin." 
She burst out giggling, giving Tadashi an amused glance. Then she zipped up,
noticing her friend's worried look.
"I didn't know you were still a virgin, Tadashi! Not that there's anything
wrong with that-" She threw a sharp glance at Fred, noticing his smug grin.
"It's just that I thought with your looks and personality, people would be
lining up to be your partner!" 
Tadashi shrugged, embarrassed at her unconscious praise. 
"I was never really interested, until now..." He paused. Really? He came to
terms with his sexual maturity after watching his little brother writhe and
moan during a wet-dream? Wow, that was messed up. "So I guess I'm sorta looking
for an... outlet." 
Honey Lemon sighed, leaning her chin in her hands. 
"But making love with your special person is the best feeling in the world!"
She exclaimed. "Don't indulge in casual sex, Tadashi. I think you'd be a lot
happier in a steady relationship with someone you love!" 
Tadashi felt his heart clench with guilt when his thoughts flew to Hiro. 
Oh god, why?
Maybe this was just bad timing.
Imagine if he'd walked in on Wasabi masturbating or something-
"Ugh!" He gagged, choking on his own spit. Fred laughed, pounding his friend on
the back, reaching for one of his comic books and fanning Tadashi's now red
face. Honey Lemon's face fell, misunderstanding his reaction to her statement. 
"Well, I guess you could ask Fred for some guy advice, then..." She said,
looking rather disappointed.
Getting to her feet, she left the two males alone, retreating back to her lab
space. Tadashi faltered as he watched her leave. He felt terrible... but how
would he explain? 
'Sorry, I was just gagging at the thought of Wasabi jerking off to avoid
thinking about my brother dreaming about sexual things even though it turned me
on, but don't worry, I didn't jerk off I just took a cold shower so it's all
good!' 
Wow, that was terrible. 
"You've come to the right man, broski." Fred said smugly, giving his friend a
sleazy grin. "I'll hook you up no problemo. I can bring you to a bar, set you
up with a nice, sexy lady and you just need to trust your instincts and do what
feels right."
Tadashi bit his lip, giving his friend a worried glance. 
"I'm not sure a bar is a good place to meet a... a..." He really didn't want to
say it. So he whispered. "Friend with benefits."
"You mean sex buddy?" Fred said, as loudly and as blunt as ever. Tadashi face-
palmed, a habit he'd picked up from Hiro. "No need to be shy with me, bro. I
know you're all Japanese and that comes with a modesty package or something
like that, but you gotta ease up if you're gonna have a good time. Maybe we'll
get you drunk, or whatever."
Tadashi sighed, remembering the last time he'd gotten drunk. 
He hadn't been able to look Aunt Cass and Hiro in the eye for a whole week (not
that they noticed, they were too busy laughing at the pictures). 
"Alright, so check this out-" Fred whipped out his phone and began scrolling
through the pictures he had of his 'lady friends'. 
This was going to be a long day. 
===============================================================================
                                  1 WEEK LATER
===============================================================================
Studying. 
Day in, day out, that was all Hiro’s life consisted of.
He was starting to hate the very sight of his physics and calculus textbooks.
And Biology.
Why’d he even have to take Biology tests to get into an institute
ofmechanical technology, anyway?! 
Studying.
He groaned, his head falling onto the surface of his desk with a loud thud. 
“This isimpossible!” 
Tadashi snorted, raising an eyebrow at his brother’s defeated figure from his
bed, reading a copy of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter (though he was a man of
science, it never hurt to indulge in a little fantasy fun). 
“Wow, washed up at fourteen. So sad.” He teased, giving Hiro a smirk. 
The younger flipped his chair around and glared, crossing his skinny arms.
Tadashi merely laughed and hid his face behind his book, finding his little
brother’s frustration adorable.
Sure, he promised he’d help, but this was just Hiro being lazy. 
“Just read the mind map I gave you! It’s got all you need to know for the
entrance exams on it.” Tadashi instructed. “You can do it, bro. Just stop
procrastinating.” 
Hiro grumbled unintelligibly under his breath as he turned around and returned
to his (three) textbooks.
Stupid, annoying, unhelpful Tadashi. 
A loud, annoying theme song played. The theme song of Super Ninja Robotic
Rangers. 
