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

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!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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[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.

[He starts to put the shirt on. Stops when he catches a whiff of it and tosses it aside, opts to just put the hoodie back on and leaves the sleeves down. He's self conscious about his own body and hates it, if he's honest with himself.]

I can't do that. I mean, it's ... [sigh.] It's not so easy as that.

[ Right. The surveillance. Stupid, stupid mafia. He's going to destroy all of them. ]

Because the doc would ask questions?

[Tadashi finally resigns himself to sitting on his haunches, elbows on his knees letting his arms stretch out in the space between them.]

Yeah. Like, "how aren't you dead?"

[ Slowly, carefully reaching out for his arm then. Gently. ]

Y-yeah. It's okay - Baymax can keep an eye on you.

[ While One works with Callaghan to get a surgeon to remove that collar. ]

... Yeah.

[That gets a small smile from him. Baymax the last day and a half has been good for him. he looks to the big marshmallow he built, a hint of pride in his expression.]

Until things get figured out and I can be out there.

Right. Don't worry - we'll help keep you safe.

[ And he means it, dammit. ]

[Wait -- He looks back to Hiro confused. 'Safe'? What would.... Tadashi hadn't mentioned anything about where he was or anything. Just that it might be shocking if he was found alive? Also:]

'We'?

[ Oh. Shoot. Quick, cover. ]

Well, yeah. Baymax and me.

[Well the confused look is gone, replaced with a fond grin.]

Uh huh. And what're you two going to keep me safe from? Not having enough hugs?

[... Even if One said he didn't have to be the same and Hiro said it was okay if he's different, Tadashi still feels like he has to try.]

[ He screws up his face a bit. ]

Well yeah, duh. Looks like you need 'em.

[Shit. Wrong thing. He's already bad at this. Tadashi runs his free hand through his own hair, looking down at the floor between them, then at his arm Hiro's holding onto. Hugs. Hugs are fine. Hugs are simple. Hugs aren't h-ands grabbing him by the arm and twisted behind his back forcing him to his knees, hands in his hair pulling him to look up an--

Tadashi jerks his arm away like he's been burned, falling back to sit flat. His breaths come in short, ragged gasps as Baymax already begins a fresh scan, sends the readings to Hiro's phone. Sudden elevated heart rate. Elevated stress and anxiety levels. Shortness of breath. He carefully pulls his arm to himself, holding to against his stomach, his eyes never leaving Hiro's hand but he looks lost. Somewhere else.]

[ Oh god. Looking between his brother and the readout on his phone, it's obvious that his brother's having a bad panic attack. He's - he's not sure what to do. Hug his brother? No, that makes him even worse. Instead, he reluctantly takes a step back and nods at Baymax. Nice squishy marshmallow bot will help, right? Or at least he leans in to be a nice, comforting, nonhuman presence for a panicked brother.

Meanwhile, Hiro stays back. Longing to be able to reach out and help his brother, but he knows Baymax is his best bet. ]

-- It's okay. We're both right here, okay? Nothing's gonna happen to you.

[Breathe. In, four, out, four. He makes it to "two" before the shaking starts and he can't get it under control. Callaghan. Callaghan always, that's who he needs. Not the big pillow of a robot stepping closer and carefully enveloping him, a slow, steady pulse vibrating from Baymax's frame. Tadashi zeroes in on that pulse, almost like a heartbeat, and gradually, slowly, his breathing begins to slow. It's still shaky and unsure, but not frantic.

His vision comes back to what's in front of him and he blinks back tears. Realizes Hiro's watching him and lowers his gaze, leans his head against Baymax, still synchronizing his breathing to the pulse Baymax is giving out.]

[ Callaghan or Baymax but not his brother. When did Hiro become such a complete failure at people? He'd been doing well, having friends and leading a superhero team ... but not well enough to know how to get close to his brother again. What's the point if he can't do that...?

And then he kicks himself mentally for daring to feel sorry for himself when his brother's having a panic attack. Squishing his feelings down, he steps just a little big closer. Still keeping the bot between himself and his brother. ]

You can stay with him if you want.

[It's a few more minutes before Tadashi responds, still evening his breath, mentally counting to ten as best he can. Count with me. He counts the pulses he feels from Baymax instead. When he finds his voice, it's thick. Wet and upset and trying to keep it steady.]

Sorry. I'm-- I'm sorry.

It's not your fault, Tadashi. It's - it's the fault of whoever did all that to you.

[ And Hiro is going to destroy them. ]

[Once he's got a steady breathing pattern for himself again, he eases off Baymax to sit up straight. Hiro's words though - they get his attention and he looks to his little brother, expression lost and for all the world like they've switched places. That Tadashi is the little brother shoved into lockers and no way to change it, Hiro the older brother looking out.

It doesn't sit well with him.

This wouldn't be so bad if he'd managed that second escape, the one before Callaghan was brought in. Sure the shock had been bad enough to drop him to the ground but he should've kept crawling. Should've kept doing something to get out. He's not looking at anything now, staring blank at some spot on the screen-separator between their spaces.]

Should've kept running.

[ They have switched place, haven't they? Tadashi's the one hurt and mentally scarred; Hiro trying to take the brunt of the rest of the world without necessarily letting his brother know that's what's going on. Except both their roles are at such, such high stakes now. One mistake and they're both irrevocably lost.

Hiro shakes his head slowly. ]

Like I should have run from my bullies as a kid? Just gotten myself out of the locker?

[He ducks his head down, rests his hands at the base of his neck shaking his head.]

Not what I meant.

[Deep, slow breath. Deep, slow exhale.]

Where I was. I tried to get out. Twice. [Another breath. Breathe.] Second time I almost got out, but... [He taps a finger to the collar at his neck.] ...Should've just kept running anyway.

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