shorterpass | man your battle stations, we'll have you dead pretty soon

Entry tags:

!mafia au

man your battle stations, we'll have you dead pretty soon

[Panic had run straight through his core when he knew someone had found their safe house. It'd been the best one yet, they had managed to stay there for months now, but it really was too good to last. They still had so much to find and clean up, he wasn't ready. He grabs his bag, the one he kept packed for if they had to run fast, and made for the door but stopped just outside.

It was them. It was the Six, they'd found him and Callaghan. He's not sure how, Callaghan's mods to his collar had jammed their trackers so... It must be something else they used. But if they're here then they could help. They could take over this mess, and he could go home.

Maybe.

Tadashi's throat's gone dry with the dirt and dust kicked up from their landing and scuffle with Callaghan off to the side and he stands watching, swallowing the lump in his throat. Callaghan, that's right, he-- He'd done so much to get them out, he couldn't let the guy just be taken back to prison, he'd be killed from the inside --

He makes a run towards the group, waving and trying to call out but any sound he makes drowned by the shouting.]

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[ Hiro brightens visibly when Tadashi sits out in the open with him. And - he's relieved too, glad that his brother is making the effort. For all of his calm advice as One, it all sure seems to fall out of his head when he no longer has a mask to hide behind. He smiles a little and mixes a little karashi into his soup. ]

Do I look that bad? [ A faint grin. ] Got a new project I'm working on. Kind of a mess, but it'll get easier the more work I put into it, y'know? Probably going back to SFIT after dinner.

[ And by project, he means he's going to start finishing Cal's dismantling of the mafia and their weapons. Starting by asking for Callaghan's direct help in hunting them down... ]

Y'look like you slept on a bus.

[A little too straightforward but... Yeah, he'll just take a couple quick bites of his food to hide behind. In some sense, Tadashi isn't as tense or tightly-wound; knowing Callaghan's okay and taken care of and not actually in prison helped ease a lot of that. Now whatever lingering nervousness he has is solely for himself.

Hearing his brother working so much on projects though... He smiles, a tight, worn smile, but it's there.]

Knew you'd love it there if you gave it a shot.

[ It still gets a snort and an amused glance from Hiro. ]

Futon, okay. Don't even judge, I know you did it too.

[ Nothing but the truth there; he really had slept on the futon folded under his lab desk. He looks Tadashi up and down ... Yeah, definitely better than yesterday. How much is due to seeing Cal and how much is due to talking with One, he's not sure, but he makes a mental note to make sure Tadashi gets to see both of them sooner rather than later.

But - for now. Projects. Right. ]

Guess even older brothers are right every once in a while.

[Or possibly a combination of those two talks plus just absolute exhaustion draining him of any real thought to be nervous. Really, it's probably just everything. Baymax comes over to watch them both, giving Hiro a curious head tilt. If he could figure out how to contact Hiro's friends, you'd think he could send Hiro a text asking if he wanted an update now or later.

Either way, Tadashi doesn't seem all that bothered by his presence in the space.]

Only once in a while. I'll try to make sure it counts when I'm right.

[ Eh. He's alright with the bot waiting, anyway; he's had mundane things on his mind for once today. He's glad to see the comfort with which Tadashi shares space with the nursebot, both because Baymax was a great help to him, once upon a time, but also to keep those vitals tracked. ]

Well, it counted that time. Best decision of my life was choosing to go there.

[ His smile at that is warm and genuine, though he leaves out the part about that decision having come rather later than what Tadashi likely thinks of. ]

[In turn, Tadashi's smile is worn and tired, but just as genuine as Hiro's. He's so glad and relieved his brother decided to go, even without Tadashi there as a motivation.]

Bet you still get into trouble there too.

[And he can't stop the silence that falls again. He thought maybe he could try to be the same as before but... There's such a distance now. A distance he isn't sure how to bridge except telling him where he was and what happened. And he should, he just... Sees how happy his brother isn't sure.]

