I'm Not Giving Up On You [Tadashi Hamada X OC] [COMPLETED]

Don't Say It

Hiro's POV

I wake up in a state. It's the middle of the night, and I'm napping on a guest bed in Fred's mansion - by the way, Fred having a mansion is even more shocking than the first time I saw Tadashi kissing Cherry - between creating armour and costumes for our group to find Krei in the Kabuki mask who has all my microbots. I want to know what he's doing with them.

But that's not what I'm thinking of right now. For some reason, I'm thinking of Cherry. Specifically, Cherry and Tadashi.

In my mind, I've already accepted that it's only a matter of time before they pull the plug. He hasn't shown any signs of promising activity that I know of, and the only thing that's stopping them is everyone else demanding he still be alive. It angers me, because they're acting like Tadashi's still here when he's obviously... gone.

The person who's doing that the most is Cherry. I mean, of course she wants to believe he's still here because he was her boyfriend, and her fiance (even though nobody's dared to mention it since it happened), and even though it had only been about two years they were clearly madly in love. But she's deluding herself, and it's irritating me.
She's deluding herself that he's going to be okay, and that she still wants to be part of the family only now consisting of me and Aunt Cass.

I mean, come on. It's crystal clear for everyone to see that Cherry isn't good around people and is only nice around us because Tadashi was here. Those days off, those pop-ins... ways to get Tadashi to like her more. She's faker than a pantomime dame's breasts.

Suddenly flooded with frustration at this train of thought, I take out my phone and call Cherry. It rings twice then she picks up, sounding surprised.
"Oh, hello Hiro. It's midnight, what are you still doing up?"
"What are you doing?" I ask directly - she's not the type to try small talk, but on the other end I hear a machine beep, and Cherry says anxiously, "I secretly stayed overnight in Tadashi's hospital room. I just wanted to sleep next to him. You understand, right? You won't tell on me?"
I huff in annoyance at that. "And you think I wouldn't wanna sleep next to him? Or you would sleep next to me? Or Aunt Cass?"

I hear her pause to take it in, then respond with, "What are you talking about Hiro?"
"I'm talking about how you refuse to acknowledge that Tadashi's gone!"

I hear a gasp on the other end, and for a brief moment I feel guilty before I regain my blind anger.
"Hiro, don't talk about your brother like that. You don't know what's happening! The other day I saw-"
"Oh yeah, and what?!" I retort down the phone, "Would that be the only reason you stay with us?!"

I hear another quiet gasp and then silence. I laugh into the silence drily, mind bitter. She knows what I'm talking about.
"Why can't you leave our family of two alone Cherry?" I ask meanly and childishly. "Don't you think that we have enough to grieve over and do without you staying over here constantly with your dog crying over Tadashi and reminding us about the good old days and how you used to have a child with him? Don't you think you've done enough already?"

The last sentence I shout without thinking, and as I hear Cherry down the line gasp louder with a catch I realise I've said what I didn't mean.

But... I think I did mean it.

I continue, ignoring the sounds of stifled sniffles. Now I've said it, there's no going back, and I continue spilling my dark thoughts onto her shoulders nevertheless.
"Why couldn't you have made him get out of the building Cherry? Why did you let him try and find Callaghan? Why don't you realise that he's never coming out, and that we aren't your family any more than Tadashi is going to wake up before they decide to pull the plug? Wake up Cherry, and realise that nothing that you hope is going to happen will ever happen! So leave me alone!"

Cherry pipes up with wet words, "Why are you being so mean and distant? I was always nice to you even when I'm a bitch to everyone, I have helped you and Aunt Cass with as much as I can over the past couple months, I've kept way too many secrets that I could never tell you because they would break your tiny naive heart - what have I done to make you straight up resent me?"

"You should have died and not Tadashi!"

Silence again, and I immediately genuinely regret what I just said. I'm shocked at myself.
On the other end I can hear Cherry sniffing hard and crying quietly, and I feel so incredibly guilty.
What was I thinking?! Of course Cherry loves us as well as Tadashi - I must not be thinking straight with everything going on.

"Cherry-" I say before she cuts me off. She speaks more quietly and fragile than she normally does, but with a firm tone that makes me take in every word she says with paralyzing shock until she hangs up on me:

"I'm sorry. I should have rejected his proposal. I should have told you he's started trying to move a little... I should be the one in a coma, not Tadashi. He's the one with a loving family, not me. I'm sorry Hiro - so, so sorry. I'll collect my things tomorrow."

That's definitely not what I want.