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It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Tadashi had some kind of tracking device on him, so Hiro, after sneaking out of the house to go to another bot fight, was justifiably annoyed when he had to spend an hour dodging the guys who wanted to steal the money he had just won. Weaving in and out of dark alleys were easy thanks to Hiro’s mental map, the only hard part was making sure that the brutish idiots didn’t follow him home; by the end of the night, Hiro was cursing everything from his short legs, to his mediocre cardio, and Tadashi.
Especially Tadashi.
”What’s the point of letting him track me if he’s not even going to bother picking me up!?” Hiro asked the air on his extended walk home.
He had lost his unwanted entourage somewhere in South San Fransokyo, but in return, he had had to basically double back making his walk home from a mere ten minutes to what was probably going to be a half hour– and that was with all the shortcuts he knew. He would’ve (and had) called Tadashi and asked to be picked up, he was even willing to sit through his brother’s ranting again if only to get home faster.
The only problem was that Tadashi wasn’t picking up. He debated on calling the actual house and asking Aunt Cass to pick him up, but the mere thought of her disappointment and disapproval made Hiro’s gut clench guiltily. Tadashi’s ranting he could deal with because his brother, as mad as he got, would be warm again by next morning. Aunt Cass’ guilt trip lasted weeks. So no, she was out of the picture in terms of people he could ask for rides from at 3 something in the morning.
He did have the option to flag down a taxi, but the only money he had on him was from his bot fight and, while it was plenty enough, he had been saving up for some expensive bot parts that he’d had his eye on for a while and cab fare was notorious for being expensive.
With a sigh, he pulled out his phone and called Tadashi again. With every dial tone that passed, Hiro got more and more irritated at his missing older brother. Wracking his brain, he tried to figure out if he had done anything to make Tadashi angry. Did he ruin any of his brother’s projects lately? No… how about that one time where he ate that last hot wing? Tadashi had said that that was fine though, and Tadashi didn’t hold grudges for long if it really did bother him.
Hiro was stumped and irritated as he stewed the rest of the walk home. By the time he saw the cafe, he was downright mad.
Though tired and probably dirty from running up and down alleys all night, Hiro ignored it all and marched toward the garage where he knew Tadashi had been holing himself up in. His brother had been busy with a project lately, Hiro knew, but that was no excuse to not even notice that Hiro was missing. What if something serious happened? What if Hiro had been beat up and left for dead, or kidnapped? Would Tadashi even notice?
Hiro was so mad that he was stomping his way through the garage, uncaring as to who he was bothering with the noise. Weaving past the tables and the robotic parts strew around, Hiro finally got an eye full of Tadashi slumped over his table sleeping, and lost it with a scowl. Marching right up to his brother, Hiro didn’t even think about the repercussions of his actions as he hit Tadashi’s arm. His hand made a loud slap noise, but neither the pain or the sound seemed to phase the still sleeping Tadashi.
Growing even more annoyed, Hiro smacked his brother’s hat off his head before furiously shaking his brother. “Wake up Tadashi!” He snapped through his shaking, “If I don’t get to sleep, you don’t get to sleep either!”
He didn’t stop his ministrations until he felt Tadashi slowly move, his actions sluggish enough to make Hiro pause. Something that sounded suspiciously like a warning bell rang in Hiro’s head as he watched Tadashi push himself up and sway lightly in his chair.
"What…" Tadashi murmured, his eyes squinting as he brought one hand up to his head, "What time is it…?"
Hiro noticed that Tadashi’s face was flushed the same moment he realized that the arm he was clutching was uncomfortably warm. Then there was the fact that Tadashi was still lightly swaying in his seat, his hand now moving to clutch at his temple.
"Tadashi?" Hiro murmured, worry overriding everything else. "Are you okay?"
Tadashi closed his eyes, “Headache,” he murmured, “but… I’ll be okay.”
