Who We Are (Hiro x Reader)

chapter sixteen

"Tadashi?" you whisper. The creepers moan from the floor above you. Tadashi squeezes Baymax's luggage through the little bit of space, then pulls the bars back down. He stands up and smiles sadly. Your eyes widen in terror. "Tadashi, no!"

Hiro turns around and gasps. "Tadashi, what are you doing?" he demands. He angrily grabs the bars and tries to yank them up.

"Stop it, Hiro!" Tadashi yells. Hiro shakes his head. You pull against the bars. What is Tadashi doing? He slides his phone in between the bars. "Baymax is over there behind you. Take him. Remember what I taught you, Hiro?"

Hiro lets out a shaky cry. "Why are you doing this-?"

"Do you remember?" Tadashi repeats sternly.

Hiro nods. "Yes! Yes! Just - why?"

With a sad smile, Tadashi turns around and lifts up the back of his shirt. The bite is small on the right side of his back. "Oh my gosh," you breathe. That's why he's been sick. Why he had hardly ate or slept, why he's been exhausted and dripping with sweat, why his skin had been a sickly pale and his eyes reddish purple and swollen. He's been turning into one of them.

"It happened at the café," he explains. "When I was leading them all out of the way. I didn't want to end up hurting you two. That's why I went on the runs and couldn't eat or sleep." He turns back. "I'm already gone, but you have a chance. Go!"

"No!" Hiro shouts in defeat. The creepers are at the top of the steps. "No, Tadashi, come on! Come with us, we'll-"

"No, Hiro!" Tadashi screams, tears sliding down his face. His voice drops to a softer level. Tadashi's fingers brush against Hiro's through the bars. "No. I love you, knucklehead. You always remember that." He swiftly takes off his cap and slides it between the bars. Hiro looks down at it and lets out a sob. Tadashi's eyes land on yours with a split second. You remember everything he said to you, about you having to protect Hiro and be with him, and nod. He returns a nod, then shouts, "Go!"

The creepers have reached the bottom of the steps and are pulling Tadashi into the crowd. Hiro throws himself against the bars rapidly, screaming at the top of his lungs. "No! No, 'Dashi! Stop!" Once Tadashi is covered with them, Hiro sinks to his knees in defeat. The sobs racking through his body make the entire gate shake.

Tadashi's strangled screams make the tears flood down your cheeks. You want to - need to - look away, but you can't. Your eyes are stuck on the gruesome scene. They tear at Tadashi, pulling his hair, tearing his shirt, snapping at his skin. You want to run away. You want to run away from ever feeling for these boys and the memories you made with them. Everything flashes behind your eyelids; Tadashi fixing you up in their bathroom, Tadashi saving you three times, Tadashi telling you to keep Hiro around after he's dead. He knew that he was dying then. And it was your fault that it happened. You have to honor his last wish. "H-Hiro-" You grab Hiro and pull him away from the bars. Sinking onto the floor next to him, you start grabbing your things. You reach for Tadashi's gun. "Hiro, we've gotta-"

Hiro's hand shoots out faster than yours. He grabs the gun and turns towards you quickly. Before you can blink, you're frozen to the floor as Hiro presses the barrel of the gun against your forehead. His face is streaming with tears, his eyes swollen and puffy, the anger and pain clearly twisted across his features.

You don't move. You're not even afraid. You deserve this. It's your fault that Tadashi's gone. "Do it," you whisper in defeat. "Do what you have to do."

His face twists in a different kind of pain at these words. With a groan, he drops his arm. Tadashi lets out another scream of agony. Hiro turns towards the gate, puts the barrel between the bars, and pulls the trigger at Tadashi's head.

His misery stops. The only noises are the creepers that are still on top of Tadashi's body. Hiro swiftly grabs Baymax, Tadashi's hat, and slowly walks out of the building. You let out a panicked breath before following behind.