A.N. Yup. Still alive. I just had a really hard time writing this. Mostly cause I didn't know where to start and go with it. I have a vague idea of where I wanna go but… not details xP And yes, this is the same day as in chapter 8

Hiro's P.O.V

Hiro had traveled back up to his side of the room, memories and emotions swirling around his head. How could his brother care for him when no one else did? He had no friends. He was called a freak. He was made fun of. What was stopping Tadashi from doing the same thing? What if he only seemed to care for him? What if he did it out of habit, not brotherly love?

Hiro flopped face first onto his bed, instantly regretting it when his face was crushed by the mattress. He rolled onto his back, with his arms spread across the bed. He stared at the ceiling for what felt like the hundredth time that week. He closed his eyes and sighed.

What was he thinking? Tadashi was his brother. He still cared. Right? Isn't that why he held him and tried to help? Or was he just doing what any other would?

"Ugh!" Hiro's hands flew up to his face and covered his eyes in frustration and confusion.

Why was he such a mess up? He couldn't even understand his feelings.

The young raven haired boy sat up, sitting on the edge of his bed, hands hanging off the side. He needed to do something. Something to get his mind off of everything else.

Hiro practically jumped to his feet, hands twitching and eyes frantically darting around for something to do. He couldn't stand it anymore. He hadn't built anything in… forever? He'd been more focused on not getting beaten to death in and around school during the day and how to avoid upcoming pummels during school at night.

Nearly ready to bolt around the room, he quickly gathered up what he could find. He even invaded Tadashi's side of the room. He quickly grabbed at scraps on the shelf above Tadashi's bed, and in doing so, knocked a large book from the shelf and right onto his foot.

Toppling over with a yelp, Hiro landed on the bed and grasped at his injured foot, turning to glare at the large brick that had fallen on him. But when he turned to see what book would have the nerve to jump out at him, he stopped.

Callaghan's Laws of Robotics.

Laws of robotics? There were laws to robotics? Hiro hesitantly brought a hand to the cover of the book, about to put the stupid thing back in its place, but instead, turned to the first page. Words swam on the piece of paper and it immediately caught Hiro's attention.

Glancing towards the stairs, knowing that Tadashi could find him at any time and give him a lecture about being in his side of the room, then scoot him out, Hiro closed the cover of the book and lugged it over to his side of the room. The sunlight from the midday sun shined on him as he dropped it on his bed, then hopped on himself, sat back, and dragged it onto his lap, before opening to page one again.

Law One…

By the time Tadashi came up to the third floor, Hiro had already read his way through most of the six hundred paged book. The young prodigy didn't look up from the words as his brother clomped up the last of the stairs and entered their room, nor when the eldest sat on the edge of Hiro's bed.

"Hiro, we need to talk." The boy in question flipped the page and started the next.

"Is that my book?" Hiro could feel the bed shift as Tadashi leaned in to get another look at the book to confirm that it belonged to him. He heard a barely audible sigh.

"Never mind…" Neither said a word for a few moments.

"Hiro, can I talk to you?" Hiro gave a grunt in response.

"I'm reading Tadashi."

"Yeah." The older Hamada said with a raised eyebrow. "I can see that."

More silence.

"Come on Hiro." Tadashi whined. Hiro looked up to see his brother give him a puppy dog look.

Hiro sighed but couldn't help but smirk. "You know that doesn't work on me big brother."

"There he is!" Tadashi said, jumping from the bed and spreading his arms in mock excitement "Hah hah!" He ran over to his brother's side and grasped his head under his arm, giving him a noogie.

"Hey!" Hiro slapped at his brother and pushed him away, looking up to see that he had put his hands in the air in mock surrender with a smile on his face. Hiro gave his best glare with a mix of a pout as he fixed his messy hair into a comfier mess.

"No touchie."

Tadashi chuckled as he sat down on Hiro's bed. "Well, at least I got your attention, knucklehead."

Hiro huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back on his pillows that were squished up against the headboard.

Hiro met Tadashi's eyes and immediately, the smile on Tadashi's face was gone.

"Hiro, we really need to talk."

"Yeah." Hiro laughed, close to sourly. "We never spend time together. You should totally help me with this new project that I'm working on and-" Hiro began to get up off his bed, secretly wanting to change the subject, but Tadashi gently pushed him back down.

"Hiro, I'm serious. You've been coming home with bruises each day and you even had to go to the hospital at one point! Please just tell me exactly what's going on?"

Hiro mentally cursed himself for rough-housing with Tadashi earlier that morning. Maybe he wouldn't have found out about the bruises if they hadn't played around.

