#younger!hiro

Christmas Eve was nearing its end. The sun had set and families were either out getting last minute shopping done or nestled cozy under blankets by the fire in the safety of their homes. Everyone had their festive activities to attend to, including a five-year-old Hiro. The young boy sat in his bed, tinkering with one of his toy robots. All of his focus went into the final alterations. 

As Hiro finished up on his latest work, Tadashi ran upstairs to their bedroom. The elder boy had been in the cafe helping Cass clear off tables due to constant customers. Needless to say, he was relieved to see that Hiro hadn’t created a mess of his own while temporarily unsupervised. He couldn’t hold back a small chuckle at the sight of his brother holding a robot in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. 

“Fixing a broken bot?” Tadashi asked as he approached Hiro. 

Hearing Tadashi’s voice, Hiro immediately looked up at him with a huge grin on his face. “You could say that…” 

With the grin growing on Hiro’s face, Tadashi could only imagine the thoughts brewing in his genius brothers’ mind. He sat down on the edge of Hiro’s bed, wondering whether or not he’d regret the question he was about to ask. 

“What are you up to?” 

Instead of an instant reply, Hiro looked around the room carefully, making sure no one else was around. He leaned forward, pulling his hand back a couple times in a quick motion, gesturing for Tadashi to come closer. He hesitated, raising a brow out of a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Playing along, Tadashi bent his head closer. Hiro cupped a hand around his mouth, glancing up one last time to make sure no one else was around.

“I’m going to catch Santa Claus tonight,” he whispered. 

The ideas Hiro managed to think up never failed to surprise Tadashi. Yet, this one was by far the most unexpected. With his jaw fallen agape, Tadashi let out a baffled laugh. His lips dared to curl into a smile, only to be stopped by a small wave of apprehension. 

“Wh-what?” 

“I’m going to catch Santa!” Hiro whispered a little louder. 

Tadashi blinked in surprise. So he did hear Hiro correctly the first time. “Uh...a-and how exactly do you plan on doing that?” 

“With this!” Hiro held up the toy robot. “I put a motion sensor in my robot! I’m gonna hide it by the tree. When Santa comes to deliver our presents, the sensor will detect him. The robot will make a loud noise and when it goes off, I’ll run downstairs and get to see him! I’ll be the first kid to meet the real Santa!” 

Despite the initial shock of Hiro’s plan still sinking in, Tadashi smiled warmly at his little brother. Although they had discovered him to be a genius not too long ago, he was still an innocent child at heart. He could see through the imitation Santa’s at the mall, but hadn’t stopped believing that a real Santa lives at the North Pole. There was no telling when Hiro’s logic would catch up to him. For now, Santa Claus was still plausible to Hiro to which Tadashi and Cass were grateful for. 

“I don’t know,” Tadashi shrugged. “Santa has been delivering presents for many years. He’s wise to knowing when someone tries to sneak up on him. He knows when you’re sleeping and when you’re awake so he must know when someone is planning to catch him.” 

Hiro playfully rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but that’s why I’m setting the robot up. I’m not hiding under the tree.” 

Tadashi sighed. How could he reason with Hiro on this situation? “True, but it’s still a risky plan. Even if it does work out, Santa could put you on the naughty list and all your presents might turn into coal. You wouldn’t want that, would you?” 

Hiro went silent. He hadn’t thought about it that way before. “Oh…I forgot about that.” 

The relief Tadashi began to feel was soon replaced by a pang of guilt seeing a frown form on Hiro’s face. He instinctively placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, come on. Aunt Cass is about to close the cafe and she needs help decorating. I bet she’ll make us all some hot cocoa.” 

Immediately, Hiro perked up. “Okay!” 

With that, the brothers started to head down the stairs. As they made their way to the cafe, Hiro couldn’t stop thinking about his master plan. It has to work, he thought to himself. I have to try.

