[That scowl and those balled fists feel like a challenge, and Tadashi treats them like one, at least physically. His own clenched fists probably aren't a conscious decision, nor is the straightening of his shoulders as he pulls himself to his full height. In anyone else the subconscious attempt to appear larger might be due to a primal instinct to seem intimidating, but Tadashi's needs are slightly different. Yes, he needs to look strong, but in order to reassure rather than intimidate. He needs others to believe that he doesn't need to be taken care of. That he can be the one to take care of things. He needs Hiro to believe it.
Except that's not going to happen. Not when just a few days prior it was Hiro who watched over Tadashi while he spent half the night in pain on the bathroom floor.]
Hiro, you can't- [He cuts off as he scrambles around the bend after Hiro, losing the thread of the conversation completely when he spots Callaghan. Well, the swarming, man-sized lump that he assumes is Callaghan.
The way the microbots move is more fluid than ever and, by extension, far more creepy. The tiny ripples and probing fingers... Tadashi reaches out, laying a protective hand on Hiro's shoulder without thinking.]
no subject
[That scowl and those balled fists feel like a challenge, and Tadashi treats them like one, at least physically. His own clenched fists probably aren't a conscious decision, nor is the straightening of his shoulders as he pulls himself to his full height. In anyone else the subconscious attempt to appear larger might be due to a primal instinct to seem intimidating, but Tadashi's needs are slightly different. Yes, he needs to look strong, but in order to reassure rather than intimidate. He needs others to believe that he doesn't need to be taken care of. That he can be the one to take care of things. He needs Hiro to believe it.
Except that's not going to happen. Not when just a few days prior it was Hiro who watched over Tadashi while he spent half the night in pain on the bathroom floor.]
Hiro, you can't- [He cuts off as he scrambles around the bend after Hiro, losing the thread of the conversation completely when he spots Callaghan. Well, the swarming, man-sized lump that he assumes is Callaghan.
The way the microbots move is more fluid than ever and, by extension, far more creepy. The tiny ripples and probing fingers... Tadashi reaches out, laying a protective hand on Hiro's shoulder without thinking.]
... Professor?