"Nothing." Hiro said lamely, trying to think of a way out of the conversation. He didn't want Tadashi to know. He didn't want him to know how weak he was. He didn't want him to figure out who had been doing this to him. He didn't want Tadashi involved. He didn't want anyone involved. Everything would just make everything else worse. Why couldn't everyone understand that? Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Wh-

Hiro was broken from his thoughts as he was pulled into a hug. Strong, warm arms wrapped around him.

"Hiro, please. Please tell me. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore. I want to see you happy and healthy again, not sleeping in a hospital. Please tell me who is doing this to you. We can fix everything, if you help me help you. I swear. I'll help you. I understand wha-"

Hiro pushed Tadashi away from him, and he saw the look of surprise on his older brother's face as he landed on the floor.

"You don't understand anything Tadashi!" Hiro yelled, glaring at the surprised Hamada.

"Hiro, if you just told me-"

"Stop caring for me so much! You're just making things worse!"
What was he saying? Tadashi was trying to help him.

"Stop trying to fix me! I'm broken and I can't be fixed!"

Please stop me. Give me another hug. I want a hug.

"You're not Dad! You don't get to replace him!"

Why is it getting hard to breath?

"Stop pretending to be something you're not and leave me alone!"

Am I crying? Why am I shaking so much?

"Nothing you do…is gonna change the fact that I'm a freak!"

Why was he feeling so lightheaded?

"Why can't… I be like… you?"

Was it because he was gasping for breath?

"Everyone likes… you… They don't… call you a freak… or punch you because… you didn't do their… homework… or dunk you… in a … toilet… until you… can't… brea-"

Hiro felt a warm hand on his back and one on his chest, steading him. He hadn't realized that he had started to tilt and fall until Tadashi grabbed him and held him still.

Hiro gasped for air and he watched Tadashi kneel down beside him, at the edge of the bed.

"Hiro, breathe! You're hyperventilating. You need to relax and breathe!"

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He couldn't remember how.

"Hiro look at me."

He shook his head again, fear rising in his chest at the idea of looking at his brother's face. He coughed and rasped for air to enter his lungs.

"Hiro! Clear your mind! Think of something you really like. Think about gummy bears! Tonight I'm gonna go out and buy you five whole packs of them! The big bags! The ones with all the flavors and the colors that don't match or look good together, but still manage to taste delicious."

Hiro shook his head again. It wasn't working. He couldn't stop.

He barely noticed the mattress dip as his brother climbed onto the bed and laid out next to him, placing Callaghan's Laws of Robotics on the floor. Hiro felt himself being moved into his brother's warm embrace like he used to when they were little and Hiro had nightmares in the middle of the night. Tadashi began to stroke Hiro's hair and talked soft comforting words and stories from his day to him.

After some time, Hiro was finally able to get rid of the rasping in his breath, though he was still breathing unevenly. Eventually, he pushed Tadashi away from him and sat up on his bed, unwilling to face him.

He had cracked. He had told Tadashi what had happened. What had been happening. Maybe not in detail but… now he knew. He did exactly what he had wanted to avoid. Now Tadashi was going to get involved and face the bullies or get him counseling, and it would just make things worse…

Tadashi's P.O.V

Tadashi's heart had jumped out of his chest when Hiro had almost collapsed on the bed, grasping the front of his shirt, gasping for air. Now his scruffy haired brother sat on the edge of the bed with his back facing Tadashi, silently steadying his breathing.

Tadashi sat on Hiro's bed, unmoved from when the younger of the two had pulled away, shocked at what had just happened. He knew that something was going on at school but… this? How did one even deal with something like this? He was so afraid to say anything for fear of causing another panic attack.

After another few moments, Tadashi decided to break the ice and speak up, but he was interrupted by a quiet voice.

"Don't ever say anything about what just happened."

Tadashi remained silent, unaware of the fact that his lips had formed into a straight, stressed line.

"Don't ever say anything about what I just told you."

Hiro took a small shaky breath.

"I just want to get through the next few years as fast as I can and if you start something, it's just gonna make it harder to finish." Hiro said, voice slightly cracking at the end.

"Or it could get better!" Tadashi said taken aback by his brother's dark voice. "Hiro, I can't just let it go on like this! You're obviously being hurt physically and mentally and-"

"Tadashi, just leave me alone!" Hiro almost yelled as he jumped from the bed and sprinted for the stairs.

Tadashi sat, shocked for a quick moment before he leapt to his feet and raced after his brother. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard the café door quickly ring open with a slam as a body collided with it and pushed it forward.

"Hiro!" Tadashi shouted, catching a glance of his brother's wild, raven black hair running into the street through the large open windows of the café as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Tadashi raced out of the café and crossed the street to where he had spotted Hiro last. He turned in circles, searching for his little brother in the busy streets.

"Crap…"

A.N Ha! Longest chapter so far! About 1,950 words of pure feelings for ya'll. R&R and a great big thanks to those who reviewed! They definitely helped push me to finish this chappy tonight.