---

12:47am

Christmas day had barely begun. The Lucky Cat residence was in peaceful silence with the soft lighting from Christmas decorations illuminating the home. While everything may have seemed to be calm, an impatient Hiro laid wide awake in bed. Currently resting on his side, he kept his eyes glued to the end of the staircase. He tapped his finger against his mattress, hoping for any signs that Santa would arrive soon. 

Hiro hadn’t slept a wink since everyone went to bed. He managed to fool his family with the fake sleeping routine, but once he knew for sure that everyone was sleeping, he took the opportunity to sneak his modified robot downstairs and under the tree. Ever since he tip-toed back to bed, Hiro played the waiting game. Although his patience wore thin, the excitement building up inside him kept him from being tired. He figured that was a good thing in the event that he could somehow sleep through his perfect plan. 

The only downside was boredom. With everyone else sound asleep and Hiro needing to stay quiet for his plan to work, there was nothing to do. All the small child could do was imagine how awesome it would be to meet Santa. To see him deliver presents in person. 

Growing restless, Hiro flopped onto his back. He let out a tiny groan. Where are you? 

As Hiro pressed his hands against his eyes, the sudden, blaring sound of his robots’ alarm went off. What followed shortly after was what sounded like a scream along with a crash. Gasping, Hiro jolted upright and straight out of bed. He ran as fast as he could down the stairs to the second floor. 

In Hiro’s mind, he expected to see Santa by the tree. Perhaps he’d be impressed by his method of catching him in the act of his annual tradition. 

When Hiro finally reached the living room, he rushed over towards the tree. However, when he got closer, he stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him. There was no Santa Claus. Instead, their tree had fallen down, ornaments now scattered across the floor. A sack of presents had spilled over as well. And Cass was on the floor; the tree breaking her fall.

A surprised gasp escaped from Hiro. “Aunt Cass?!” 

As Hiro wondered why his aunt had been downstairs by the tree, his thoughts broke at the sound of Tadashi’s fast footsteps thumping down the stairs. Between the robot still going off at full volume and Cass’ scream, he woke up right away. 

“What’s going on?!” He asked in a panic. Tadashi then looked over at the source of what had caused such a ruckus. His heart raced seeing Cass on the ground alongside the tree. “Aunt Cass! Are you okay?!” 

Tadashi instantly rushed to her aid. She groaned as she tried to position herself up more as he held a hand out for her to take. 

“What happened?” He asked as Cass took his hand. 

Cass grunted in pain. “I was trying to get these presents under the tree and out of nowhere this loud sound went off! What on earth is that?!”

Hiro felt his heart drop. His robot had been the cause of her fall. But it was intended to detect Santa! What was she doing by the tree. 

Cautiously, Hiro walked over to where he placed the robot. He slid it the switch to the ‘off’ position, shutting it down completely. 

“Sorry,” Hiro muttered. He now had the full attention of his family. “I wanted to catch Santa tonight.”

Although the room was fairly dark, Tadashi could make out the robotic toy in Hiro’s hand. He couldn’t believe it. Hiro went through with his plan anyway. 

“Hiro! What were you thinking?! Aunt Cass could have gotten seriously hurt!” 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know she would come downstairs! Isn’t Santa supposed to be the one to deliver presents?” 

Tadashi and Cass looked at each other. As much as they didn’t want to spoil Hiro’s fun, they also couldn’t come up with a decent reason as to why Santa wasn’t the one putting presents under the tree. At least not one that Hiro wouldn’t be able to see through. 

So, after Cass dimmed the lights, they all took a seat on the couch and had a long conversation regarding the truth about Santa Claus.

---

The sight of Tadashi’s messy bedhead was the first sign to Cass that he did not sleep well. Dark, baggy circles under his eyes and a prolonged yawn confirmed it. She was hoping that his sleeping patterns were improving, but there’s been no change since her two nephews recently moved in.

Of course, she understood Tadashi’s heartache. Completely. Their parents died in a tragic, unexpected way. No kid should ever have to go through the events they’ve endured. Receiving news that they got into a car accident. Learning that they both passed away on impact. The last few weeks have been busy to say the least.

