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

Kids Are Tiny Stoners

Tadashi's POV

"Roar!" I yell playfully as Hiro's friend's three-year-old little sister jumps up and down on the couch next to me. She screams in excitement and roars herself, an adorable squeal that I pick her up and turn her upside down for. Again, she screams whilst laughing.

"Higher 'Dashi! I wanna walk on the ceiling!"

As I laugh I see Cherry out the corner of my eye come in from the shop reading one of the manuals for my motorcycle whilst holding a cup of tea - even though she can ride the bike already, we both feel it's best to cover every basis.
"Well don't you worry Delilah, with Big Ears's gargantuan size he can sit you on the ceiling, let alone walk you on it."

Delilah laughs giddily, and I warn her of what I'm about to do before I hold her even more firmly by the waist and stretch up until I'm on my tippy toes and her feet press against the ceiling of the sitting room. She screams with laughter once again as I slowly move her about and she steps to and fro as if she were walking on the moon.

I watch her stomp about from below, smiling at how adorable this is. Thank Beyonce Hiro's friend from his old school came round and asked to babysit his sister for his parents - I love this! Its finally giving me a break from working on the robot I'm trying to make - I haven't decided the name yet - and it reminds me of when Hiro was small (well, smaller) and I used to play with him then, although with this child I don't have to worry about her breaking any of my robots because she's far too busy pretending she's an astronaut.

As Delilah continues to walk around on the ceiling with me supporting her I take a glance at Cherry. She's sitting cross legged on the couch sipping her cup of tea with her eyes still trained on the manual.
She hasn't once glanced up to look at me playing with Delilah since she came in. I find that kinda strange: she has a soft spot for kids, that's obvious whenever she comes into direct contact with them, but she hasn't expressed any interest in this toddler at all.

After a while Delilah stops laughing and starts squirming in my arms, complaining that her head hurts, so I gently get her down and she hugs me and roars before scrambling up the stairs towards mine and Hiro's room where the boys are. They're probably talking about mechanics or botfighting or whatever Hiro does now he's not been to school for just under a year, so a little girl climbing up to them and demanding to know what's going on will be hilarious to listen to.

I sit with my legs crossed on the end of the couch, chuckling at what I think is Hiro shocked at a three year old, then turn my head to look at Cherry. She hasn't moved, still sipping her tea and reading.
I move up the couch until I'm next to her, and kiss her cheek. She murmurs distractedly but keeps her eyes on the book. I kiss her again, this time on the neck where I know she can't resist, and she murmurs louder and tries to bat me away with the book, putting her cup down.

"What do you want Tadashi?" she grumbles, "Haven't got a playmate anymore so you're begging off of me?"
"Well, if you want me to beg..." I begin with a cocky grin and get another thwack to the chest with her book. I grin at the cute grumpiness of my cute girlfriend, and put my arm around her back so she maneuvers herself into my arms like normal. I feel her shoulderblades rest against my chest and kiss the top of her head, then rest my own head on hers.

I'm still thinking about how she didn't respond to Delilah.

I bite my lip. "Cherrrryyy?"
"Whaaat?" she replies absent-mindedly, mocking my wheedling tone as she turns a page. I take one of my hands and slowly wind it through her hair, half taking down her messy bun in the process.
"Do you ever think about kids?"
I feel Cherry raise her eyebrows, don't ask me how I feel it, I'm just tuned into her by now, and I curl a strand of her hair round my forefinger.
"Depends on what aspect you're alluding to," she says, eyes still flicking over the page, "If you mean in a creepy way, no; if you mean having one, still no."

I stop playing with her hair and take my head off hers, and she turns to look at me with one eyebrow up.
"You don't want kids?"
Cherry shakes her head tightly, and I stammer over my reaction.
"But- bu- but you love kids! You're so good with them! They remind you of a time before everything in your life went downhill!"

She tuts and turns back to the manual, shaking her head again. "Yes, they do, and that's exactly why I don't want any: why should I give a child a life with no stability and almost no financial support being raised in a dingy flat in the bad side of the city? And all because I looked in the mirror one time and thought, 'I'm so great, there should be another one of me'?"

My mouth forms a perfect 'O,' genuinely shocked by her answer.
I tap her on her shoulder, and she sighs in exasperation - just like old times - and turns to me again.
"What?!"
I begin to stammer again in sheer disbelief. "But... surely that doesn't matter if you want a child and are with somebody you love and trust enough to have a child with? Right?" She doesn't reply straight away, so I repeat myself more firmly. "Right?"

She looks at me witheringly.
"Tadashi, why are we talking about this? We're both only 20, and we've only been going out for over a year. What's gotten into you? Anyway, it shouldn't matter if you love the child or the partner you had the child with: the child's needs should always be a priority, and no matter if the child would be loved very dearly, the parents should still have enough money to be taken care of properly. And I will never have that kind of money or security."

I blink almost violently, and lick my lips before speaking.
"So, you're saying, the only way you would ever even consider having kids is if you had a great job, great career aspects, bucketfuls of money to spare, with somebody whom you love and trust mutually?"
"Yes," Cherry replies calmly, turning back to the book and flipping over another page.
I blink again, then several more times in succession, and look down at her.
"But, what if that never happens?"

Cherry sighs exasperatedly very loudly, puts down the manual, and turns fully on the couch to look me straight in the eyes.
"Tadashi, although I am good with kids, that does not mean I necessarily want one of my own. Not every female does, FYI. And if I ever did want a child, there's always going to be something involved in its raising more than love - this isn't the 60s anymore. So just drop it."

She says the last words so fiercely I shut up instantly, and she stares me down silently, daring me to talk about children again, until Delilah come scampering down the stairs.

"Hiro and Sammy won't let me join in with them!" she pouts, and eager to get out of this scary conversation I stand up and scoop the kid up in my arms, making her giggle and wave her little arms about.
"Aw, why not?" I ask soothingly, glancing at Cherry to see if she's looking. Nope - no surprise there then.
"I don't know, something about robots," she says flippantly, and I tickle her tummy to make her forget about it. She instantly does and squeals. Glancing at Cherry, who has on a very steely tone I have only seen reserved for rowdy and offensive customers, I suggest to Delilah to come to the cafe with me to talk to Aunt Cass and maybe nab some food. She happily agrees and we start off downstairs.

Before I lose sight of the sitting room I look at Cherry one last time, and she looks so pissed off as she looks glassy-eyed at the manual.
As we walk downstairs I curse myself: I thought it would be a light-hearted question, positive about our futures, especially now she's been at SFIT for a while... I obviously thought wrong.
I mean, thinking about it I understand where she's coming from - I just can't imagine a world where material possessions outweigh the desire for a child. Perhaps it's different when you've lived on the streets; you grow up with nothing, so you wish that on nobody else, not even your worst enemy.

"Dashi?" Delilah asks in my arms, and I snap out of my daydream to find us at the base of the steps about to go into the cafe.
"Yes, Delilah?" I ask, and she fiddles with her fingers before saying with a small smile, "Your girlfriend's really really pretty."

I smile at her adorableness, and reply,
"I know. She's amazing."