Super Ninja Robot Rangers,
Here to save the day,
No pain, no gain,
We'll go all the way~
He growled in frustration as his concentration was broken, turning around to
glare at Tadashi, who was fumbling with his phone anxiously as though it had
caught fire (A/N: eyyyyyyyy). Who the hell was calling this late at night?
... Actually it was only 9:30PM, but still! 
"Hello?" Tadashi hissed into the mouthpiece, his eyes growing wide as he
listened to their reply. "What, now? You're kidding, right?" 
Hiro watched curiously as his brother silently panicked, his fingers rapping
against his knee as he leaned forwards intently, brows furrowed as he tried to
asses a solution to the problem (he just looked constipated, really).
Maybe it was some kind of issue with Baymax, or one of his nerd friends...
probably the Fred guy asking for some weird new invention. 
"Okay, okay! I'll be there, don't worry." He said assuringly, getting up and
heading over to his dresser. 
Wait, what? 
"Right. Give me half-an-hour. I'll be there! Calm down!" He sighed, snapping
his device shut and tossing it onto his bed, proceeding to rummage through his
shirts, a nervous look on his face.
Hiro watched his brother intently. 
"... Where are you going?" The genius asked, as Tadashi ripped off his shirt,
making Hiro's eyes widen and his heart skip a beat. Shit. He sucked in his
cheeks, looking away, ignoring the feeling of his heart trying to burst through
his ribcage. 
Stupid hormones! ... Fucking puberty!
He heard Tadashi grunt, and cautiously looked back.
Tadashi's back muscles flexed as he yanked the tight black fabric over his
head, staggering a little to the right. Hiro's eyed his tanned, unblemished
skin and coughed, his cheeks now dusted a light pink.
He hoped Tadashi didn't notice him staring. Because fuck that was hot.
Why did he have to act so awkward? Did becoming a teenager render him incapable
of lying? Not one puppy-eyed glance or suck-up compliment allowed him to pull
anything over Tadashi since he turned thirteen. The slight stammer came along
with his newfound twitchiness. 
"It's nothing, Hiro. Just going to hang out with some friends." Tadashi said,
turning around and finally pulling the shirt over his defined six-pack (Hiro
crossed his legs, his breath caught in his throat as he wondered what it would
be like to touch them).
He walked over to his desk and shed his loose track pants, tossing them in
Hiro's direction, making the boy yelp as the fabric smacked his face. 
The bot-fighter grunted, ripping it off his face as he turned around pretended
to read from his textbook, trying to ignore the rustling noises of Tadashi
wriggling into his form-fitting denim jeans.
Nope, not even gonna try looking and Tadashi without his pants on, you can give
it up, hormones.
Then his brain so very conveniently produced an image of a naked Tadashi. 
Hiro laughed loudly, almost forcefully!
"Well, just make sure you don't get drunk again!" He teased, causing his
brother's face to flame red. 
"That was just one time!" 
Hiro laughed. "Tell that to Gogo so she won't have to drag your drunk butt home
again!" 
Tadashi sighed, rolling his eyes, and spritzed himself with some cologne Aunt
Cass had gotten him last Christmas. It smelled heady and so grown-up, Hiro
thought it was pretty weird. And unpleasant.
The thought Tadashi turning into a full-fledged adult made him feel alone...
and kind of worried. How far would they drift apart when Tadashi got his own
apartment, a steady job (which would no doubt keep him busy, given their line
of expertise), maybe even a wife...? 
No, definitely a wife.
Guys like his older brother rarely stayed single.The women would be clawing
over themselves for someone so successful and handsome- he was kind of
surprised Tadashi still hadn't found a girlfriend... 
... !!! 
That girl...! The one in the café, seated next to him. Was she...
Was she his girlfriend?
The bot-fighter eyed his brother suspiciously as he checked his reflection in
their little mirror, patting down some flyaway strands with a little bit of
hair cream. This only served to heighten his suspicions. Tadashi didn't usually
dress like this (though he looked really,really good) to go meet the nerd
squad. 
"Who are you meeting, exactly?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound too much like
a jealous girlfriend. 
"Just some friends." 
"The geek squad?"
Tadashi burst out laughing, shaking his head as he threw an amused glance over
his shoulder. "Is that what you call us?"
"... Maybe." Hiro huffed, puffing out his cheeks. 