What uh. [Clears his throat.] What else is going on?

Well yeah. Of course. That's how I roll.

[ Ah, but what else ... He has to rack his brains to think of what else he can say without giving away his secret. For a moment, he even considers just telling Tadashi ... but no. It'd be too awkward after that talk as One. And he knows Tadashi's seen all those scars on his armor - for his brother to know exactly who his weapons hurt... That would hurt him right when he's starting to get better. Maybe Tadashi can't be the same ever again, but Hiro can pretend, at least. Until his brother's found his way. ]

Nothing, really. No illegal bot fights even, I promise. I do my homework and I do my projects like I'm supposed to. Except for dragging stuff home sometimes, I guess.

[ Ha ha. ]

Oh good, because I was worried about that.

[There's the slightest hint of a joke in his tone but. If Hiro really had continued illegal bot fighting... There's no telling what might've happened. Thank god Hiro quit. That would've been like handing Yama the worst tech Tadashi could've built on a silver platter with Hiro's life on the line.

He won't ask how his grades are; Hiro's ...16 now? Almost 17 if his math is right, his brother's old enough to care about that stuff himself.]

Still helping Aunt Cass with the cafe? Or did she finally hire someone else?

Hey, I'm not completely dumb.

[ Hiro's smart enough to get the grades he needs, anyway. Mostly he gets points taken off for participation, and the classes he cares about know he's good for the work anyway. ]

Someone else, part time. I'm too busy with school work so ...

[ Well, school work and superheroing. ]

Gotcha. At least she isn't trying to do it all herself anymore.

[And he noms silently on his food for a couple more bites before deciding that's enough, sets the only half-finished plate back on the tray. Still having to get used to the "having enough good food available" thing here. Every time he shifts to lean down or lean back, a few more of those scars on his arms become visible, going seemingly all the way up; either slashes or burns or the ending tendrils of weird marks that go further up.]

... But how are you doing? It's... Been a couple days now?

[He thinks? He's bad at time.]

[ Hiro freezes for a moment as he sees a fresh scar pop up. He's seen the tapes, so he has a good sense for what's there, but ... He swallows, slowly, and makes a mental note to have Baymax scan Tadashi later. (Which Baymax will do - and refuse to show Hiro. For the sake of his mental health.) ]

Tadashi, I'm fine. I'm just glad to have you back. [ A pause. ] I mean it. I don't care - I don't care if things are a little different, y'know? You're still alive.

[Tadashi in turn freezes, eyes stuck on Hiro. If things are a little different? Something that had been clenched tight in his chest suddenly releases and he feels like he can take a full breath for the first time since the Six found them. Slowly, oh so slowly, he moves to get in front of Hiro. Then kneels down so he's sitting on the floor below his eye level - where he belong~~s no not where he belongs, just where he feels he should be~~

Maybe he should. Maybe he should tell his brother everything (minus a few certain details of incidents) and get it over.]

Hiro, I--I'm glad to be back too. But it being different, it's more than just 'a little'. You know? It's...

[You'll never be the same.]

[ HIro still can't stop the sharp little intake of breath when he sees Tadashi get down on his knees. It' a gesture he's seen before, with his brother, but the context is so different now. Not an older brother getting down on his younger one's level, but just ... more subservient. God. He doesn't like that at all. But - he means it when he says he doesn't care if things are different. Tadashi's still his brother.

He makes himself smile a little and reaches out for his hand. He'd rather hug his brother, but... ]

I know. You had to have gone through a lot, right? But I'm still the same, so ... Why don't you rely on me this time? You protected me while I was a kid, so - so it's my turn to protect you.

[His eyes immediately go to Hiro's hand, watching it carefully like he expects it to move. To do something, to do worse than sit and wait for Tadashi to take it. Once he's sure that's all that's expected, he obliges, a shaky trembling hand taking Hiro's. Then squeezing as he ducks his head down to lean against Hiro's knee. Hiro shouldn't have to be protecting him. He's the big brother, he shouldn't have to rely on Hiro at all. Hiro needs him to be unbroken.

