I'm Still Here (Hiro x Reader)

Chapter Thirteen

| Your POV |

"Yeah, Mom. Cass will drop me off whenever the showcase ends, okay? Love you, too." You shut the door and wave before walking towards the tall building. Tons of people pile in. You stand as straight as you can and search for your group.

"There she is! ___!" You hear Fred shout. You turn around and see your group pushing blue trashcans. You weave your way through the crowd. A huge smile on your face.

"Hey, guys!" You greet. You smirk at Hiro. He smiles back. "Hey nerd, are you nervous?"

"Not at all," he states happily.

"Yup. He's nervous," Go Go says.

"Oh, you have nothing to fear, little fellow," Fred assures him.

"He's so tense!"

Hiro blushes. "What? No I'm not!"

"You'll do fine," You say.

"She's right," Honey Lemon adds. "Tell him, Go Go!"

Go Go blows a bubble through her thick wad of pink gum. "Stop whining. Woman up."

Everyone parks the trashcans in their designated spots. Hiro stands close to the stage, and you notice that he actually looks a little nervous. "Hey," you say, touching his shoulder. "You're going to do fine. You're San Fransokyo's number one bot fighter, after all."

Hiro smiles. "Yeah, but this is different. For once, I feel like what I am doing is actually right."

You nod. "You're special, Hiro. You have everything you need to be happy and successful. You have the makings of greatness in you." You smile and finish, "Stick to it. You'll love the outcome."

"Thanks, ___." Hiro's name is called. Honey Lemon gathers the group for a quick selfie.

"Okay, ¡foto, foto!" She exclaims. She aims the camera. "Everyone say, 'Hiro'!" After the picture, everyone pulls away. "Good luck, Hiro!"

"Science, yeah!" Fred shouts happily.

You laugh and turn back to Hiro. "You're going to do great." He nods, and you walk with the rest of your friends.

Just a couple minutes later, Hiro is in the stage. He clutches the microphone in both of his hands. His eyes dart around the showcase nervously. He swallows and says, "Hi. M-My name is-" He is cut off by the ear ringing sound of the stereo system. You wince. Hiro looks completely lost as people start walking away. He looks at the most important person in his life, his brother. You watch Tadashi's mouth move. Hiro gets the message he sends and nods. "S-Sorry. My name is Hiro Hamada. And I've been working on something that I think is really cool." He a microbot out of his hoodie pocket and holds it out. "This is a microbot."

A couple people walk off at this, and you give them dirty looks as they walk by.

Hiro still continues, "It doesn't look like much, but when it hooks up with the rest of his pals," Hiro pauses and the trashcans tilt. The microbots flood out and weave their way through the legs of the observers. They crawl up on stage, "things get a little more interesting."

Hiro's presentation goes on smoothly. His demonstrations are spot on, and by the end, the applause is so loud that you're sure everyone in here has watched. Hiro steps off of the steps of the stage. Tadashi runs to meet him there. By the time you arrive, he's been congratulated and hugged by the entire group. He turns to face you. You playfully shove his shoulder.

"What'd I say?" You ask, a smile growing on your face. "Makings of greatness."

Hiro grins. He opens his mouth to reply, but a voice from behind you interrupts. You recognize the words "Krei Tech" in his sentence. Everyone steps away to give Hiro his privacy.

Honey Lemon seems genuinely concerned about this. You ask her why. She explains, "Alistair Krei is a very, very rich man. His tech is definitely impressive, but he is a selfish man that will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"I'm sure he'll make the right decision," Wasabi says.

And he's right. When Hiro joins you again, he has an acceptance letter from San Fransokyo Institute of Technology in his hand. Everyone leaves the building as a group. Aunt Cass announces that she wants to treat everyone to dinner back at the cafe.

Tadashi pulls his brother to a stop. "Uh, Aunt Cass? We'll catch up, okay?" He asks.

Aunt Cass nods. "Okay. Oh, I'm so proud of you!" She pulls her nephews into a hug before pulling away. "Come on, ___. We'll wait in the car."

"Okay." You follow Aunt Cass to her green truck.

"I'm just so proud of him! He's finally working to his potential," Aunt Cass carries on a rant about her nephew. "He's going to be a great student."

"Yeah, he is," you agree, smiling down at your shoes.

Aunt Cass elbows you gently in the side. "It's because of you, you know. He likes you."

You blush and look away, a horrified look on your face. "Cass!"

She gasps and pulls you to a stop. "Do you like him?"

You shake your head. "No! I-I mean, he's nice and smart but kind of annoying--" Aunt Cass bites her lip and is basically jumping excitedly.

"You do!" She says, throwing her arms around you and pulling you into a hug.

"Cass, I barely even know him!" You exclaim, hesitantly hugging her back.

"I can wait," she says, "But I know a connection when I see one, and you definitely have one with Hiro!" You roll your eyes and she pulls away. Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise rings through your ears. She looks towards the showcase and you follow her gaze. "Oh, no," she gasps, her hand covering her mouth.

"Cass, are you seeing this?" You hear Fred shout as the group climbs out of Wasabi's car and runs towards her.

"You don't think Hiro and Tadashi are in there, do you?" Honey Lemon questions, the panic clear in her voice.

That's all it takes to make your legs move. You sprint towards the showcase. "___!" Your friends shout. You ignore them and continue to run. Your eyes dart around the crowd for the brothers.

"Hiro? Tadashi?" You call out. People who have escaped the building run into you, sometimes knocking you back. You keep pushing through.

"Tadashi, no!" A familiar voice shouts. You turn to your left and see Hiro and Tadashi. Hiro is clutching his brother's arm like it was a lifeline. You run to them. Tadashi says something to Hiro, but you can't hear him over the pounding of you heart. Just as you stop beside Hiro, Tadashi starts to run off. You grab his hand.

"Tadashi," you plead, shaking your head slightly.

His face softens and he pulls out of your grasp. You watch as he runs towards the building. Hiro snatches his brother's hat that you hadn't noticed fell off. He takes a step towards the building, and you grab his shoulder.

"Hiro, no-"

Just as those words leave your mouth, you're thrown backwards as the building explodes. You land beside Hiro. Your ears are ringing and your vision is fuzzy. You slowly sit up and rub your forehead. When your vision finally focuses on what is in front of you, your heart clenches.

"Tadashi!" Hiro screams for his brother. "Tadashi!" You choke back a sob and raise a shaky hand to your mouth as it sinks in.

Tadashi isn't coming out of that building.