The older brother chuckled and walked over, ruffling his hair. 
"Make sure you finish the chapters I told you to study!"
"I know! Sheesh, you're such a nag sometimes!" 
Tadashi smirked.
"But where would you be without me?"
Hiro had no comeback.
He watched as his brother grabbed his wallet and phone, checking his reflection
one final time before heading to the door and yanking on his coat (it was still
chilly at night- he knew this firsthand). 
"Bye, Hiro! Don't wait up!" He called, and the door clicked shut. 
Hiro slumped backwards in his chair.
Great.
Now he was had to study alone. This was going to be such a drag.
Examinations failed to challenge his intelligent and innovative mind- all they
did was force him to cram text after text in his brain just so he could vomit
it out onto a piece of paper as closely worded to the original theory as
possible to score the best grades. 
Not that this was going to be too hard or anything, he just didn't like being
bored. 
And though he could easily wipe the floor with more the half the bot-fighters
in San Fransokyo, at least there was the adrenaline rush, the screaming voices
of the spectators and the strange yet fascinating sights of the nightlife that
never failed to intrigue him, meeting interesting people... 
... Hey!
Hiro groaned, realising he'd been duped.
Tadashi had gotten away without telling him who he was going to meet.
Damn, his brother was good. See, this was another reason why he found Tadashi
both attractive and a challenge. Though it would probably be better to avoid
going into detail... he'd been holding back on masturbating, not wanting to use
his brother as potential fantasy material.  
He had tried going back online to search for something that turned him on, but
none of them had appealed to him like his brother did. Maybe it had something
to do with Tadashi being his only friend? But that was because they
were related. 
A chilling thought occurred to him. 
Would Tadashi still care about him if they weren't related?
No, don't go there. Hiro shook his head, biting his lip. He just needed to wait
till his hormones died down, or until he found someone else who attracted him.
Tadashi was free to go out with his friends whenever he wanted- he didn't need
to be around Hiro all the time, he had his own friends and life. 
"He's probably out with that girl." Hiro said resignedly to himself, turning
his attention back to his textbooks. 
He knew this would happen.
He'd known from the start that his little crush on his brother would never work
out. This was just a phase, just a phase, he chanted to himself, drawing his
knees closer to his chest.
Eventually, this would all end, and he and Tadashi would be back to normal
again. 
Though nothing would be normal because Tadashi would move out and start his own
life and
"Stop." He ordered his over-active mind, glaring at his notes. "Just focus." 
He ignored the painful throb in his chest and continued to study.
===============================================================================
 
                                 2 WEEKS LATER
===============================================================================
Hiro eyed the packet of cigarettes the customer had left on the table.  The
loud, cheerful voices echoed around him as his eyes focused on the item. He
could hear his heart thud, the blood rushing to his ears.
Nobody will notice. 
Tadashi was at school, and Aunt Cass was in the kitchen, whipping up another
batch of oreo doughnuts.
He knew it was wrong, and it was bad for his health. But if he didn't do
something remotely interesting or thrilling (the idea of smoking in his own
house right under Aunt Cass and Tadashi's noses thrilled him to no end), he was
going to die of boredom. Was he some kind of fucked-up adrenaline junkie?
He reached out. 
Took the cold, cardboard box in his small hands, slipping it into the pocket of
his jacket.
===============================================================================
 Tadashi was true to his word.
He did help Hiro study, often encouraged him and gave him good tips on how to
deal with the trick questions.
That wasn't what bothered him. It was how every odd night, he'd mysteriously
get dressed in his (in Hiro's opinion) sexiest clothing, and leave the house,
only returning in the early AM. Drunk. 
Oh, he was young, not stupid.
He knew Tadashi was seeing somebody. 
It just... hurt.
It hurt how the person his brother loved would never be him, his brother would
never touch him the way he touched her
It hurt how Tadashi didn't feel like he needed to know. They used to tell each
other everything. 
But now? 
Hiro bit his lip, itching for a cigarette, wanting to feel the headyburn down
his throat and the smoke waft his vision, dull the feeling in his muscles
(though it actually elevated his heart rate, he knew, but who cared?). 
Maybe he needed a break. This wasn't wrong- it was just... a way of de-
stressing.
He reached for the half-empty packet of cigarettes and the long lighter Tadashi
kept in their room, to light the scented candles- nearly falling over himself
as he locked the bathroom door behind him. 
