Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Fifteen: Socially Awkward

Glancing up at his older brother, Hiro saw a rather odd smile on his face, even though he was answering a question GoGo had asked him. Gross! Hiro put his bread stick down and tried to not look at the two feet just below him, pulling his own feet out of the way.

"Everything okay over there, little fella?" Fred asked, looking pointedly at Hiro. He'd joined them sometime before the pizza arrived. Apparently the video games hadn't entertained him for long.

Hiro felt his ears go red. He suddenly felt as though all eyes had turned his direction. At least Tadashi and Honey Lemon had opted to separate their feet. But still!

Like a deer in headlights, Hiro couldn't help but stare at Fred's general direction. "Uh, yes?" On either side of his body, he could feel both Tadashi and Honey Lemon tensing. And if he looked out of the corner of his eye, he felt sure both were blushing just a little.

"Okay," Fred replied with a shrug. You're totally quiet over there. Just wanted to make sure."

Hiro let out his held breath and took a rather shaky sip from his soda. "I'm good," he assured. "Just listening." Leave it to Fred to notice something was off.

"You know," Tadashi spoke up, "I was thinking of bringing Baymax home for a while." He glanced at Hiro, the blush already fading. "What do you think? He could keep an eye on you and make sure you don't overdo things while I'm in class. That way he can also get more practical experience. Of course, once finals come around, I'll need him back to show my professors."

Blinking a bit at that, Hiro let his straw slip from his lips. He'd thought about "borrowing" Baymax, but had discarded the idea when he'd realized there wasn't a feasible way to do so. It wasn't like he could crawl through any windows in his current state. Nor did he find the idea of just waltzing in and out with the big red case all that appealing. "Uh, sure."

GoGo gave Hiro a nod. "Speaking of school, think you'll apply? I'm sure your brother won't mind, and I could always use someone shorter than me around." There was an implied message there. Perhaps she meant to use his height as a teasing point.

Hiro decided things were decidedly getting more complicated. Part of him wanted to say yes. Another part of him clamored to say no. If he didn't enter the showcase, there wouldn't be any microbots. No microbots, no interest from Krei. No interest from Krei, and Callaghan would leave him alone. There wouldn't be a fire and Tadashi wouldn't die.

Hiro knew there was something flawed with this logic, but he couldn't put a finger on it. But the others were waiting for an answer. "Uh, I'll think about it," he said, hoping that would stave off any further questions.

He was forgetting something again. What was he forgetting? It made his brain hurt trying to think about it.

Absently, Hiro picked up a bread stick and chewed on it. Everyone else went back to their previous conversations, which was just fine with him. What was he forgetting though? It would bother him until he figured it out. He knew it would.

..................................

After lunch, Tadashi decided it would be best to take Hiro home. Everyone seemed a bit disappointed at that, but knew it was probably for the best. After all, Hiro did look a bit pale and worn out.

On the way home, Tadashi made a quick stop at the drugstore as promised. And he made sure Hiro took the purchased painkillers before leaving. "I'll bring Baymax by later tonight," he said as he climbed back on the scooter in front of his brother. "I'll have to ask Aunt Cass if I can borrow the truck since I don't think he'll fit on my moped."

Hiro nodded. By that point he really did need the painkillers now swimming in his system. And he was more than ready to head home. "Sounds good," he said as he clung to his brother, despite the uncomfortable pressure it placed on his chest. He had a lot of thinking to do.

In no time at all, Tadashi pulled up at the café and turned to glance back at his brother. "Need me to walk you up?" he inquired, seeing the look on Hiro's face.

Gingerly, Hiro climbed from the vehicle, wincing as his body was momentarily jostled when his leg wouldn't quite go over the seat without a hitch. He took a moment to control his breathing before looking up. "I'm okay," he insisted. "Just a little winded. I'll be fine."

Not convinced, Tadashi set the parking brake and climbed off his scooter. "I need to get the keys to the truck anyway," he reasoned. "Might as well make sure you make it inside."

Getting no argument from his brother, Tadashi helped Hiro up the stairs, supporting him by holding his elbow as he climbed the first flight, then the second.

The exercise took more out of him than Hiro tried to let on. Not having the same capacity he was used to with his diaphragm, he felt more than a little breathless by the time he settled on the swivel chair in front of his computer. This sucked!

Looking more than a little worried, Tadashi ruffled his brother's hair. "I'm going to head out now," he said. "But I'll hurry back. And maybe if you're still awake, we can play some video games or something."

Hiro rather felt he understood what an asthmatic felt during an attack as he focused on taking shallow breaths. "Yeah," he managed before refocusing his efforts.

Tadashi moved towards the stairs, looking back once more before heading down them. He shook his head slightly, running one hand through his hair. Hiro certainly seemed to always catch the rough end of the stick, and he hoped to help change that. All he had to do was convince him to enter the showcase in the hopes of joining the Institute.