The Rubber Band Theory

Chapter 1: Together

     Tadashi smiled down at Hiro, that little proud almost-smirk that shone through when Hiro was melting his heart from the inside.

     And then the alarms rang.

     And then they ran.

     The fire raged from within, smoke streaming from the windows. The screeching of the klaxons mingled with the screams of the fleeing people, mixing to form a cacophony of sound that practically dripped with anxiety. Tadashi pushed the impressions down, rushing forward to catch one of the stumbling people.

     "Are you okay?" He grabbed her by the elbows, steadying her as she coughed.

     "Yeah, I'm okay. But Professor Callaghan is still in there!" She pointed towards the exhibition hall before rushing past them. Tadashi ran closer.

     A small hand caught his elbow, pulling him back. "Tadashi, no!"

     He turned to see Hiro looking at him with wide, pleading eyes. He was radiating the same panic that everyone else was. Tadashi watched him for a moment, at war with himself about what to do. Hiro's face changed. 'Please,' it begged, desperate.

     Tadashi turned back towards the building, breathing hard. He peered through the glass, trying to spot Professor Callaghan. The glass had been opaque to begin with, and the smoke did it no favors. He spun back to Hiro with a new urgency.

     "Callaghan's in there," he said, begging his little brother to understand. "Someone has to help." He pulled his arm from Hiro's grip and charged up the stairs.

     Tadashi pulled free and Hiro started panting, hyperventilating. His brother wasn't halfway up the stairs before his hat flew off, landing at Hiro's feet. 'No, no, no, no, no no no! Tadashi, NO!'

     Hiro screamed, throwing his hands out and desperately yanking back. 'No, no, no I will NOT LOSE YOU TOO!'

     Hiro gasped in pain as Tadashi was thrown back. He soared over the stairs and landed hard a few feet away from him. Tadashi yelped in surprise and pain, but Hiro didn't hear him. His head felt like it was splitting. Everything hurt. He groaned, putting his head in his hands, trying desperately to numb the pain. He felt his knees buckle, but he didn't feel himself hit the ground. He curled up into a ball, begging the world to please, make it stop. He was vaguely aware of Tadashi's voice, but he couldn't really hear it. He felt the building explode, the force of it rattling every bone in his body. All it did was make the pain worse. Every second was an eternity of pain.

     After a few more eternities the pain began to ease. He started to be able to feel again: slow circles on his back and wetness on his face. The pain lessened in favor of peace, and he slowly started to slip away.

     Tadashi was just over halfway up the stairs when suddenly he wasn't. His forward momentum turned into backwards momentum, and his feet left the ground. He let out a startled yelp as he flew over the stairs, landing hard on his back on the bricks, almost where he started. He glanced around, trying to see what had pulled him back. He caught sight of Hiro and froze. His head was in his hands, his face scrunched up in extreme pain. He was whimpering and whining, trying to keep his balance through the pain.

     Tadashi surged forward from the brick, catching his little brother as he fell. He lowered him quickly into his arms, panicking and calling his name. Hiro was in so much pain, why, why, why?