Flopping down onto the rubber mat, he sighed, and begun. 
His fingers trembled, as he stuck the cigarette between his lips, nearly face-
palming as he realised he'd stuck it in the wrong way, and quickly flipped it
around. Hiro clicked the switch on the lighter, careful not to hold it too
close to his face (he remembered Yoko telling him about the time she singed off
half her eyelashes thanks to an extra-strong windproof lighter).
Then he took to cancer stick firmly in-between his fingers, and inhaled. 
It was the best he'd felt in a long, long time. 
===============================================================================
                                 3 WEEKS LATER
===============================================================================
Tadashi was starting to get the hang of this.
It was nice, chilling in crowded, hip little bars, socialising with a bunch of
pretty girls as they laughed at Fred's odd antics. The background music was
relaxing, and the drinks were fairly decent, he was actually starting to enjoy
having cocktails and cider (he still hated vodka and brandy, though. They
scorched his throat and got him too drunk too fast). 
One problem- he still hadn't gotten laid.
It wasn't as easy as Fred was making it out to be; probably because he was
really picky. He couldn't just sleep with anyone! It had to be someone special,
somebody who actually made him feel something.
How awful would it be to make-out halfway and run off? Tadashi would never
willingly hurt a lady's feelings like that. His mother would have throttled
him. 
But hopefully, tonight would be different.
It was the fourth time he'd tagged along with Fred since last week, and he was
beginning to see and somewhat appreciate the other side of his friend; the side
of him that had been raised in an upper-class family, his manners, his
knowledge of alcohol and the workings of the night scene... and of course, the
way he attracted the ladies with his smooth-talking and his ability to pay for
everyone's drink. 
Earlier, Fred had mentioned that Gogo would be coming for this session- she had
just submitted her project and wanted to celebrate. They were stalling, trying
to stick to light beer to prevent themselves from getting drunk before she
showed up.
As Tadashi ran out of beer and seeing no servers around, he politely excused
himself from the table and headed over to the bar. 
Fred has good taste when it comes to these things, he thought to himself as he
properly examined the interior design, not being able to earlier as he was
dragged in by Fred towards a table of three beautiful, giggling girls. 
It was a nice, classy little establishment, with miniature chandeliers hanging
from the ceiling and fake torches flicked against the red-brick walls. The
tables were large slabs of polished wood surrounded by plush, red velvet chairs
with faux-gold framing. Soft, jazz music played silently in the background,
accompanied by the chatter of its customers, it created the perfect atmosphere
for socialising. 
The bar itself was carved out of wood, with celtic symbols on the top half and
along each section of the bottom panel. High stools were placed along the
front, and Tadashi hoisted himself up into one, giving the bartender a kind
smile. 
"One Asahi beer, please." He said, just as the man turned around. 
His smile faltered, and his eyes widened. 
The man's face was covered in scratches on his lower jaw, and the left side of
his head (hidden as carefully as possible by chestnut brown hair) displayed a
large piece of gauze, and fading, yellowish stains of what used to be a huge
bruise. Tadashi also noticed a slight grimace from the man as he nodded his
head, his bandaged left hand trembling slightly as he went to the fridge and
reached for a beer. 
He couldn't help himself, being a nice guy and having built a healthcare robot
and all-
"What happened to you? Do you need help?" He asked, giving the guy another
worried once-over. He took the beer, popping open the tab as he took a slow,
cautious sip.
The man shrugged, giving him a wry smile. 
"Nothin' for you to worry about, handsome," The guy gave him a wink, and
Tadashi chuckled nervously, unused to such direct... pet-names not coming from
Aunt Cass or Hiro (sarcasm). "Just ran into... a bit oftrouble, that's all.
Gotta be careful down in the streets." 
His reply made Tadashi shiver.
Thestreets.
Where Hiro would sneak out, nearly get beat up, Tadashi barely making it in
time to save him. The one time he'd been too late was when Hiro had got off
easy- the bruised arm and dark-red slap mark across his right cheek had healed
in barely a week. 
Shit.
Shit shit shit. 
He was doing it again.
Getting overprotective.
He'd been so lenient with Hiro lately, because Hiro was doing so much better,
studying for the big entrance exam coming up in barely less than 3 weeks. Would
he do anything? Try to sneak out? Maybe he should phone home, just in case-
"Yo dude, he alright?" One of the other bartenders glanced at them, noticing
Tadashi's panicked expression. 
