Who We Are (Hiro x Reader)

chapter thirteen

"We should've saved Tadashi some," Hiro mutters as he scoops up the last three beans.

"Oh my gosh, you're right," you mumble. "I feel so bad. I didn't even think about it."

Hiro shrugs. "It's alright. He'll be back with more food, anyways."

You nod. "I'd kill for some pie right about now."

"You'd kill?" Hiro raises his eyebrows and his hands in surrender.

Rolling your eyes, you mutter, "Oh, you know what I mean. Dad used to make the most amazing cherry pie. Gosh, I would look forward to cookouts all year long just to have him. He only made them in the summer. We would have a huge cookout on the fourth of July every year. Hamburgers, ribs, barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese-"

Hiro groans. "Stop, you're making me hungry."

You laugh and say, "Anyways, he would make that cherry pie and I would have at least two pieces that night. And on my birthday, he considered that as a special time to make me one. I would wake up and he would be singing 'Happy Birthday' at the foot of my bed, a party hat on his head and a cherry pie in his hands."

He smiles. "Those are nice memories."

You nod. "Yeah. Yeah, they are." You reach up and wipe a tear from your cheek.

Hiro's hand lands on your shoulder. He squeezes it softly before saying, "You know, we shouldn't act like this. They're gone and we can't do anything. They wouldn't want us to be miserable. Don't you think that they would want us to be happy?"

You nod. "I really do."

"Then let's do it," he says. "Let's show them."

You can't help but give him a weird look. After all, his aunt just died yesterday and he's already planning on forgetting about it that quickly. Of course, you just found out that your entire family was dead only three days ago... but a piece of you already knew that they were. You just didn't want to accept it.

"I know what you're thinking," Hiro says shyly. "I just want a goal. To keep my mind off of things, you know."

You nod. You understand.

Hiro smiles and hands you the can. "Here, you take the rest."

"They're yours," you reply as you wrap your fingers around the can.

"Just eat them," he says with a slight shake of his head. You spoon the last three beans into your mouth. As you chew, Hiro grabs his gun and stands up. He walks to the hole in the wall and moves the shirt aside.

"Do you see any?" you ask.

"Not really, no," he answers. "There are a few around the convenience store down there, but-"

Suddenly, there are footsteps downstairs. You freeze, pull out your knife, and wait. Much to your relief, it's Tadashi that walks in. "Whew!" he breathes, "You'd never believe what I had to risk to get this."

"Oh gosh!" you gasp, taking in his appearance. He's covered in dark creeper blood. "Tadashi, what happened?"

"It's not as bad as you think," he breathes. "Just ran into a couple in one of the apartments down the way. No big deal." He drops his backpack and slides down the wall. "Well, take a look."

Hiro hesitantly reaches down and grabs the backpack. When he opens it up, he gasps. "Whoa! Tadashi!"

"What?" you question.

Hiro pulls out a bag of candy. "Sweet, gummy bears! How'd you find 'em?"

Tadashi reaches for his water bottle and takes a swig. "Found them in a kitchen. Only one pack, but I won't give up."

Hiro grins. "Thanks!"

Tadashi smiles at his little brother. "No problem, knucklehead."

As Hiro tears open the pouch of gummy bears, he looks up at his brother. "Are you okay, Tadashi?"

Tadashi grimaces as he wraps up in the curtain. There are purple bags under his eyes and a thin line of sweat on his hairline. "I didn't get much sleep last night and I've been on two runs in less than twenty-four hours. I'm just tired."

"I can tell," Hiro says. "Get some sleep. We can watch over things for a while."

Tadashi nods, turns around, and curls up in his curtain. You look over at Hiro. "Does he usually look sick when he's exhausted?"

"Yeah," Hiro says, waving it dismissively. "He was a sophomore in college before all of this. He practically lived on coffee, but now that there aren't any cafés around..."

"He misses coffee, huh?"

"Yup. Coffee was to him like gummy bears are to me." Hiro picks up a couple of green ones and pops them into his mouth. "Crucial for survival."

"Crucial for survival," you repeat, your eyebrows rising in amusement.

"Yeah," Hiro says. "I mean, sugar is a necessity."

"I haven't had sugar in months," you say, "and I'm surviving."

"Not the good way," Hiro insists. He holds the bag out to you. "Here. Help yourself."

"Really? You're sharing with me?"

"Why not?" He shrugs. "Take a few. This can't be the last bag on earth, right?"

"Right," you answer, scooping up a few of the gummy candies. You drop them into your mouth and chew slowly. "Yum. I forgot how much I missed these."

"I didn't," Hiro says, gazing at the package lovingly. "I'm so glad we're reunited."

You laugh and shove his shoulder playfully. "Get out of here, you dork."

"You're just jealous of the candy," Hiro accuses.

"What! No, I'm not."

"Hm... I think you are."

"Am not!" you scoff.

"Are too!" he exclaims.

Tadashi's head lifts. "Will you two just cuddle and get over it?"

You leans against the wall and cross your arms, your face burning red with embarrassment. Hiro chuckles softly and moves closer to you. "Get away from me, Hamada," you warn.

"Come on, ___," Hiro whines. "You know I was only kidding." He hands you the bag of sweets. "Here, I'm making it up to you."

You stare at the bag. Your mouth waters at the thought of the sweet taste of candy. Your eyes flick up to Hiro's, where you glare at him as you shove your hand into the bag and take out a small handful.

"Knew you couldn't resist," Hiro says under his breath.

You sigh and look away. "You're impossible!" He laughs again and rolls the bag up. He shoves it into the front of his backpack and then drags Tadashi's bag closer to him. "What are you doing?"

"Looking at what we can have for dinner," he answers.

"What's in there?"

"Canned potatoes, corn, peas, tuna, broccoli-" He stops and pulls out a can.

"What is it?" you question.

"You wanted pie, right?" He smiles and hands you over a can of cherry pie filling. "Here, no need to kill for it."

"Thanks," you say. "I'll save this. We'll be wanting more sugar after the gummy bears are gone. And you might be right, sugar is pretty crucial."

"When am I not right?" Hiro questions with a smirk, crossing his arms behind his head and laying on the floor. He shuts his eyes. "Mind keeping watch?"

"Not at all," you say softly, smiling at him.