san_fransokyo | @bigdamnhiro

@bigdamnhiro

[The potential here was impressive; had things gone differently, he would have enjoyed watching what Hiro developed over time. Perhaps he'd have had the opportunity to be here legitimately, as opposed to breaking and entering.

To be fair, he was trying his best to not make a mess. To be fair, the moment there was even a slight lapse in concentration, the microbots tried to swarm over everything and explore; it was a constant battle between investigation and restraint, but at least he'd a little bit of practice in controlling them at this point.

Still, as Callaghan flipped up some of the notes, he wondered just Hiro would have done with these, given a longer window to research and develop their usage. He'd no doubt have found and took steps to prevent a problem like this, before it had even become one; clearly, this was Robert's own mistake, one of many perhaps less-than-wise decisions he'd made.

They can't be taken back now. And he's at a complete loss as to how to deal with them, now, when there's no longer a band or mask involved in controlling the microbots, where they seem to respond to thought alone and things that he's relatively certain he didn't even think of in the first place.

He hopes he can convince Hiro to at least hear him out, but he also hopes he won't have to see Hiro at all, and that the answer is somewhere in his notes.]

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[Hiro's lucky Baymax isn't in the vicinity. All those 'ow's would make for a lot of extra fussing... though the kid could use a little fussing over at the moment. That's a lot of information to take in at once, and Tadashi knows his little brother well enough to realize what's probably going through his head at the moment.

He perches next to Hiro on the couch, setting the first aid kit down and making a gentle grab for his brother's chin with two fingers. Look at your brother, Hiro. Time to focus up.]

Hey, we'll deal with this, but one thing at a time. [Letting go and taking a deep breath, motioning for Hiro to do the same.] Stop for a minute. Take a deep breath.

[Still resisting, at first, but eventually Hiro lets himself focus on his brother. Deep breath, and then a couple more. He reminds himself that he's okay, that Tadashi's okay, that all of that could have turned out a whole lot worse than it actually did.

He can still feel the microbots clamping down around him, impossibly powerful for something made of so many small parts. He can still remember what it was like to be trapped. That's not what he made them for, and yet, he made them capable of that.

So maybe he needs a couple more seconds to practice his deep breathing exercises.]

It has to be something I did wrong. [Because admitting that is apparently easier than admitting oh my god, that was terrifying, let's never do that again. He fixes his eyes on the floor instead of on Tadashi.] He's right. He only copied my program.

[While Hiro's pulling himself together, Tadashi's going to go ahead and open up that first aid kit so he can get to work on those cuts and scrapes. His own hands are far steadier than Hiro's, but his mouth settles in a thin line that betrays some of his own anxiety.

Tadashi doesn't have the same concerns that Hiro does when it comes to his own safety. He probably should, but his worries have always been directed outward. First and foremost toward his brother, but also toward the mentally unstable man he used to call his mentor, as well as all the people Callaghan could hurt.]

He stole a prototype. Prototypes are supposed to have problems, problems you would have discovered and fixed if you'd had the chance.

[But he didn't. That chance was stolen (along with so many other things), and yet Hiro would probably still have to be the one to fix things.]

This is not your fault.

[Hiro shakes his head, a heavy numbness settling in, coiling in the pit of his stomach. Yeah, it was a prototype. But a rushed one. Maybe he would've fixed it, if Callaghan hadn't stolen them. Or maybe he missed something. Maybe if he'd taken more time, maybe if he hadn't been so focused on the scholarship...

Or maybe, if Callaghan hadn't taken them, it'd be him struggling to control a rampaging pile of glitched out microbots.

There's too many maybes.]

That's a big problem to miss, even for a prototype. Look. [He thrusts his hands into Tadashi's full view, fervently trying to make him understand; as terrified as he might've been for himself, it didn't hold a candle to how terrified he was for his brother. If anything had happened to him again, because of Hiro's invention...] What if somebody else gets hurt? What if you got hurt?

[Jeez, Hiro, you're making this first aid thing really difficult. Tadashi halts his attempts for the moment, looking over Hiro's hands with a frown before reaching up to gently clasp them between his own larger ones.]

Then that wouldn't be your fault either. [Look at that conviction. Would Tadashi lie to you?]

When people get hit by a cars, no one blames Karl Benz or Henry Ford. Whatever happened to start this, the microbots were never meant to be used the way he's using them. If he was really serious about fixing the problem rather than just getting them under control, he'd stick around and let us help.

[Hiro doesn't look convinced. Maybe, logically, it wouldn't be his fault, but there's so much more than logic in play...wild teenage emotions, for one. The gut-wrenching memory of the last time he'd seen his brother, before he'd died in a fire and then...stopped being dead, for another.

His expression settles into something like a mopey frown, and he sags back into the couch, dropping his hands into his lap palms up, so Tadashi can get to them easily.]