They laughed as he choked on his beer (he'd forgotten he was still swallowing),
and the other bartender sauntered over, polishing a crystal glass with his
calloused hands. He had tanned skin, and shaggy black hair he pulled back in
dreadlocks. 
Tadashi wiped his mouth with a tissue and grinned sheepishly. "It's nothing,"
He coughed again, thumping himself on the chest. "Just a little worried about
my brother. He likes to head out at night sometimes to... uh, explore."
"Your brother sounds cool," The injured bartender said, giving him a grin. "Is
he as cute as you?"
Tadashi cringed and the other bartender both cringed. Overkill.
"You missed, buddy." The Mexican (though Tadashi was only guessing, from his
accent) put down the glass and snorted, giving his friend a playful kick in the
ankle. They began to squabble, and Tadashi laughed, their antics reminding him
of Gogo and Wasabi (though these guys had a little more suave).
 
It all flipped from playful to serious in an instant.
"Missed! Just like how you didn't get in with that little asian-"
"Shut. Up." The change in the man's tone was alarming. Tadashi froze, noticing
the way the man's body tensed up. His hands began to shake, and his eyes
dilated. Signs of trauma, Tadashi noted.
"Don't remind me, Manny. They're gonna pay for this." 
Tadashi could tell he was no longer welcome to the conversation. He mumbled a
quick thank you (though neither of them paid him any attention) and began to
slide off his seat, reaching for his phone so he could text Gogo and ask her
where she was-
"And how exactly, are you gonna make them pay?"
Yikes, gangster talk. 
"We just need to find that stupid kid. He's definitely part of their plan...
that sly, gap-toothed little brat-!"
"—Hey, Tadashi! She's here!" Fred called, and Tadashi blinked. He saw Gogo walk
up to their table, dressed in a sleeveless black cocktail dress that
complimented her excellent figure.
Fred was excitedly introducing her to the girls, and they began to chat, one of
them waving Tadashi over.  
He didn't hear that last part, but oh well. 
It was none of his concern, anyway. 
===============================================================================
 
Around the corner of the Lucky Cat Café, in an alley hidden from the bright
moonlight, stood two figures. 
One was dressed in a loose white shirt and baggy track pants, a dark grey
hoodie covering his small frame. The other, nearly six feet tall, donned a
leather jacket over a black wooly shirt and ripped jeans. They were smoking in
companionable silence. 
"Something's bothering you." Toshi declared, giving Hiro a blank stare. 
The latter shrugged, dragging in the nicotine-polluted air and closed his eyes,
looking upwards towards the sky. "It's nothing. Stupid brother trouble, that's
all." He grunted, frowning as he remembered how Tadashi's voice had broke when
Aunt Cass had told him to 'have fun'.
It didn't help that he came home reeking of alcohol after his nightly
adventures, either. 
he's growing up and he has his own life, he's not going to be around for you
forever
"Haha. You sound like my lil' sis." Toshi said, a gentle smile on his chapped
lips as he fiddled with his lighter, flicking the metal lid open and close. It
made a steady, clink noise that someone helped calm Hiro's frazzled nerves.
Odd. They rarely talked about anything personal... this was interesting.
"You have a sister?"
Toshi's smile faltered. Slightly. If Hiro had blinked, he would have missed
it. 
"Yeah. She's nine." 
"That's... nice." He ignored how the math was way off. Maybe his Mom or Dad
remarried?
Not his place to ask, anyway. 
"It sure is." 
They continued looking up at the stars, Hiro taking a seat on the ledge against
the wall, shoving aside a couple of dead potted plants. The sound of their
ceramic pots breaking on the floor pleased him, somehow. Toshi followed suite,
already reaching for another stick. 
Hiro wondered how many of those he smoked a day. 
"You know, my ma once told me that when people die... if they're good enough,
they become part of the night sky. Like... the star you're looking at right now
could be like... someone you've lost, or something." The green-haired man said,
and Hiro hummed throughtfully. 
Interesting theory, despite it being impossible.
Maybe his Mom and Dad were up there? 
Their moment of peaceful silence was broken by a whine from Toshi. 
