Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Fifteen: Socially Awkward

The pizza place Wasabi led them to a familiar sight, despite it being a bit more out of the way. The gang had gone there many times after defeating various bad guys. Seeing it now felt like a blow to Hiro's body and he stumbled back outside the entrance while the others of his old group went inside.

Tadashi braced his brother by the shoulders to steady him. Through his contact, he could feel Hiro's heart thudding and his breath coming in shorter, faster spurts. "You okay?" he asked while the door swung shut behind Fred.

Hiro stared rather blankly ahead as he licked his lips. He hadn't expected this turn of events and part of him wondered if the future he remembered was still even remotely possible. "I'm fine," he finally managed, coming out of his shock. "It just hurts."

Completely misunderstanding what his brother meant, Tadashi moved to push the door open. "We'll stop by the drug store on the way back for some painkillers," he promised. "I should have remembered to get you some earlier."

Hiro let out his breath before heading inside. "It's okay. It's not your fault." There was no way he could tell his brother the real reason for his pain. He'd think he was crazy or something.

Inside the pizza place, it was just as noisy as Hiro remembered. Booths filled with college students provided about a third of the noise. Loud music and arcade games made up for the rest of it. Fred had always gone for the video games.

Luckily, GoGo had found a decent-sized booth that would fit them all. Ironically, it was their usual one, with an extra chair added to the open end. She claimed to have fought off a few high schoolers for the spot.

In light of Hiro's injuries, everyone insisted Hiro sit in the middle, away from the possibility of being bumped by careless patrons or staff. He felt, admittedly, a little small when put between Tadashi and Honey Lemon. Both insisted on sitting next to him to keep an eye on him.

Idle chatter filled their table as they debated on what to order. In the end, they chose to go with a pepperoni, a veggie, and a supreme, all large. Breadsticks were added when Hiro mentioned liking them.

Once the order had been placed, the boy genius just sat back and listened to everyone talk. It was a little weird to see this side of his pseudo friends as they bantered back and forth. Even Tadashi teased the others with his good humor. It reminded him of the first time they'd helped with his microbots. Okay, "helped" wasn't the right word; more like distracted him so he didn't go totally mental on them. Same idea. But it was also different, because they weren't bantering with him so much as with each other.

When their order came, plates were passed around. Tall glasses of various sodas were handed around. Hiro had never felt more socially awkward in his life, at least not as far as he could remember.

No matter how much he thought he knew them in a different lifetime, Tadashi's friends were now strangers to him. They shared stories about classes and teachers he didn't know. They teased and made jokes. And while it was fun to watch, Hiro couldn't help but feel a bit left out.

A leg brushed Hiro's under the table. Well, more like his foot, but it still felt weird. It had to be coming from Honey Lemon. Had she purposely invaded his space? Or was it just an accident?

Hiro watched the chemist closely as he nibbled on warm garlic bread. The blond was decidedly not paying attention to where her feet were going, or so he observed. She was animatedly talking to Wasabi about who knew what class. Blah. Blah. Blah. He didn't really care.

Her leg brushed past his foot again. Only this time, he felt another leg touch his other foot as Tadashi's leg seemed to reach for Honey's. Were they trying to play footsie under the table? Even though he was in the way? Or were powerful magnets inside their shoes that drew them together?