Naturally, adjusting to a new home life hasn’t been the easiest. Hiro occasionally whined about wanting to go home. Tadashi constantly reminded him that they couldn’t and that their aunt’s home is where they lived. The elder sibling tried not to let his growing impatience shine through at the cries for wanting mom or dad continued. Hiro was only three afterall. He was far too young to fully understand the concept of death. Still, telling his little brother that their parents were gone and could never come back left a nagging pang in Tadashi’s chest.

As for Tadashi, he was old enough to understand death. He knew that death meant his parents were gone forever. He just wished he could have done something. There were no proper goodbyes or warning of this incident. One minute, everything was normal. Now...everything has changed. He didn’t have his parents anymore. He didn’t have his mother’s cooking or goodnight hugs. He didn’t have his father to watch TV with or play sports with on his day’s off of work. He didn’t have the home he was used to.

It’s not that he didn’t enjoy being in his aunt’s home. He loved to visit her. But this was no visit. This was a permanent living situation that he just hadn’t grown accustomed to quite yet. There was a lot that still needed to sink in. Getting used to his new home was one thing, but accepting the fact that he could never be with his parents again? That would take some time.

He didn’t talk much about his feelings though. There were moments where Tadashi would voice that he misses his parents, but having conversations with him was limited. When Cass asked him questions, he gave short answers. She’s never seen her nephew so quiet before. Yet, pushing him is the last thing she wants to do. Making sure he’s comfortable and taken care of had become her main priority.

“Are you enjoying breakfast?” She asked them both.

Naturally, Hiro gave an excited response, continuing to eat his scrambled eggs. She was hopeful for a similar reaction from Tadashi. Unfortunately, she only got a nod, followed by him taking a small bite and chewing slowly. For the last week, Tadashi went from finishing half his plate to all of it. While she was thrilled to see him eating more, she wished he was doing so at a faster pace.

“You finish your plate, Hiro?” She asked her younger nephew, suppressing a giggle upon seeing a few bits of food stuck to his face. She reached for a napkin, wiping his face clean. “Nice work, kiddo. How are you doing, Tadashi?”

Still looking at his plate, he shrugged. “Doing alright.” He took another small bite.

Cass looked at him with a sad smile. She wanted to do so much for him, but she didn’t know what he needed. Raising kids on her own was proving to be no walk in the park, but she’s been loving every second of it so far. “If you want to be done, you can,” she told him, slightly upset that Tadashi took his plate over to the sink immediately after.

She was so thankful that today wasn’t a school day. Tadashi could spend the day at home -- well here. He still had yet to think of this place as his home. Maybe he could spend this weekend catching up on some much needed rest.

---

Instead of getting to relax like his aunt had strived for him to do, Tadashi spent the rest of his morning and afternoon playing with Hiro. Although, that wasn’t a bad option. It seemed like Tadashi acted most like himself when he hung out with his brother. He smiled and laughed; the sorrow of recent events only lingering in the back of his mind.

He wished he could be more like Hiro in this case. For the most part, the younger Hamada was able to adapt to their new home. Naturally, he had his moments where he asked for his parents and wondered if they’d ever see them again. He always hoped for the answer to change, but easily got over being told the same thing. Why did this have to be so hard for him? For both of them?

Hiro put his action figure down, a slight frown forming across his face. “‘Dashi?” He said in a quiet voice.

The sudden change of mood had Tadashi on instant alert. “What is it, Hiro?” He held his breath, hoping that everything was okay.

The elder boy was in shock with how quickly Hiro’s mood had changed. One minute, he was smiling as he played with his toys. The next, he was curling into himself with glassy eyes. “I...I miss Mommy and Daddy.” A single tear found its way down Hiro’s cheek and onto the floor.  