"They've been gone forever, man," Toshi complained, as Yoko and Ivan had taken
off earlier to get the drinks. Yoko had been a little miffed that they'd have
to sit out in the cold night when there was a perfectly good café 'open' to
them just around the corner, but Hiro had been firm in saying no, despite
Ivan's deep scowl.
What if Aunt Cass woke up?
What if Mochi came down and Ivan decided to vandalise her or something (he
didn't trust Ivan, not for a second, with those scary looks he gave him every
chance he got)?
He sighed at the thought, a bitter taste in mouth as he blew out a plume of
smoke towards the sky.
"Maybe Ivan's just stalling so I'll leave before they come back." He spat,
flicking his last stick towards the wall (he hoped Yoko had the thought to get
him a new pack), watching it burst into little sparks.
Toshi watched, a proud little smirk on his face. "He doesn't have it in for you
or anything, if that's what you're worried about." 
"Oh really?" Hiro replied, sarcasm evident in his tone. "It was kind of hard to
tell." 
Toshi sighed, running a hand through his shaggy green hair. His roots were
beginning to show. 
"Look,Iv's going through a really tough time right now. Some money problems
with his family back in mainland Russia and shit. You know how it is... He's
just taking some of his frustration out on you... I guess."
"Why me?" Hiro asked miserably, to the sky. 
"... Maybe because you guys are so alike." 
Hiro burst out laughing, turning to Toshi with an incredulous look on his face.
"Me and Ivan? Alike? You're kidding, right?" He nearly doubled over, his
laughter echoing against the narrow walls of the alley. He willed himself to
quiet down; it wouldn't be good if any of the neighbours found them now. Mrs
Matsuda would have a field day. 
"Hm... I wonder." Toshi lit up another stick and looked away, suddenly finding
the wall across them fascinating. 
Clak. Clak. Clak.
Footsteps approached.
Hiro was beginning to remember by heart the sound of those deadly six-inch
heels against the pavement by now. 
Oh, and the draggy sound of angry feet stomping and grinding against asphalt
(guess who?). 
"We're back!" Yoko sang. She was in a more casual get-up today, her hair tired
back in a low pony-tail, dressed in a pink pullover hoodie and long thermal
pants. She still wore heeled boots though. Always did.
Hiro wondered how tall she looked without the shoes.
Maybe that was the idea? To make you wonder. 
And Ivan, in his usual black attire... The same old scowl on his face. 
"Got you a little something," Yoko said smugly, placing a cigarette pack in his
hands (yes!). It was magenta, with a green tint on the top of the casing.
"Midnight berry?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. 
"They taste like fruit! Try it!" She said, ruffling his hair, just like Tadashi
(well, if Tadashi had claw-like nails and an extra-firm grip that made his head
throb in pain).
The four of them all squeezed on the ledge, Ivan taking the seat furthest away
from Hiro (as usual). 
Not minding the cold wind against their pale faces, they began to chat about
the latest bot-fights and everything Hiro had missed over the past few weeks.
Apparently, according to Kagura, Yama had been thrown in a holding cell (again)
and their gang was having trouble scraping up the dough to bail him out. Things
were looking brighter for him, with the possibility of Yama being put away for
good. 
Then, a soft beeping noise erupted from Yoko's pocket, coming from her narrow
pink flip-phone ("Dude, your phone looks like adildo," Toshi had said earlier)
and she made a mad scramble for it, nearing elbowing Ivan in the face as she
did so. 
He didn't seem to mind, though.
The blue-eyed man looked just as anxious as she did. 
"Hello?" She said breathlessly, turning away from the group, motioning for them
to carry on without her. "Yes, this is she..." She trailed off, walking towards
the dark end of the alley.
Hiro observed her odd behaviour curiously, turning to Toshi, who looked oddly
tense. 
"What's going on?" 
"None of your business." Ivan hissed, giving Hiro a sharp glare. Hiro rolled
his eyes (looking away from the muscly blond, of course), and slipped the
cigarette pack into his jacket, figuring he'd had enough for now (four sticks
in one go... it was a good thing he'd been having one each night leading up to
tonight, or he'd be down on the ground dizzy from nicotine poisoning). 
He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall as he made a mental
reminder to scrub his fingers with orange juice and spritz his clothes with
febreeze to get rid of the nicotine stench before going to bed. 
