Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a simple thing.
He thought everyone would have run out and evacuated the building the moment the fire alarms had gone off, the moment the fire had become notable as its flames spread and engulfed the building.
The heat was certainly getting to him by this time, the man gritting his teeth as he hurried to put on Hiro’s neurocranial transmitter, a smile twitching onto his face as the micro-bots responded to him a mere second later.
It was supposed to be an easy thing.
And then he heard a voice, calling out, calling his name, “Callaghan!”
He froze, eyes narrowed before his heart dropped, that was— that was Tadashi. Fuck, what was that kid doing?
The man glanced around sharply, it would easy to slip away, the micro-bots could be used to protect him and help him escape. But then he heard another shout and his brow furrowed as something in his chest tightened, he turned, and then Tadashi yelled again— fuck!
But well. When is life ever easy? Nothing was ever that simple.
Something gave, he called back, “Tadashi! Over here! Quickly—“
He saw the fires roar to life, eyes going wide as something seemed to ignite, he extended a hand at the vague form of someone trying to make it towards him through the thickening smoke and blazing inferno, the young man— Tadashi was only a kid, what had he been fucking thinking!?— coughing and gasping as he looked up.
Their eyes met, Tadashi’s face was set into a grimace, but… behind the determination? There was fear. He really was just a kid. Callaghan felt his heart drop as the micro-bots were surging along to try and pull the kid towards him—
The building exploded into a fireball, a golden fury that consumed and overwhelmed everything, he cried out and the micro-bots surrounded him, he couldn’t see Tadashi— fuck fUCK FUCK— WHERE WAS TADASHI— a force rocked the building, as he was running with the encirclement of micro-bots something caught his shoe and he crashed head first into the floor—
He woke up with a ringing in his ears, eyes watering as he coughed and choked on smoke and ash, the building groaned and he glanced up and just managed to dive out the way of a flaming support beam, a numbing panic making him desperately tuck his face into his elbow, gasping and calling for—
His eyes widened as they opened and spotted a limp form on the ground, Tadashi had been thrown back, but as he slammed next to him, his mental command bringing the micro-bots around them both in a protective ball, Callaghan could choke out a relieved breath as he felt the younger’s weak pulse.
He was still there, clinging, but still alive.
The building groaned, and Callaghan grimaced as he moved to collect Tadashi in his arms, nearly crying out and dropping the kid when this caused a horrible pain along his shoulders and back, he gritted his teeth and ignored it.
His eyes watered, his jaw was set almost painfully closed, but he had Tadashi— they had to get out now.
He couldn’t see much of Tadashi’s injuries, but the feeling of burnt flesh and a horrible moisture along the palms of his hands was enough to get the message across that Tadashi was hurt bad.
Callaghan tried to blink the— sweat? was it sweat?— from his eyes, stumbling along as the micro-bots surged along with his own pained steps, something screeched above and it took everything in him not to run.
His vision was swaying oddly, or maybe he was— but he had to keep on. He had to get out. He had to ge— fuck— he had to get Tadashi out of here.
He did this. He was responsible for this, wasn’t he? His heart was pounding something awful, he could feel it pulsing in his head, his eyelids were fluttering, and the next thing he knew— they were outside.
They… they were outside. Callaghan tried to get up, realizing he was on the ground, chest heaving as he coughed, trying to desperately surge pass the faded and smudged figures— where was Tadashi— where the fuck was Tadashi— he felt a hand grab his shoulder and he had to try not to cry out, shit— “Tadashi— w-where’s—“
It hurt to breath. It hurt so much, his throat felt like it had been carved out, his arms trembling as he tried again to get up, only to gaze over as he desperately tried to blink his vision clear and— there was Tadashi.
He fell trying to move over, nothing but a dull roar sounding to his otherwise ringing ears, his hand reaching out as people were already trying to do something— what was happening?
His eyes lingered on the burned mess of Tadashi’s face, illuminated in flashes of red and blue, of a horrible glow of reds and yellows and flickering shadows— what had he done?
What had he fucking done?
His eyes fluttered and he was fully aware of a pain and a coldness along his cheek, vision nothing more but a faded parody.
And then there really was nothing.
~
Hiro screamed.
It’s all he could do, he’d tried to go in after Tadashi and someone had stopped him, a hand grasped tightly around his wrist, the kid turning to clawing and scratching at them, the flames roaring behind him and he cried desperately, eyes darting towards the building in all his horrid adrenaline rushed fury and fear.
People were pulling him back, he didn’t know how long it had been, but the fire had grown worst, there were wailing sirens, flashes of color, flames spilling forth here and there in their hungry search, and then— then there had been an explosion.
And all Hiro could do? Scream his fucking heart out, hands clawing at the arms pulling him closer, voice shrill as voices cried out with him, as the flames in their corrupted glory screamed back as they flashed and danced, mocking him—
His eyes burned, his chest burned, and then—
Someone stumbled out. And he closed his teeth around flesh and bit down as hard as he fucking could.
He was, he was staggering, staggering forward.
Then he was running, not even caring as he slammed into the ground besides a gasping and hacking figure, his eyes darting about as his knees burned, and it was Callaghan— then his eyes turned.
And there was Tadashi.
His eyes widened and his heart dropped at the charred flesh he was met with, his older brother’s chest weakly fluttering as Callaghan gasped and coughed— someone pulled him away.
But he couldn’t— he couldn’t stop staring. There— Tadashi, Tadashi shouldn’t look like that— he shouldn’t— “TADASHI!”
Hiro did what he could. He screamed for his big brother to answer him as people surged forth, his breathing growing wild and erratic as his mind flew away from him.
”TADASHI! TADA—“
His mouth gaped open and it was a broken screech dragging its way from his gasping lungs.
This was supposed to be the start of something great.
This was supposed to be a night full of creation and wonder.
His vision was blurred but that image was seared into his head, even as someone tucked him into their chest, a hand numbly running through his hair, he couldn’t—
This was going to be a night to never forget. For all the worst reasons.