Hiro frowned and, before Tadashi could send him away and return to his work, Hiro reached up to gently press his hand to Tadashi’s forehead. The fact that it felt like his skin was burning immediately made Hiro’s nerves shoot straight up.
"You have a fever," he muttered, "how long have you been sick?"
Tadashi, who would usually fight tooth and nail to deny any form of sickness that he might or might not have, just sighed and nuzzled his forehead into Hiro’s hand. “‘s cool…” he mumbled.
Hiro bit his lip as he racked his brain as to what to do. He wasn’t like Tadashi who soaked up medical information like he was born for it; Hiro was a robotics genius, not a wannabe doctor. The answer his big brain gave him however, came in the form of his fuzzy memories of the last time he had gotten sick. Tadashi had carried him up to bed, changed him, made him take a pill and drink some water, before letting him pass out. The memories after were blurred past recognition, but Hiro figured that he could figure it out as he went along.
For now, he just had to find a way to move Tadashi to his bed upstairs without killing them both.
.
Tadashi was tall and skinny, but he was also fit. His skinny wasn’t like Hiro’s skinny (skin and bones), no, Tadashi’s skinny was all lean muscles– muscles that made his tall brother’s weight easily in the high hundreds.
Hiro, who was only a fraction of both his brother’s weight and height, didn’t even know how he had managed to get Tadashi up to their room. All he knew was that somehow they had made it without anyone cracking their skulls open, and that the magic that had helped him ran out as soon as they arrived at said room. In conclusion, Tadashi was now shivering violently and sweating a storm into Hiro’s bed because Hiro didn’t have that much energy left to expend on another ten or so feet.
That was okay though, Hiro didn’t care if he had to get a new mattress after this, all he cared about was his brother making through this alive.
Biting his lip guiltily at all his bitter thoughts from the night, Hiro moved to Tadashi’s closet to pick out some pajamas. He wondered if all his ill-wishing had anything to do with his brother’s sickness, knowing how illogical it was but not able to stop himself regardless. Bringing the change of clothes back, he stared sadly at his sick older brother and sent a prayer up to whatever deity was listening. Hiro would walk everywhere for the rest of his life and not complain if it made sure that Tadashi never got sick.
Brushing sweaty strands of hair from Tadashi’s forehead, Hiro’s stomach clenched when his brother moved to pathetically try and nuzzle his hand again. Blinking rapidly, Hiro forced himself to take a deep breath and continue. It wasn’t as easy as Tadashi had made it seem when Hiro himself was sick, but after a lot of blushing and ogling (because Christ, when did Tadashi even have the time to develop all those abs), Hiro succeeded.
Moving his brother underneath the comforter wasn’t as challenging as going up the stairs, but he managed that as well. His brother’s shivering lightened as Hiro tucked him in, and Hiro took the good sign with a lighter heart as he left the room to get the stuff that Tadashi needed.
.
It took a while until Hiro found the thermometer.
He had found the aspirin and had gotten the water easily enough, he had even managed to find the cold patches. The thermometer wasn’t with the rest of the first aid supplies they kept in their bathroom however and he could only wonder why before cursing the previous user in his head.
By the time he came back to the room, Tadashi was asleep. He was still lightly shivering, but he looked peaceful in his sleep and Hiro was loathe to disturb him (again). Taking his brother’s temperature and putting a cold patch on his forehead while he was asleep was easy enough, but Tadashi needed to take some aspirin to lower the fever (thank you internet) and the only way he could do that was if he was awake.
So, with no other options and a sigh, Hiro started to lightly shake his brother until Tadashi was, once again, awake.
"Sorry," Hiro murmured, stroking his brother’s overly warm cheeks.
Tadashi just let out a small hum in reply, but he didn’t move, his eyes heavy with sleep and his expression strained.
"Can you sit up? You need to take your medicine, and then I promise to let you sleep."