Callaghan had suggested he talk to someone. Either his family or someone else, and One is a busy guy. His voice is quiet, uneven. Like he still isn't used to talking, despite all the easy conversation he had with Callaghan the night before.]

I... I-i. Everything that happened, it - [His mouth just got really dry really fast and he has to swallow down the bile that threatened to creep up. It's too much. He can't tell his brother. He wants so badly to explain things to him, so Hiro can better understand him, but he can't.]

[ Hiro knows his brother is having trouble with all this; he knows that he shouldn't expect more than this from his brother. But after hearing Tadashi and Callaghan, then experiencing a relatively smooth conversation as One ... Hearing his brother unable to talk to him hurts. It hurts so damn much that he can't hide a small wince. And then he immediately hates himself for it. ]

... It hurt you, bad?

[He loves his brother so damn much, that's what makes it hard. Trying to tell someone he cares about any of the terrible things that happened makes him seize up. But he's still going to try damn it.

He slowly nods.]

Yeah. Y-yeah, it did. Lot more than it looks.

[ Hiro's gaze drifts up to the collar - and the scars all around it. ]

... Show me?

[That... That makes him pause to think. Showing is easier than talking. Not by much, but still easier. Maybe... Maybe he could.]

... You sure you wanna see that?

[ His expression softens. Of course he knows it has to be bad, but ... he has to look. ]

'course I am. You're my brother.

[He watches his brother for a long moment, something shifts in his eyes. Relief? Resignation? Something that moves him to sit on the backs of his feet and take a deep breath.]

If you're really sure.

[ Hiro swallows a little. Does he want to see all the horrible evidence of what the mob did to him? No. But he has to look anyway. ]

I'm sure. I promise.

[This is it then. The start of no-turning-back. He gives his brother's hand another apprehensive squeeze before letting go and scooting away. He keeps his eyes down, can't look Hiro in the face when he starts reaching for the hems of his hoodie to pull up. Is Hiro really sure? Hell, is he really sure he wants to let his brother see? He hesitates, almost changing his mind but - Hiro's almost an adult now. He can make his own decisions.

He closes his eyes and pulls his shirt with the hoodie off. Underneath are burns, up his forearms, up his shoulders, around the right side of his abdomen and spotted across his back; slash scars from who knows what, an especially large one curled around between his right collarbone and shoulder; faint scars around his forearms from not only bad binds but Tadashi having tried to fight against them; a smaller wound against the back of his left side that may or may not have been a gunshot but he won't answer. On top of it all, starting from his neck, long, thin lines snaking and twirling their paths down his neck, his shoulders, his chest, over old still-healing bruises. Some of the scars and bruising go even further down past his stomach, but even letting him see this much is pushing himself.

Tadashi glances up quickly to see if his brother's looking, then back down when he sees Hiro is. He's already having second thoughts letting him see.]

[ Hiro tries - and fails - to suppress a sharp, shocked gasp. He's not surprised that Tadashi was hurt. Or even what kinds of injury marks he might see - the security footage gave him enough of that. But seeing them real and in person ... that's completely different. It's immediately obvious that his brother will never, ever quite look the same. No matter how well some of those things might heal. And he's not sure some of them will, to be honest. Especially some of those burns...

Also: he knows what a gunshot wound looks like.

The silence stretches between them as Hiro stares. Belatedly, he realizes he should say something and not just leave his brother out to dry like this. Not helping with those second thoughts, huh? ]

-- You were shot. [ Is what comes tumbling out first. Stupid, stupid brain. ]

[Hiro's voice cuts through his daze like a knife and he hurriedly starts to straighten his shirt out with shaking hands. Second thoughts, third thoughts. He still can't look his brother in the face now.]

Uh-- Not something I'd recommend.

[ Hiro swallows, slowly. ]

Doesn't seem like fun, somehow.

... You ... you should see a doctor sometime.

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