lasthugs | (no subject)

[ Let's face it, the answer to that is "probably not." Teenagers. He twists off the top of the bottle and takes a long swig before he circles back to the table. ]

You think so? I hope so. It's been seven months and I have to be hitting a growth spurt soon--!

[ It's really starting to try his patience. He's fifteen and a half, dammit. Before he knows it, he'll be sixteen - and if he's not taller by then, he's going to be mad. ]

[She forces back any giggles at his distress. As cute as he is, there's nothing worse than laughing at a teenager's lament over his lack of height. She smiles at him with what could only be called a sympathetic smile.]

Oh, you'll grow. You Hamadas always grow like that, hiding low and low until you think you're going to be short forever -- then bam!

[ You just don't understand, jeez. He huffs a bit as he sips at his gatorade. ]

But it's taking so long...

[ And clearly this means he'll be short forever. He lets his expression cloud a bit, after that - not because of the subject (he's not actually about to seriously be upset about being a shortie), but because he feels like he's beaten around the bush enough. Better get this over with. ]

You know how I was - I was crazy for a while? Earlier this month?

[ As if either of them could forget. ]

[You weren't crazy, she could say. Not really. But she stays silent on that, knowing Hiro knows that he wasn't and that they don't need to argue over technicalities. Instead, she nods, watching his expression with a quiet one of her own.]

I remember. What about it, honey?

[ It's a word he's adopted as a euphemism because the reality is too complex and horrible to spit out in just one word. He struggles to find the right ones even now, as safe as he can be in the middle of his aunt's kitchen. ]

I think ... I think someone here did it to me. On purpose.

[By the time he's done saying those words, Cass is up on her feet and at the doorway to the kitchen, leaning on the frame but holding out her hand to beckon him over.]

And by someone, you're pretty sure you know who it is. Right?

[ He approaches shyly, unsure of whether to reach out to her or hold himself back. This has been rolling around in his head for so long, it feels crazy to finally let it out... ]

Yeah. I was - I was seeing a therapist before you got here. Dr. Crane.

[She reaches for him first, one hand on his arm, tugging him gently and wrapping that arm around his shoulders once he's close enough.]

I've talked to him before. Alistair... Mr Krei told me about him. I didn't realize you were seeing him already.

[ He leans in against her automatically, his gaze drifting to focus on the floor. At times like these, there's no one he'd rather have to talk to than his aunt. He still has some childlike trust that she can make everything better just by being his parent. ]

You did? Why? ... Did you want to see him too?

[ Horror creeps into his voice at that thought. ]

No, no. [She hears that tone an she's quick to soothe him, pressing her hand against his hair.]

It was after your fight with Robert. Mr Krei asked if you couldn't try seeing somebody. You know, someone professional, there's only so much we could do. I heard about him then -- although [she grimaces] -- Mr Krei brought him up as someone he wouldn't recommend.

Oh.

[ That comes out very quiet - a little betrayed. Of course they had to be thinking about what to do with him at that point. He'd been irrational, acting out of impulses he had no control over. What kind of parent wouldn't have wanted to look into getting him better help? But - he's envisioning them carting him off somewhere with padded walls and restraints too. ]

Who ... who were you looking at?

Nobody in particular. Just trying to find names.

[She shakes her head, petting his hair again, pushing it back off his forehead.]

Nothing like what happened at the hospital. Just someone for you to talk to, you know? I thought it might be hard, sometimes, to talk to us because we were too involved. Sometimes that happens.

[ He nods slowly, letting himself relax again. Not like what happened at the hospital. No restraints holding him to the bed like a wild animal. ]

It ... it can be. You lost Tadashi too.

[Hiro relaxes, and so does she, leaning her cheek against the top of his head.]

I know. We all did -- it's hard for me, too, especially watching him here. But if it might end up being someone like that doctor again, then I want you to come to me.

... I don't want to lose you, too.

[ Ah. That's the worst part about all of this - he's not sure what Krei mentioned, but he fully remembers his run for the edge of the roof. And how he had planned the encounter in the barn to end ... The odds of him ending that night alive were alarmingly slim.

It's all Crane's fault. Sure, he had the sparks buried in his psyche, but the psychologist was what fanned them into an inferno. If nothing else, he can get his revenge by living as best he can. ]

You won't. I won't - I want to live.

[And that's all she needs to hear. At least for now. The rest, they can work out over time, little by little. Cass knows that that's the best medicine for grief like the one she and Hiro shared. The next full-on hug she gives him envelopes him completely, and as she presses his head closer to her shoulder she finds herself thinking, Only a few more years.

Only a few more years, and Hiro will be taller, and he'll probably try to hide her behind him like his brother did. They mirrored each other that way, just like she'd done with her older sister so many years ago.]

Then it'll be okay. As long as you want to, then we'll work on figuring out the rest from there.

[ He leans into that gratefully, wrapping his arms tight around her. He's already starting to show signs of that growth - the teenage boy eating and ever-so-slowly starting to grow into his hoodies - and it won't be long until he begins to look more like an adult than a kid. He's almost sixteen, after all.

But for now, he's glad to just be able to hug his parent and feel like she can take care of everything for him. Like everything will be alright... ]

Y-yeah. Okay. I guess we can.

[Hiro's a younger brother, and he doesn't have the same discomfort with being taken care of that Tadashi has and had always had. One day he might grow out of it, but for now she's free to mother him like she used to when he was smaller, when he'd come and she'd have to patch him up and wrap him in a blanket on her lap. If he could still feel safe in her arms all these years later, then that's all she needs.

So for now, she pets his hair and lets him hide against her.]

We can. We're in this together. You might be a Big Hero out there, but I'm still your aunt.

[ He might be getting her shoulder just a little bit wet here. And trembling a little in her arms - but it's out of relief more than anything. He's so glad she's here. ]

Yeah. You are. I ... I don't know what I'd do without you.

You don't have to find out.

[She knows him well enough to know what the tears are from. He's her little boy, no matter how old or tall he may get, and she's glad she can be here for him.]

... Thanks, Aunt Cass.

[ He finally manages to relax against her. ]