Tadashi stared at him for a second but didn’t move, prompting Hiro to frown worriedly. “Nii-san?” He asked softly.
"Hmm?" Tadashi murmured.
"Can you sit up?"
Tadashi took another moment to process those words, but moved to shakily push himself up, something that Hiro was quick to help with. When he was sitting upright, Hiro shook out the recommended amount of pills and helped his brother swallow it all down.
It only took a couple of minutes, but for Hiro it felt like hours before he could tuck his brother in again. He was used to Tadashi and his quick reflexes; his brother moved fluidly without even noticing, but now that he was sick, his movements were slow and stilted, as if he was forcing himself to move through water. Hiro didn’t like it and worried, even if the internet told him that a fever at Tadashi’s current temperature wasn’t emergency room serious.
“‘m okay,” Tadashi murmured as Hiro was screwing the cap back onto the aspirin bottle.
Hiro looked up, catching his brother’s tired, but soft gaze. His face was flushed and he was so sick that sitting up took some effort, but here he was, still trying to comfort Hiro.
"Idiot nii-san," Hiro said with a small smile, "go ahead and tell me that when you can sit up and drink a glass of water by yourself, okay?"
Tadashi closed his eyes and gave another hum, his own small smile pulling at his lips. “Don’t worry Hiro,” he murmured again before seemingly falling asleep.
Hiro watched him, counting his exhales down to the minute and timing it with his own heartbeats. He wondered if this was how Tadashi felt when he got sick. Did Tadashi feel helpless having to sit there and watch Hiro fight some virus in his sleep? He wondered if that was why his brother kept up with the medical community; wondered if Hiro was the reason why Tadashi had started to read medical textbooks for fun.
"Maybe I should start borrowing some…" Hiro mumbled to himself as he laid his head down on the side of the bed. He stared at Tadashi’s hand, big and still, before grabbing it to twine their fingers together.
Hiro fell asleep to Tadashi’s soft breathing.
.
Cass wandered into the the boys’ room when they didn’t come down for breakfast.
Seeing a sick looking Tadashi was a surprise, especially since she walked in in the middle of him trying to hoist Hiro up onto the actual bed itself and looking frustrated at his inability to do so.
"Need some help?" She asked walking in.
He looked up at her, still dazed, but lucid enough to look grateful. With her help, the sleeping Hiro was moved without any incidents and covered with the comforter Cass retrieved from Tadashi’s abandoned bed.
"Now you, young man," she said as she gently peeled off the cold patch from his forehead. Picking up the thermometer on the night stand, she popped it into his mouth and unwrapped another cold patch as they waited for the results.
The numbers weren’t reassuring considering that Tadashi’s temperature was still in the low hundreds, but he waved off her offers to keep the cafe closed for the day. “I’m okay,” he said softly, “Hiro’s here.”
She hesitated but at that moment, as if knowing what they were talking about, Hiro moved in his sleep, unconsciously moving his hand for something and only stopping when he latched on to one of Tadashi’s.
"Alright," she said, more amused and resigned to the fact that her boys would forever be attached at the hip through sickness and health, than truly worried.
"Thanks Aunt Cass," Tadashi said with a small, content smile.
Hiro did nothing but curl more into his brother’s side, as if sensing that he had to keep Tadashi warm somehow.
Cass just smiled, shaking her head as she left the room. In the past, when Hiro got sick, Tadashi would stay at home. For a long time, he was the only person who could comfort Hiro when he was at his lowest, it made sense that Tadashi would be the exact same. Hiro probably didn’t remember considering that Tadashi barely ever got really sick, but when they were younger, Hiro had refused to leave Tadashi’s side, so adamant in his choice to stay close that he usually caught Tadashi’s sickness as well.
"They’re certainly something," Cass muttered to herself as she washed her hands. They were so close that she wondered if there would be any room for anyone else; she chuckled at the thought before pushing it from her mind as she opened the cafe and welcomed her first customer.
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