I'm Still Here (Hiro x Reader)

Chapter Eighteen

| Hiro's POV |

It's been months since Tadashi's death. Hiro hasn't left his room since, except for going downstairs to occasionally get a glass of water or to take a shower, but he waits until Aunt Cass is in bed for that.

Today, he's sitting on his bean bag chair. He's staring at his hands that are limp in his lap. With a small sigh, He leans his head back.

Aunt Cass appears on the top of the stairs, carrying a laundry basket full of folded clothes. Hiro zones out while she informs him on what is going on downstairs. He doesn't care. The only time she says something that catches his attention is when she says, "The university called. It's a few weeks into the semester, but you can still start." He shrugs. "Well, think about going. Okay?"

"For sure," Hiro replies.

"Oh, and ___ is on her way with dinner," she adds.

Hiro forces a smile on his face so his Aunt will leave him alone. When she disappears, he closes his eyes. Hiro would be lying if he said that your constant care didn't bother him sometimes. It does. But he would also be lying if he said that you weren't his best friend.

"Hey, Hiro," he hears your voice say.

He raises his head and says, "Hey, ___."

"I brought you chicken pot pie," you inform him. You shove the bowl in his hands and let the fork fall onto the crust. "My mom made it."

"Thanks," he says. When you turn away to set your backpack by the stairs, be slides the bowl partway under his bed.

You notice, but don't say anything. You take a seat on the floor in front of him. "How has your day been?"

"Fine," he replies dryly.

"Good. Did you drink some water?"

"I had a glass this morning."

"Take a shower?"

"Last night." Annoyance begins to fill Hiro. He clenches his fists.

"How long did you sleep?"

"About five hours," he lies. More like five minutes.

Thankfully, all of your questions seem to be over. "Lucky you. I had my chemistry project to work on. I didn't stop working until it was almost two in the morning." You groan. "School stinks. Maybe I should've been a nerd like you and graduated early."

Hiro smiles a little bit. "Maybe."

"Speaking of school," you say. "Have you thought about going to SFIT?"

Hiro's stomach turns at the thought. "No. I'm not going."

"Maybe you should think about it," you suggest. "I mean, you're already in. So what, you missed almost half of the semester? You'll do great! I can even help you catch up on your work if you want. Maybe we should go stop by and just look-"

"I'm not going, okay?" Hiro snaps. He stands up and walks over to his desk.

"I know that it's going to be difficult, Hiro," you say. Hiro's face burns red with anger. "Trust me, I understand. I know what you're going through."

Hiro turns around. His fingers reach up for his hair and he tugs on it. "Don't even say that, ___. You know what I'm going through? You know what it's like to watch your brother die for someone? To want to keep him with you but you can't do that because someone else will suffer from it?" He turns around and shoves the books off of his shelf. "You don't know anything! No one does!" His voice breaks and the tears stream down his face.

"Hiro. . ."

"Get out of here," he says, his voice quiet again. You don't move. Hiro raises his voice. "I said go! I don't need you hovering over me all of the time! You'll never replace my parents or Tadashi, so stop trying!"

"I just want you to stay healthy," you say sadly.

"Well I'm not the one who's dead, now am I?"

He hears your shaky intake of breath. "Okay. I'll go. I'm sorry, Hiro. I'm sorry about your brother and I'm sorry about coming over all of the time. I promise that I won't be back to bother you." He turns and watches you grab your backpack and walk down the steps without looking back.

Hiro rolls his eyes and bends down to snatch his blue journal. He flips through the pages and reads each title and paragraph. Diagrams of his microbots stare at him. Hiro angrily rips page after page of notes and sketches out, tossing them carelessly on the floor.

He picks up the book and throws it down. It slides across the wooden floor and lands in front of his dresser. Hiro glances at it. A picture of you and him taken in the garage looks up at him. You had taken it. You were on his back, one arm wrapped around his neck and the other holding the camera. He had a mouthful of gummy bears. He remembers how funny everything was that night. You couldn't stop laughing, and neither could he. The caption below the picture, written in Hiro's messy writing, says:

This is ___, the most awesome friend ever!

Hiro smiles. He then thinks of the fight and frowns. He must've really hurt your feelings. Pushing those thoughts aside, Hiro grabs Megabot. He turns back to his bean bag chair, only to be stopped by a pain in his foot. A part of his bot has fallen off. Hiro gasps in pain and falls onto the bed. His hand immediately grabs his foot. He squeezes his eyes shut in pain and says, "Ow!"

Suddenly, from the dark, quiet side of the room, a beeping sound erupts. Hiro's heart sinks. He turns around and sees his brother's robot, Baymax, inflated and making his way over.