Who We Are (Hiro x Reader)

chapter five

You wake up with a start. A hand is on your shoulder, and you're pretty sure that it's real. You wait an agonizingly long second; wait for the nails to claw their way into your flesh, for the teeth to sink into your throat... you shouldn't have fallen asleep! You shouldn't have fallen asleep! A scream is building in your throat when your eyes open and take in the surroundings around you.

"Whoa," a voice says from beside you. You look up and see Hiro kneeling in front of you. His hand is on your shoulder. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Sorry," you breathe, placing a hand over your rapidly-beating heart. "I'm not used to having anyone wake me up."

"Right. Sorry." He smiles nervously and scratches the back of his head. "Tadashi and I are getting ready to leave for the run. You might wanna get ready."

"Right," you say. "Thanks."

"Aunt Cass wanted me to bring you a new shirt. It's hers and it might not fit well, but it's clean." He fidgets nervously before adding, "I-I guess I should leave so you can get changed."

"That would probably be nice," you say with a smirk. Hiro nods and swiftly leaves, shutting the basement door behind him. You pick up the shirt that Hiro left you. It's a maroon hoodie. You swiftly take off your shirt that's covered in a bit of blood and dirt. The warm cotton hoodie feels great against your skin. When was the last time you changed clothes? The apocalypse never provided much chance to go shopping.

You can hear soft noises coming from the kitchen. After grabbing your backpack, you head up the steps and into the kitchen.

"Morning," Tadashi greets from the kitchen table.

Aunt Cass turns from the corner and says, "There you are! How'd you sleep?"

All of this human contact is making you dizzy. Surely you're still sleeping up in that attic, right? "Great, thanks. I don't remember the last time I slept for more than thirty minutes."

"That explains all of the snoring," Hiro jokes with a snicker.

Your face burns and you look away. Tadashi chuckles and says, "You're not one to talk, little brother. Sometimes I think that I have to put a clothespin on your nose before one of them hears." He jerk his thumb towards one of the boarded up windows.

"Oh, boys," Aunt Cass says, shaking her head and laughing. "Did you eat?"

"Yup," Hiro says. "Oh, wait! Here, ___-" He tosses you a box of Frosted Flakes and says, "Eat up."

"Thanks," you mumble, tearing into the box hungrily. You scoop up a handful and shove them into your watering mouth. The sugary cereal tastes incredibly amazing, especially since you haven't had anything unnaturally sweet in months. You chew quickly, eager to get the next bite in.

"So, the plan," Tadashi says, pulling a detailed map of San Fransokyo and a red ink pen out of his pocket. He unfolds it and uncaps the pen with his teeth, leaning his elbows on the table. Hiro takes the chair next to his brother. "We've already covered about all of the land over here. I say if we take this road, we could make it to Fred's."

"But that herd was in the alley beside it. They'll hear us," Hiro says.

"Yeah, but the department store is nearby. If something goes wrong, we could hide in there."

Hiro sighs and shakes his head. "Tadashi, it's too risky-"

"It's the best way to get there," Tadashi interrupts. "And getting there is the only way you'll ever live a normal life. I don't want this to be a life-long thing, Hiro. None of us want that."