On instinct, Tadashi wrapped his arms around Hiro’s smaller form. His fingers made small circles on the back of Hiro’s head. He brought Hiro in closer to his hold, the grip on his brother now tighter. Tadashi wanted nothing more than to make Hiro’s pain go away. Even if that meant pushing away his own sadness, he was willing to do it. He had to be strong for his little brother. He had to be there for him, especially now.

“I-I know you do,” Tadashi whispered. “I miss them too.”

He’s not sure why that last part had slipped out. Maybe it was because it felt good to say it out loud. Or maybe letting Hiro know that he’s not alone with his own feelings. Nonetheless, he was glad he said it, because Hiro began to relax. What small amount of tears that flowed freely had stopped. His body, now sprawled out, was leaning in to Tadashi’s touch. Hiro had definitely become for dependent on Tadashi since the accident, but he didn’t mind that. Tadashi needed him too.

“Boys…” The siblings looked up to see their aunt walking towards them. Neither of them knew how long she was watching them, but apparently it was long enough. Next thing they knew, her arms were around both of them. She squeezed onto her nephews with all her strength. “I’m so sorry that this hasn’t been easy on you,” she began. She released the embrace, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “I understand how you feel. I miss your parents very much. I know this must be a lot for you both to deal with. I just want you to know that you don’t have to go through this alone. You have each other and you have me. I may not be your mom or dad, but...I love you two with all my heart.”

It took everything in Cass not to cry as she said those final words. Seeing her nephews hurting brought so much distress. What hurt the most was knowing their pain and feeling it herself, but not knowing what to do for them. She wasn’t as motherly as she wanted to be for them. She couldn’t give them the one thing they both wanted. All she could hope for was that she would be enough for them now.

“If you ever want to talk about your parents or how you feel, you can talk to me. We’re a family and there’s nothing to hide between us.” She said that to both of them, but Tadashi couldn’t help, but feel that comment was meant more for him.

Cass examined Tadashi’s face, seeing that the circles under his eyes had yet to fade. “You didn’t sleep well last night, huh?”

He shook his head, a heavy sigh following right after. “I kept thinking about them,” he admitted, a strange feeling of relief overcoming him. “I miss them, Aunt Cass.”

With a soft, sad smile, Cass moved the hand from Tadashi’s shoulder to his back. She rubbed small circles in an attempt to comfort him. “I know, honey. It’s okay to miss them.”

She placed gentle kisses on top of both of their foreheads, earning a smile from her nephews. “Why don’t you take a nap, sweetie? I’ll play with Hiro for a little while.”

Hiro shouted with glee, obviously happy to have someone to play with. As much as Tadashi wanted to continue on with the rest of the day, he couldn't deny how much he needed some sleep. He’s been having trouble keeping his eyes open for half the day.

He gladly accepted the offer to get some much needed rest. Cass watched him walk upstairs, her smile growing wider seeing pep return in his step. Moving forward was certainly going to take time. It didn’t matter to her if it would be weeks, months or even years for this new lifestyle to feel normal. As long as they had each other, everything would end up being okay.

---

Tadashi had always been the more social one between him and Hiro. People seemed to gravitate more towards the elder Hamada. He was well spoken and kind. It was no surprise to Hiro that other people enjoyed his brother’s company.

So, it wasn’t shocking to Hiro that Tadashi had friends either. Throughout all their years of school thus far, Tadashi had made his fair share of friends. Some of which he parted ways with due to lack of common interest or attending different middle schools, but that didn’t stop him from meeting new people.

Hiro was almost envious of his sibling’s ability to make friends with ease. He was lucky to maintain a single conversation with someone without getting teased. A friendship seemed like a surreal concept to the young boy. Any attempt he could make to befriend someone was extremely difficult. If Hiro ever dared to start a conversation, it would usually end with him being laughed at, told to scram or just be simply ignored. Sadly, he was used to this behavior from his older peers. He wish he could have questioned how good Tadashi was at obtaining friends, but in his eyes, there was an even bigger question. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with Tadashi?

