It didn't use to be that bad. The first few times Hiro tricked a bot fighter and won, he managed to escape with fairly minor injuries. Usually just some scrapes or bruises on his arms, which were easily covered by his hoodie sleeves. He'd gotten a nasty cut on his cheek once; that's when Tadashi first realized something was up. Hiro made up the excuse that Mochi had scratched him, but Tadashi had a hard time believing their cat would hurt anyone, much less Hiro.

And it had only gotten worse from there. Hiro would come home with more and more injuries, which were becoming increasingly difficult to hide from his family. Aunt Cass would notice the wounds in passing while working in the café, but a quick excuse from Hiro was usually enough to satisfy the query. Tadashi would act like he believed Hiro's explanations or pretend he didn't notice the injuries. But once Hiro was asleep, he was able to pull back the covers and see how wounded his younger brother really was.

Tadashi tried to follow Hiro a few times after he'd snuck out, but he wasn't as quick as his brother in the back alleyways of San Fransokyo. After he lost track of Hiro, he would head back the way they came and wait in the shadows by the café for his brother's return. Sometimes Hiro returned without a scratch. Other times, he wasn't so lucky. It was when Hiro came back with a very obvious black eye that Tadashi finally confronted him.

"Hiro," he whispered harshly. He saw his brother jump and whip his head around, his hand still on the café's door handle. Once he saw that it was Tadashi, he sighed heavily and slouched in defeat. Hiro turned to face his brother and put on his best fake smile.

"Tadashi! How are y-"

"What happened?" Tadashi interrupted. Hiro's smile faded.

"I, uh…"

Tadashi was glaring down at his brother when he noticed the streetlight shine on something behind Hiro. He raised an eyebrow.

Hiro realized he was caught. He lowered his gaze to the ground and brought his Megabot out from behind his back. When Tadashi didn't start lecturing right away, Hiro dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled wad of cash. Tadashi suddenly understood.

"You've been bot fighting, haven't you? And betting on it?!"

"And winning!" Hiro defended, which prompted a glare from Tadashi.

"Hiro, it's illegal!"

"And?"

"And," Tadashi emphasized. "You'll get arrested! Or…" He trailed off, glancing at Hiro's swollen eye. Tadashi's expression softened to one of concern, which ultimately made Hiro feel guilty.

"Look," Hiro said softly, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Despite sounding like a half-hearted apology, Tadashi could tell from his brother's body language that he really did feel sorry. He gave a small smile and gently pushed Hiro's head.

"Fine," Tadashi said. "But promise me, no more bot fights."

Hiro grinned. "Last time, I promise."

Hiro had managed to keep his promise for the rest of the summer. But once September rolled around and Tadashi was busy with classes again, Hiro was back to feeling bored. He was researching new software for his Megabot when a page for bot fighting popped up on his screen. Hiro quickly minimized the window out of habit and glanced nervously behind him. Then he remembered that Tadashi said he would be working late in his lab that night.

He looked back at his computer screen and opened the website again. The page showed a list of some local bot fighters he hadn't heard of before, along with information about their personal robots. Hiro scrolled through the list of fighters before glancing at his Megabot and smirking. He could easily take on these losers.

Hiro put on his hoodie, slipped on his sneakers, and grabbed his Megabot. He'd probably be back before Tadashi got home, anyway.

Tadashi quietly climbed the stairs to his and Hiro's room. He saw light through the door's crack and he chuckled to himself.

"Don't tell me you're up late doing-" Tadashi stopped mid-sentence as he entered the lit, but empty bedroom. He dropped his backpack on the floor and looked around the room. He was just starting to wonder where Hiro could have gone when he noticed that Megabot was missing from its usual spot.

"Oh no."

Tadashi shook the mouse to Hiro's computer to break the screensaver cycle. As he feared, a bot fighting webpage was on the screen. He growled in annoyance and grabbed his motorbike helmet. He was about to put it on when he heard the faint sound of the café door's bell. Tadashi tossed the helmet onto his bed and ran down the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. He almost ran right into Hiro when he reached the top of the stairs that led to the living room.

Hiro was hunched over with his arms wrapped around his chest, wincing with each movement. He caught Tadashi's gaze and started to groan, but had to stop midway to inhale sharply and squeeze his eyes shut.

"Hey," Hiro managed to say. His voice was hoarse and the nervous laugh he attempted was cut off by another hiss of pain.

"Hiro…" Tadashi, for once, was speechless. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to his brother, but the words wouldn't come. Seeing his brother in pain and unable to shake it off like usual threw all of his prepared lectures out the window. Tadashi sighed.

"What hurts?" he asked. Hiro snapped his head up to look at his brother in surprise. The sudden movements immediately made him cringe and he cleared his throat weakly.

"Uh, m-my ribs. I think-" Hiro paused to hiss in pain through his teeth. "I think some might be cracked."

Tadashi placed his arm around Hiro's shoulder for support and helped him up the stairs to their room.

"Where's your Megabot?" Tadashi asked, helping him sit on his bed.

"Gone," Hiro muttered. "They took Megabot, they took my money, and then they kicked me out." He chuckled softly as he lifted up his hoodie and shirt, revealing a dark purple, shoeprint-shaped bruise over the left side of his ribs. "Literally."

"This isn't funny, Hiro."

"I know," Hiro replied quietly, dropping the hoodie he'd taken off onto the floor. He sighed. "I know."