A few minutes later, Yoko returned. Her eyes were wild with excitement, much
like the first night he'd ran into her. 
"You're in!" She said breathlessly to Ivan, and he pumped his fist in the air
in triumph, leaping off his seat to give her a hug.
He lifted her off the floor and begun spinning her around in circles, Toshi and
Hiro watching them curiously (for different reasons).
This was the first time Hiro had seen the grumpy Russian so happy, and so...
open about it. 
"Congratulations, man." Toshi said, giving his friend a thumbs-up.
"Spasibo." The blond replied, giving a toothy grin as he set a giggling Yoko
down. "Oh my god, I'm so excited!!!" She squealed (reminding him of Tadashi's
friend, Honey Lemon), hopping up and down slightly. "I can't believe we finally
have tickets! You're going to beat the shit out of all of them, Ivan!"
"Tickets?" Hiro asked, curiously. "To what?"
"The ultimate bot-battle," Yoko said, giving him a smirk. "Remember that little
e-message I sent you? The one with the kokeshi doll?" 
Hiro blinked as the doll's face flashed in his eyes. 
                                                                            
Her small, slitted eyes and her petite mouth.
... Weird.
"Yeah! I was wondering about that thing." Hiro leaned forward with his eyebrows
furrowed, his interest piqued (an unconscious habit he'd picked up from
Tadashi). He hadn't had a chance to ask them about anything recently, due to
him being cooped in studying because he wanted to make onii-san proud. 
The only reason why they showed up today was because Hiro had whined about
having to study while his stupid brother went out partying, after Yoko had sent
him an invitation to join in on a bot-fight.
Then she had officially decided that they were 'taking the night off'.  
"It's the ultimate bot-battle. All the best fighters will be there! The prizes
are amazingly awesome," The purple-haired woman clapped her hands together as
she sighed wistfully. "Last year, the winner got enough money to move to Paris!
Isn't that wonderful?" Her voice was dreamy, laced with pleasure as she
fantasied the thought. 
It was a little creepy... Hiro swallowed as he turned his gaze towards Toshi,
who merely shrugged at him. 
"You're coming with us, of course!" Her sharp tone drew his gaze back to her
smiling face.
He paused, waiting for Ivan to protest.
Nothing, no outraged sound of disbelief or insult directed his way!
Just the sound of machines whirring from inside the buildings.
"... Really?"
"Yes! We've got you a ticket, so you can't say no! These things are harder to
get than android parts!!!" She snarled, playfully pinching his cheek. He whined
and shoved her hand away, rubbing the reddening flesh. 
"Okay, I'll go! Tadashi had better not notice I'm gone, though."
"It'll be fine! We'll just wait for him to leave, his friends will keep him
busy! He's been going out a lot recently, hasn't he? Started to let go of his
pwecious widdle Hiwo?" She teased, pouting at his scowling face. 
He nodded stubbornly, not really wanting to admit it. 
"And I need to be home before he gets home, not drunk." 
Yoko winked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
"Don't worry. You won't even be able to think about alcohol when you're there!"
Somehow, Hiro doubted that. 
===============================================================================
 As Fred's driver pulled up infront of the Lucky Cat Café, Fred drunkenly
grabbed Tadashi's collar.
"Dude," He slurred, his date for tonight giggling as she tittered over his
shoulder. Her blonde hair was a mess, it blended in with Fred's as they mashed
their heads together. He wished he had the sense to ask Gogo for a ride home
earlier when he'd known none of those ladies would work for
him. "You suuuuuuck, I can't believe you left without a lady friend again, you
shiiit." 
Tadashi laughed, hoisting Fred off him as he turned to Heathcliff with a
smile. 
"Are they gonna be okay?" He asked, eying the drunk pair fall over each other
on the back seat, Fred trying to tickle Cassie. Or was it Carrie? Carly? He
wasn't exactly Mr Sober himself, but at least he could still walk. 
"They will be perfectly fine, Mister Tadashi." The butler replied politely.
"Please do not worry." 
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, a red flush creeping onto his
cheeks. 
"Aw, shucks," What? Did he just say shucks? "You don't have to call me that.
Just Tadashi is fine."
"I insist, Mister Tadashi," The man repeated, and Tadashi couldn't decide
whether that was unintentional or the old man was just trying to poke fun at
him. "Oh, and before you leave, Master Fredrick has instructed me to inform you
of a social gathering next Saturday evening, if he became too... inebriated to
remember."
