Hiro X Mute! Reader: Screaming Is Useless

Chapter 7

Three months had gone by since you had seen the Kabuki man. Hiro had officially made a superhero team out of the seven of you, although he didn't refer to it in that term (he called it the "Rescue Squad," but everyone agreed with Fred that you all were more of a Superhero team). Baymax was scanning the entire of San Fransokyo now and then to find the Kabuki man's location, and occasionally the masked villain would be too far away to show. Fred's parents were still not home, which gave Hiro full access to their garage and therefore allowing him to build 'super suits' for everyone, based on their favorite science category. You weren't particularly fond of science (you only enjoyed viewing what Hiro had created, but you never understood the chemical names or wiring crap), so you had yet to figure out what sort of 'powers' you would have incorporated into your suit.

Paired with the anticipation of that, you also several panic attacks from recurring nightmares of the SFIT fire. They were mainly the same: Tadashi, standing amidst the flames, calling out your name and pleading for you to wake up and end the torture; the blood that choked you every time you screamed; the searing, ripping, biting pain of fire crawling up your arm and along your face; the Kabuki man, suffocating you and tearing your neck from your spine until you woke up from the lifelike pain, sweaty and whisper-screaming.

Not only did this diagnose you with insomnia, it also made the gang extremely cautious around you. They wouldn't mention Tadashi at all, not even the happy memories everyone had with him. No one had bothered to question the microbot-patterned burn on your arm, though it was obvious to anyone. Hiro never left your side; of course, you didn't have any problem with that, but you knew he wanted to be doing something else, such as upgrading Baymax, making super suits, or playing video games, even if it was with you. So you mostly hung out in Fred's garage, which let him kill two birds with one stone. He could do whatever he wanted as he kept an eye on you, watching for any sudden panic attacks.

It was on this particular Thursday afternoon, you were having fun with Honey and Fred as she tested her new suit. You would push random buttons on her purse, creating some haphazard chemical reaction in sphere form, and then she would toss it as Fred to see what sort of reaction it would result in. Fred was currently covered in fluffy goo that wouldn't stop growing (you didn't bother to think that this might grow to the point of suffocating him).

You felt a tap on your shoulder, and turned to find a beaming Hiro. You smiled, curious as to where this happy mood came from, when he squeezed you into a tight hug. You tensed; he hadn't hugged you like this in months.

"It's finished!" he exclaimed, setting you down. "I finally finished it!" He kept his hands gently on your shoulders. The small gap between his teeth was showing, and his eyes bulged with excitement. You could see grease marks across his cheeks, and his hair was an explosion of fur. You were happy to see this optimism, to see him smiling from his own accomplishment, an not from making you comfortable.

"C'mon, lemme show you!" he said, and suddenly began to drag you by the arm to the other side of the backyard. Your heart raced a bit at this unexpected burst of joy from Hiro, and it rubbed off on you, causing you to run at full pace alongside him. You just then realized that he was wearing a combination of red and purple armor, which confused you even more; but as long as he was happy for his own reasons, and not because of you, it was all you needed.

Hiro skidded to a stop, releasing his crushing metal-gloved grip on your hand. "Wait here." he said, and disappeared behind a hedge. You took the time to catch up with your breath, and to shake off the feeling of your heart pulsing inside your ears. Everyone else had gathered behind you (Fred now released of his chemical trap), also waiting to see Hiro's finished project.