Okay, maybe some people chose not to be around him. Mainly it was only because of his relation to Hiro, but Tadashi never took that personally. If someone didn’t want to hang out with him over a matter as ridiculous as that, Tadashi figured it was best not to waste his time with them anyway.

Although Tadashi had good friendships throughout his years of school, he had never considered any of them to be a best friend. With the exception of Hiro of course. His algebra neighbor, Nolan however, seemed to change that.

The two were paired up to do an in-class assignment and instantly became friends. They had gone from classmates that only sat next to each other to friends that nearly got in trouble on a daily basis for talking during class. After learning about their shared interests in movies, shows and video games, they began hanging out after school. Once a week had quickly turned into every other day. On school nights, they studied together while spending their time on weekends to play games or watch a movie.

It wasn’t long before Tadashi had truly considered Nolan to be his best friend. They had hung out a lot together in a matter of months. Nolan seemed to get Tadashi in a way that no other friend previous or current had before. He never seemed bothered by the fact that Tadashi lived in his aunt’s cafe or had a genius for a brother. He saw Tadashi for who he was as a person and never took that for granted. They enjoyed spending time together. Finally, Tadashi had a friend that he felt like he could share personal stories with or work on robotics projects with.

Of course, Nolan was far from being some replacement to Hiro. Tadashi would never abandon his younger sibling by any means. It was just a nice change of pace to have a friend he felt so close to. Besides, Hiro didn’t mind Nolan being around at all. He thought he was cool…even if he hadn’t talked to him before.

With it being a Friday night, there was no surprise that they would be hanging out. Tadashi had made plans for Nolan to spend the night and watch a movie. Nolan was bringing the movie and Tadashi took care of all the snacks. Well, Hiro and Cass helped him get popcorn, soda and candy set up, but Tadashi didn’t mind.

When everyone heard a sudden knock at the door, Cass ushered down the stairs to let Nolan inside. Meanwhile, Tadashi was waiting in the living room, excitement surging through his body. Hiro had never seen his brother so ecstatic over something.

A grin turned into a full blown out smile as Nolan reached the living room. “Hey, man,” Nolan greeted.

The friends did a quick fist bump, a normal gesture they would do upon meeting up. “Hey, you bring the movie?” Tadashi asked, just now noticing that Nolan had it hidden behind his back.

“You know it. Got it right here,” he stated, showing off the DVD case. It was then that Nolan looked down, seeing that Hiro was still standing around. It was unlike Hiro to be downstairs when he was over. Nolan glared at the younger Hamada, confused and, quite frankly, and little annoyed by his presence. “Uh…why is he here?”

Tadashi raised a brow at his friend’s tone. Rather than question it, he decided to brush it off. “Hiro? He was helping me set up the snacks.” Tadashi looked down at his brother with pride, smiling seeing how happy he was to help with movie preparations.

“Yeah!” Hiro squealed. “Maybe I could watch the movie too?” He asked in a shy, yet polite voice.

It didn’t take Hiro more than two seconds to realize that Nolan didn’t think that was a good idea. His body tensed as his eyes clearly rolled. A heavy sigh followed after and Nolan handed the DVD to Tadashi. “I don’t think your brother should watch this movie. It’s PG-13. Not for little kids,” he spoke with a hint of anger growing on his tongue.

Tadashi didn’t want to admit it, but he had never seen this side of Nolan before. The humorous, laid-back person he knew was far from being anything of the sorts. If Tadashi was being honest, it was worrisome. “Uh…,” Tadashi was at a loss of words, yet he did have to agree with Nolan on this matter. Hiro was far too young to be watching a movie like this. “Hiro I uh…don’t think this is your kind of movie, buddy.” He placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

“Aw, c’mon,” Hiro whined, though more in a playful manner than anything. “I’ve heard all the bad words before!”

Nolan gritted his teeth, not having any of what Hiro was doing. With clenched fists and tight muscles, his patience had finally boiled over. “Look, kid,” he started, the volume of his voice enough to make Hiro shrink into himself. “This is not for people your age! Now beat it so your brother and I can enjoy this movie in peace!”

