Through a Glass Screen (Hiro x Reader)

Chapter 20

The food was gone. The mason jars were empty, the little paper straws soggy and torn. The sun was setting, giving a nice pink hue to the surrounding landscape, a burning yellow ball the missing puzzle piece. It was the end of the perfect picnic. A picnic you wish you could have spent as more than friends.

A peaceful quiet surrounded the two of you. You had been talking about shallow things, the weather, celebrities and other nonsense before lapsing into a comfortable silence. Words weren't needed. You were simply enjoying each other's company. It was an experience you had shared with only one other person before, and never in such beautiful circumstances.

"(Y/N)?" You heard a voice ask. You were lifted out of your dreamy thoughts into the real world, and Hiro was staring at you intently with those big, brown eyes of his. He smiled when your gaze met his, and then he turned back to look at the treetops, his eyes concentrating on anything but your face. You wondered why he wouldn't look at you, but still needed to know that you were there.

"I've never made a connection with anyone this quickly.... It's insane. Even when we were just video chatting, that feeling that I already knew you was there. Then, when I met you in person.... I've never been close to anyone. But even after only a few days, we were close. There wasn't too many words, too much explaining, you just got me. Thank you for that.

"(Y/N), you are my closest friend. It's insane. And then.... Hanging out tonight was fun. So, race you home?" It felt like Hiro had more to say, and you thought about questioning him, but decided to let it go. You looked him in the face, grinned, then sprinted for your bike. You heard his shout of protest behind you, and the thuds of his feet on the ground. You went for a running leap, landing gracefully on the bike, a talented act for a clumsy person such as yourself.

The bike wobbled as your feet searched for the peddles. Scrambling, you looked up, and tried to figure out where you had to go next. It was straight down the lane, right? What if it wasn't? Hiro would tell you, yeah? You shook off the doubt, and just trusted your intuition. Intuition took you straight down the lane, so you decided to go with it. You peddled hard, and soon hit the main road.

Left or right? Intuition suggested right. You took the suggestion. It was a downhill slope, so you peddled a little less and made Gravity do a little more. You glided gently down the hill, and soon saw the property with the ugly green car. The cat was gone, and the lighting was heading from the pink of dusk to the mauve, and soon it would be the royal blue of a star studded night sky.

However, the land in front of you was getting brighter. There was town, flashing neon lights, tightly packed stores, ridiculously expensive cars, clumps of people. You were getting closer to the Lucky Cat, as the stores were going up, instead of out. Soon, you reached the front of the café, and were surprised to see a familiar face greeting you. Hiro, looking not at all puffed, like he arrived ages ago.

"What took you so long?" He asked, as you pulled up and dismounted the bike.

"Long? I went the way we went on the way here."

"Didn't I tell you that was the scenic route? There were literally signs telling you the quickest way here. Wait, do you know the street name?"

"No... I got here off memory. You weren't worried about me getting lost?"

"Ah shit, (Y/N)... No, I wasn't worried... Coz I thought I was gonna win and you'd just follow me home?"

You hit him on the shoulder, trying to sassily flip you hair. It didn't go well, but you tried to play it cool. "Hey! Arrogant much?" He shrugged his head, looking even more sheepish than before.

"Well, whatever. You made it home safe, right? This isn't an alien here, come to abduct me?" He replied, grinning.

"You'd better hope not. I hear aliens are twice as hungry as the average (Y/N)."

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Hiro and yourself sat inside, him perched on the arm of the couch, you sitting on the kitchen bench. Tadashi was home when the two of you got back, and had grabbed you both a piece of fruit - "To be healthy!" - and called Hikari to say you'd be home in about an hour. The three of you had chatted for a bit, but it was mostly shallow. Then Tadashi went up to his room, leaving the two of you alone. You decided this was the time to ask him about his strange behaviour at the picnic.

You were interrupted. "How hardcore do you game?" The boy across from you asked, flashing another of his charming grins. You shrugged, trying to display the message of nonchalance, as much as I want. However, this was taken as, no, I don't game at all. "We'll start with something simple them, shall we? Mario Kart for the Wii."

Hiro booted the Wii, connected the controllers, and started the game. Character select: You, Birdo. Hiro, Bowser.
(Characters above)

"Boring!" You said, rolling your eyes at his bland choice of character.

"Whatever. Bowser's cool. You'll see. Let's start with a basic track, shall we?" Hiro replied, looking concentrated as he picked his vehicle. He let you pick the track, and you decided on Peach Gardens - Hiro had all the Cups unlocked. He looked at you for confirmation, and you just tried to smile. Then you got your track preview, and the games begun.

One win - and one very sulky Hiro - later, Tadashi walked down the stairs, just as you were about to start the second competition. "Guys, I'm just going round to SFIT, so I thought, why not drop (Y/N) off on the way there? So let's go. Hiro, that includes you." The sulky and proud teens got off the couch, and you followed Tadashi down to the car.

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I'm sorry I'm terrible at updating, but what did you guys think! Plot progression, yay! SFIT will move the plot forward indeed. Okay, until next time, enjoy! Jam