The man's quick fingers reached into his breast pocket and extracted an
invitation card, backed with thin black leather, gold plating on the edges. On
the cover was an embroidered face of what looked like a doll, with slitted eyes
and and two chopsticks protruding from the back of its bun. 
"He said he would telephone you tomorrow regarding the details, of which I know
naught. Though he did say it would be 'the bomb'." Heathcliff informed. Tadashi
laughed, finding it endearing how Fred's butler had begun to adapt his casual
slang and mannerisms (the fistbump!) into his daily routine.
In that fancy British accent, too. 
"Alright, thank you, Heathcliff. Goodnight." He opened the door and stepped
out, wincing as the cold wind bit into his cheeks. He rolled his eyes as Fred
whined for him to 'come baaaaack, 'Dashi!!!' and closed the door, waving as the
limo disappeared around the corner, heading downhill. 
He pocketed the card in his back pocket and stumbled towards the door, fumbling
with his keys. 
Woah.
The rest of his journey upstairs was a drunken blur. 
Stepping up slowly and painfully, the sound of his own loud breathing in his
ears, nearly crushing Mochi with a misplaced stomp (he thought he'd seen a
cockroach), but he finally made it to their room door.
He had to be quiet. Hiro was asleep.
Tadashi made a loud shhh noise, reminding himself to keep quiet as he slowly
twisted the knob and pushed it open. 
Well at least he'd arrived a little earlier than usual-
Thump. 
He blinked hazily, looking towards where the sound had come from.
Hiro's bed. 
The not-so-sober college student shut the door behind him, dropping his
belongings on the shelf and slowly making his way to Hiro's bed. He could see
his brother's messy hair protrude from the top of the duvet. He glanced over to
the table and smiled as he saw a new stack of notes, which Hiro had wrote up
during the span of this week. 
He was so relieved! Looks like Hiro was serious about getting into nerd
school. 
His plan had worked. 
Well, kind of, anyway. 
Tadashi sighed, leaning over Hiro's sleeping figure, as he remembered how happy
Hiro had been after his encounter with Professor Callaghan. A part of him was
angry- what's so great about boring old Professor Callaghan? (Though he knew it
was the alcohol talking, he couldn't help it.)
He wished Hiro looked at him like that, with that much admiration and
respect. Though it hadn't happened since the day he found out about the GPS
tracker. 
Stupid, tracker.
Why was he such a mom anyway. 
You're a mofo, Tadashi Hamada. A goddamn mofo. He scolded himself internally. 
"Hiro," Tadashi leaned forwards and buried his nose in his brother's hair. The
wild strands tickled his nose, and he laughed softly, leaning down to nuzzle
his brother's ear.
"Love you, lil' bro. Love you so much." 
The drunk placed a wet kiss on Hiro's cheek, before quickly pulling away and
sprinting to his bed, giggling as he yanked the covers over his head before
Hiro awoke and realised it was him. 
What he failed to realise though, was that Hiro had been awake the whole time. 
The younger blushed, burying his face in his pillow, willing himself not to
squeak with embarrassment.
He hated drunk Tadashi!  
===============================================================================
 
Chapter End Notes
     Don't mind drunk Tadashi LOL it's like, you're sober when you sit
     down but suddenly when you stand up, you're fucking hammered (anyone
     who's gotten wasted will know what I'm talking about). Also ignore
     the part about the stars ;'D
     Thank you so much to all my readers for sticking with me until now!
     And I'd like to give a big thumbs-up to KudaKuno and Cheplicit for
     the awesome vampire fanfiction/art combo!!! It's soooo hot! :P
     And to the people who sent me supportive messages during this anon
     hate bullshit, thank you so much! It really lifted my spirits and
     helped me gain the courage to finish this chapter and decide to
     continue shipping it! :)
End Notes
     *Fujitas were initially supposed to be Yama's body-guards (according
     to the art book), but not here!
     **Ivan's name is pronounced E-VAAN. (He's Russian.)
     If you're a BH6 Roleplayer on Twitter, do RP with my Hiro~
     @megabot_master
     (Megabot is the name of the cute little thang Hiro uses in bot-
     fights.)
     Hope you liked it!
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