Visibly shaking, Hiro stood in place unable to move. Tadashi examined him, noticing that his sibling’s eyes began to glisten. As Hiro finally gained enough physical strength to run up the stairs, Tadashi couldn’t help, but witness how pleased Nolan was by this reaction. Tadashi had become so concerned for Hiro’s well being, that he didn’t register how furious he was at his friend. His best friend had the nerve to snap at Hiro…and for no reason whatsoever. A mixture of confusion and hurt blended into Tadashi’s evident anger.

“What was that all about?” He snapped, crossing his arms at Nolan. “I-I…I thought you liked Hiro.”

Tadashi was hopeful that this was some misunderstanding. Perhaps Nolan was having a bad day and took it out on Hiro without meaning to. Maybe the situation could get cleared up somehow. Though, due to Nolan’s obnoxious scoff, an easy solution was looking thinner by the second.

“Dude, no offense, but no one likes Hiro.” He paused to laugh. “I know he’s your brother, but–”

“But what?” Tadashi cut him off. “Give me one good reason not to like Hiro!”

“He’s a total loser!”

Tadashi was shocked to say the least. Everything that he thought he knew about Nolan felt like some big lie. This whole time his best friend despised Hiro like everyone else. And the worst part was his hurtful, pathetic reasoning. It made a knot in Tadashi’s stomach churn. He was sick of Hiro being bullied. Sick of everyone thinking his genius little brother was some joke. Sick of people disliking him because of his intelligence. Disliking him of his age.

And Nolan had been amongst them all?

“Hiro is NOT a loser!” Tadashi yelled, the knuckles of his fists turning white. “And since you feel that way about him, I think you need to take your movie and go!”

“H-hey, whoa! I still wanna hang out with you–”

“Well I don’t! Why would I want a friend that doesn’t treat my brother with respect?! Get out!”

In an instant, Nolan yanked the DVD out of Tadashi’s hand, making his way to the staircase. “Fine! I’m outta here! Sheesh, I guess both of you are losers,” Nolan muttered as he stomped down the stairs.

Tadashi pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in an attempt to rid the remainder of his anger. A heavy sigh escaped from his nostrils. Yet, despite losing someone who he considered a close friend, he strangely felt alright. The last thing he would want is to have a friend around who didn’t have any respect for Hiro.

Hiro…

The memory of Hiro rushing up the stairs at Nolan’s cruel attitude had Tadashi bolting up the stairs. He called out Hiro’s name as he skipped steps on his way up. The sudden sight of his little brother curled up in his bed tugged at his heartstrings. Why did people have to be so rude to him?

Tadashi took a seat on Hiro’s bed, placing a gentle hand on his back. He took note of the dry tears stained on Hiro’s cheeks, but to his relief, he had managed to stop crying. The hand Tadashi had on his back moved up to the back of Hiro’s head. “You okay, buddy?” Tadashi asked, ruffling Hiro’s hair slowly.

Hiro responded with a nod. He peeked over his shoulder, seeing Tadashi smiling down on him. “W-where’s Nolan?”

“Kicked him out,” Tadashi whispered, a proud smile forming.

“What? But he’s your best friend.”

“Was,” Tadashi corrected. “Not anymore. Anyone that’s mean to you is no friend of mine.”

Hiro smiled in return, now sitting up as he started to feel better. “Really?”

“Really.” Tadashi confirmed, wiping the dry tear stains away with his thumb. “Besides, you’re my best friend anyway.

This had earned a giggle out of Hiro which Tadashi was thrilled to hear. Hiro being upset had never been fun for Tadashi to see, so getting him to laugh again was always a success.

“Alright, so there’s a bunch of snacks downstairs that shouldn’t go to waste. Wanna watch a movie with me?”

Tadashi and Hiro ended up having a movie night of their own that evening.