I have to fix it, though. If he won't do it, then I need to.

[Oh, teenage emotions. Tadashi remembers those very well. Granted, Tadashi never had to go through what Hiro's going through now when he was the same age.

Big bro picks up his first aid efforts again, careful about disinfecting each cut and scrape before bandaging.]

You'll fix it. I know you can. [He smiles again, that same old encouraging he's always been.] But you don't have to do it by yourself.

Edited 2014-11-29 05:03 (UTC)

[Hiro tries to look more encouraged, but mostly he looks like Tadashi's poking him with dozens of needles, wincing and grimacing as he disinfects each tiny cut one at a time.

Maybe he whines a little more than necessary; maybe he's hamming it up for sympathy points and leftover pastries from the bakery later. Not like he's going to be using the computer with his fingers all huge and band-aid covered. He pouts at Tadashi.]

I'm not letting you help unless you promise not to do anything stupid like jump between me and a bunch of glitchy microbots again.

[C'mon, baby, it's not like he's dunking your hands in iodine or anything. The more pathetic whines do earn Hiro some sympathy, but they won't stop Tadashi from getting the job done thoroughly.

Maybe a little too thoroughly. Even with all those cuts, there's no way that many band-aids are necessary, especially not the pink ones with hearts on them. It'll be up to Hiro to decide later when proper bandaging ended and brotherly amusement took over... though frilly band-aid application will definitely slow after little demand.]

As the only person in the room that isn't currently bleeding, I feel like that's not really a reasonable request.

Is too.

[He holds his hands up to inspect the damage; half a dozen Hello Kitty faces and an army of little pink hearts isn't doing his public image any favors. He frowns. Good thing it's a weekend.

He'll get revenge later, somehow, but he doesn't have the heart to do it right now. He drops his hands back into his lap and sits still for a long moment, stealing furtive glances over at Tadashi, as if debating something. Eventually, reaching a conclusion, he scoots over, tucks himself under Tadashi's arm and just kind of...leans on him.

As close to actually saying so I kinda need a hug as he's gonna get.]

You scared me. I mean, all of it kinda scared me, but the part with you - that part scared me the most.

[You're fourteen, Hiro. You don't need a public image, and if you had one? If it can't take a few Hello Kitty related dings, it wasn't much of an image to begin with. WISDOM~

He's a little surprised when Hiro scoots in close. Tadashi's always been the more physically affectionate one, and Hiro... well, he's a teenage boy with the same aversion to touchy-feely things as every other teenage boy on the planet. So when that action is coupled with the words that follow, the truth behind them seems to magnify ten fold.

Tadashi doesn't need further prompting to wind an arm around his brother's shoulders and give him a solid squeeze.]

... I was scared too. I got to walk in on my little brother bleeding and surrounded by microbots.

[Hiro has a way of conveniently forgetting that other people worry about him. Like when he wants to go bot-fighting, or when he wants to hide away from the world, or when he wants his brother to stay alive because imagining the opposite hurts too much.

He's trying to make up for that and do better. Trying. He's still a few years shy of learning how to think about consequences properly.

He huffs softly and curls into Tadashi, sheepish. He hasn't done this in years, not since he was little. Er. Littler.]

I had it under control. Mostly. He was about to leave when you showed up.

[Sometimes they're not all that different in that aspect. Tadashi's got a few more years under his belt and the wisdom that comes with them, and he understands that his actions have consequences. What he does and what happens to him can easily affect others.

Unfortunately, that knowledge isn't always something Tadashi stops to reference during sudden, high-stress situations. It's something he's trying to be better about, too. Something that Callaghan, of all people, is actually responsible for bringing into focus for him. He can't leave Hiro again. He can't, but at the same time, Tadashi can't stand the idea of his little brother getting hurt (or worse) while he's standing on the sidelines.

It seems they're at something of an impasse.

Get comfortable, Hiro, because Tadashi doesn't seem at all inclined to let go any time soon.]

... I don't trust him around you.

[Hiro fidgets uncomfortably, folding his arms, kicking his feet and hunching slightly. The sentiment is mutual, which means at this rate they're going to be stuck in an endless loop of I don't trust him around you and I don't trust him around YOUR MOM forever.

So he doesn't argue back or tell Tadashi again to be more careful. But he sulks, and continues huffing quietly, so the message is clear enough.]

He didn't hurt me. [His eyes flick down to his bandaged fingers and he grimaces.] Much. And he's not gonna hurt anybody else, if I have anything to say about it.

Edited 2014-12-05 03:11 (UTC)

[Sorry, little bro, but you're not going to win this one. Tadashi's too stubbornly protective to let you take this on alone. Then again, Hiro has some very similarly stubborn traits. Hmm...