Tadashi rolled his eyes and left to retrieve the first-aid kit. When he returned, Hiro's shirt was off and Tadashi was able to see the other cuts and scrapes on his brother's arms. Tadashi shook his head.

"No more bot fights." Tadashi took out an instant icepack and closed the kit. "Okay? Please?"

"Last time, I promise," Hiro said, sounding defeated. "I don't even have a bot now."

"Good." Tadashi threw the icepack at Hiro's head, smirking when his brother cried out in pain. "Knucklehead."

Luckily, Hiro's ribs were just bruised and it only took a few weeks for the majority of the pain to subside. He was limited physically in what he could do, so he spent most of his days moping in his room and tinkering with ideas for a new bot.

Tadashi would get nervous whenever he saw Hiro digging through a box of spare robot parts. But before he could voice his concern, his brother would say that he was just looking. While he wanted to believe him, he knew it was just a matter of time before Hiro had a new bot. And he knew that a new bot meant more sneaking out, more illegal bot fights, and more injuries. Tadashi was beginning to see that his brother's promises were best taken with a grain of salt. In the end, he knew he couldn't stop Hiro from bot fighting.

In the following weeks, Hiro's injuries healed completely and he didn't complain about any more pain. He focused his time on putting the finishing touches on his new Megabot whenever Tadashi was in class or downstairs in the café. The new software he had created made this Megabot better and faster than his first one. He also made the design a little more childish to better throw off his opponents. He was so anxious to try out his new tech, but knew he had to be cautious around Tadashi. His brother was already watching him like a hawk. Hiro had to plan his next fight carefully.

Midterms rolled around and Tadashi was more preoccupied than before. Whenever he wasn't in class, he was at home studying. The night before midterms started, Hiro overheard his brother tell Aunt Cass that he was going to go study in the school library. Hiro jumped at the opportunity to leave the house without playing Twenty Questions with Tadashi about where he was going, what he was doing, what time he would be back, et cetera. He grabbed his new Megabot and ran out the door while Aunt Cass was busy with a customer.

Megabot worked even better than Hiro expected and he was able to defeat three expert bot fighters. When he decided to quit while he was ahead, his last opponent snatched his Megabot and hurled it into the alley's brick wall. Hiro tried to slip past the bouncers, but was caught by the hood of his jacket and thrown to the ground. He wasn't sure what happened after that since he was knocked out after being hit with a glass bottle. He also wasn't sure how long he was unconscious. All he knew was that when he came to, he was thankfully alone.

Hiro groaned quietly and slowly sat up off the concrete ground. He put a hand to the side of his head and blinked a few times to try to clear his vision. He felt pain shoot through his arm and he winced. Hiro glanced at his bloody forearm and found shards of glass stuck in his skin. He sighed, dropping his hand and looking at the ground. He found his Megabot broken in a few pieces next to him, which ultimately made him grin. He could easily fix it.

Hiro shakily stood up, gathered the Megabot parts, and started his journey home, trying not to think about the lecture he was going to get from his brother.

By some miracle, he'd made it home before Tadashi. Though if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Hiro was sat on the bathroom floor with a pair of tweezers. He would get ahold of a glass shard, take a deep breath, and yank it out while stifling a cry of pain. Some pieces were deeper than others, which brought tears to his eyes when he ripped them out. He dropped the bloody glass pieces into the small trash can, one by one. When Hiro was down to taking out the last few shards, he began to really think back on his actions.

Why was he doing this? Why was he still bot fighting? He'd promised his brother several times that he would stop. He rarely took home his winnings; and if he did, it came with a few cuts and bruises. He knew Tadashi was always worrying about him, and for good reason. If Tadashi were the one randomly coming home with numerous injuries, he'd be worried about his brother, too.

When the last piece of glass was pulled out of his arm, tears stung at his eyes for more reasons than pain. He felt guilty for not listening to his brother. He felt guilty for breaking his promise over and over and over again. He felt guilty for putting Tadashi through all of this.

Hiro wiped the tears off his cheeks with the sleeve of his hoodie and exhaled slowly.

He had to make this right.

Tadashi quietly tiptoed upstairs. He had no idea what time it was and he was too exhausted to care. His first midterm was in six hours and all he wanted to do was go to sleep.

The bedroom was dark except for the bits of moonlight spilling through the half-closed blinds. Tadashi took off his sneakers, quietly dropped his backpack on the floor, and took off his jacket. He was just about to face plant onto his bed when he noticed something in the way. He looked in Hiro's direction before switching on his desk lamp.

On his bed was Hiro's Megabot next to a sloppily written letter. It had only four words:

Last time, I promise.

Tadashi's heart dropped into his stomach. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he walked over to his sleeping brother. He was relieved to at least see him in one piece. Upon closer inspection, he saw Hiro's entire forearm wrapped in slightly bloody bandages. There were also a few fresh scratches on his cheeks and a faint bruise on his throat. Though his brother looked a bit mangled, he seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Tadashi shook his head in disappointment, but eventually gave a small smile. Although Tadashi was upset that Hiro snuck out to go bot fighting and was worried about the extent of his injuries, he was also kind of proud of him.

Kind of.

He sighed deeply and stumbled back to his bed. He put Megabot's pieces on the floor next to the note. Hiro snored loudly as he readjusted his sleeping position. Tadashi chuckled as he turned the lamp off.

"Bonehead."