He relaxes back against the couch a bit, tugging Hiro with him.]

You know, I'm starting to think that armor thing might seriously be worth looking into at some point.

[Tadashi's not actually all that hype on the idea of being some kind of nerdy, vigilante superhero, but if it could mean some kind of middle ground between "I want to protect you" and "No, I want to protect you", well...]

[The last time they talked about this, he'd sort of been half-joking, and Tadashi hadn't seemed all that into it anyway, so they hadn't really talked about it again. The fact that Tadashi's the one bringing it up now gives him a moment's pause where he watches his brother curiously.]

Yeah?

[He doesn't really know what else to say, so he doesn't for a little bit. He settles into the crook of Tadashi's arm, and yeah it's dumb, and he's too old for this, but he stays there anyway.

It's a constant reminder Tadashi's still here and okay. He wants to keep it that way.]

You don't have to wear tights, if you don't want to. All you'd really need is the basic safety features.

[Hiro will never be too old for this, but that's just Tadashi's opinion. You'll always be his little brother. ;_;

Tadashi's not focused on anything in particular, looking out toward the opposite wall with a thoughtful little frown. He's still not all that into the idea, honestly, but whether he likes it or not? His little brother is a superhero now, and whether he's dealing with the microbots or stopping runaway trolleys, he's going to go out and get himself into situations that Tadashi is just not prepared to handle. Callaghan's visit (along with a few other encounters) made that especially clear.]

... I bet I could rig up a nano-particle display. Tie in a scanner, GPS...

[Trying to imagine Tadashi in superhero gear fighting anything is just about impossible, but then, Tadashi probably wouldn't have imagined Baymax with rocket fists, either, so they're probably even.

Hiro yawns, grinning with faint amusement at the idea. He had homework he was going to do tonight, but between the exhaustion moving in to replace the adrenaline rush from the Callaghan scare and a head swimming with ideas for Tadashi's armor, he's too tired to think about it. Blah.]

We could totally pimp your scooter, too.

[No worries, bro. Tadashi's the one sort of pushing the subject now and even he can't imagine it either. The idea of actual fighting hasn't even entered his mind. Armor is for protection, something he'll need if he plans on sticking close to help the people planning on doing the actual fighting.

(Any more in-depth discussion they have on it later could get interesting when Tadashi shoots down any and all ideas that include even the vaguest suggestion of weapons.)

He looks down at Hiro again, his smile returning. Whatever they end up doing, right now? Hiro's safe, and calm even. That's all he needs to be content for the moment.]

After seeing how you pimped out Baymax, I'm can't even imagine what you'd do to my scooter.

[The shortest of guilty glances toward the door where his scooter is still lying on its side. He should probably pick that up at some point.]

Tougher engine. All-terrain tires. Rocket boosters to help you do sick stunts, maybe.

[Hiro continues mumbling off possible modifications as they pop into his head, breaking for the occasional yawn in between. Picking up the scooter may have to wait for droopy eyelids to finally shut and for Hiro to stop unconsciously snuggling up and trying to get comfortable.

It's been a long night, okay.]

You and your stunts...

[A very long night, and Hiro obviously needs the rest. For a few seconds Tadashi waffles between letting him fall asleep right there and nudging the kid into using his actual bed. In the end he settles for a quiet suggestion.]

You know, you'd probably be more comfortable sleeping in a bed.

[No response for a second, and then Hiro lets loose a cranky groan and reluctantly sits up, rubbing at his face to try and wake himself up. He really doesn't want to go to all the work of dragging his butt up three flights of stairs, but if he has to -]

S'not like I never sleep on this couch. It's fine.

I'd feel better if you slept inside.

[With several walls and doors between Hiro and and anything that might hurt him. Never mind that the chances of Callaghan (or anyone) coming back around are pretty much nil.]

[Hiro pulls a face at Tadashi that's somewhere between a pout and a rebellious teenage eyeroll. He can't hold it, though. His brother did just walk in on the world's most awkward not-quite mugging and then patch him up all nice and neat, so he can't really argue.]

Ugh, okay. If it makes you feel better. [He shoves off the couch with great effort, collecting a few things - his homework, what little is left of his microbot notes - and stuffing them in his backpack to carry upstairs.] Bet you just want the couch for yourself. Nerd.

[Good, no arguing. Tadashi can't help but grin, rising behind Hiro and replacing the first aid kit before taking the chance to pick his scooter up off the ground. There's a slight scratch of two on one side, but he'll leave it for now, moving it out of the path of the door before popping the kickstand.]

No way. Not when I've got a perfectly comfortable bed of my own.

[And one that happens to be in the same room as the dear little brother he's currently feeling extra protective of, even.]

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bigdamnhiro - 2014-12-13 03:09 (UTC) - Expand

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