Hiro Hamada was three years old when his parents discovered he was a genius.

Hiro Hamada was three years when people suddenly started expecting things from him.

Hiro Hamada was three years old when he discovered that other kids couldn't understand things like he did.

Hiro Hamada was three years old when he first found out what isolation felt like

Hiro Hamada was three years old when he learned how to conceal himself under a façade of childishness.

Not that anyone particularly cared.

But Hiro Hamada was also three years old when his parents told him he was to have a younger brother.

"I hate my little sister!"

"Really? But she's just a baby."

"Yeah, but she does whatever she wants and makes a mess and mommy and daddy don't care. But they get mad when I make a mess. And she's really loud and won't stop crying."

"Wow, that's bad."

"Yeah! And the worst part, she gets all the attention! My parents don't have time for anything, just for her!"

The small boy, sitting away from the rest of the children who were all somewhat older than him, but still close enough to listen in on their conversation, perked up at the last part. A younger sibling could take away all the attention? Well, that was interesting.

"You're going to be a big brother, Hiro! Aren't you excited?"

No, he hadn't been excited. Actually, he'd been less than thrilled. But now, now though... maybe having a little brother or sister wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"He's a genius! Solving such complex equations being barely three years old. Incredible!"

"Wow, Hiro! You're such a smart boy!"

"Don't mind them son. You're better, that's all there is to it."

"You need to do really well in school, okay dear? Because you're too smart for pre-school."

"What do you mean he got an A-? My son is genius, he can't have such a score!"

"These people want an interview so behave properly, okay?"

"He should be in a school for the gifted, not a normal elementary! I don't care what he said he wants!"

"Hiro, why are you playing with those dolls? You should be studying. Or at least use those intellectual games we bought especially for you."

"You don't need friends, dear. They're not on your level anyway. They wouldn't understand."

"Use your brilliant mind and come up with something."

"I don't want to see another mistake in your work, okay sweetie?"

Yes, perhaps having a younger sibling would be able to distract everyone from his apparent genius where all else failed. Perhaps this could all work in his favour. He would have to wait and see.

----------------------------------------

Throughout the several months that it took for his little brother to arrive, Hiro actually found himself looking forward to this new addition to his life more out of curiosity than convenience. There was so much going on! His parents were always going to and fro, as if there was never enough time for anything at all. His mother's stomach was growing into a fascinatingly round bulge and she had started eating rather disturbing food combinations. He had even felt some kind of impact once when she'd allowed him to press the side of his face against her belly.

But perhaps the biggest difference was the new room. It wasn't that they had built a new room into the house, no, of course not. He had simply never noticed it before, it had always been an unused guest room after all. But not anymore, oh no. Now the walls were covered in a sky blue wallpaper depicting little robots. There was also a bed, tiny and raised as it was, although it was surrounded by bars. In a corner there was even an open chest, already half full with little weird toys he did not see the point of.

This was his brother's room. Or at least it would be once he finally came.

Hiro felt conflicted. On the one hand, he hadn't been asked about his grades or any extra school projects for months. On the other hand... he sort of actually missed the attention. Not to the point that he wanted it back with all the pressure involved, but it felt weird not being constantly questioned as if his above average intelligence was going to flee at the first opportunity.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

He may also have missed the few times where his parents actually played with him, when they weren't too busy with work or occasionally marvelling at his apparently special mind. It wasn't like he had any friends to play with after all. All the other kids stayed away from him. Some said he wasn't supposed to be 'smart like a grown-up', the rest just went with the flow.

Daddy... Tou-san... whatever, he always said that he didn't need friends who couldn't 'appreciate' him, but he wasn't so sure about that. Having a friend sounded pretty nice, regardless of what his parents said.

But now he would have a brother and he wondered if it would be like having a friend or if it would be completely different.

He snapped out of his musings when he heard frantic, heavy steps from downstairs, almost impaling his hand with the screwdriver he had "borrowed" earlier in his surprise. He had all but forgotten the little project he'd been absentmindedly working on – what it was supposed to do when it was done was anyone's guess though.

"Hiro! Come down! And get ready to go out. Quickly!" said boy scrambled to his feet and almost flew down the stairs, urged on by the urgency in his father's voice. When he reached the landing and reached for his shoes, he noticed his parents were already outside by the car. Hiro's mother seemed barely able to hold herself up on her own suddenly rather thin-looking legs as she leaned against her husband, using him as a crutch of sorts while she somehow manoeuvred herself into the passenger seat.

His father for his part seemed to be balancing his role as a crutch for his wife and a seemingly urgent phone call.

"-what? No Cass, she isn't dying, but she just- goodness, Cass! She's just giving birth!... Well you would know if you actually listened to me for once. Look, I can't leave Hiro alone while we're both in the room... what do you mean 'baking is more important than an impatient baby'?! Cass, I swear to God- dammit, it's not the time for jokes! Yes, I'm gonna be there the entire time, I need you to take care of him for a while. Yes, hours. I think you can spend a few hours with your nephew... thanks. Please don't take too long."

And so Hiro found himself sitting on the back seat accompanied by his not-quite-there mother and stressed out father.

----------------------------------------

It was gentle poke on the shoulder that woke him up hours later. He opened his eyes, slowly at first then blinking faster to banish the sleep out of his eyes once the increasingly intensifying poking got to be too much.

"Aunt Caaaaass~" he whined, still groggy from his unexpected nap, "Yamerooooo~ Stop iiiiit." But she didn't relent in her assault and the last remains of his resistance gave way to exasperated resignedness and slight annoyance. "Fine, fine. I'm waking up, stop poking!"

The giggle that escaped her was expected. The low, deep chuckle from his other side, however, was not. He turned around warily before his slow waking brain could process the fact that yes, that particular sound was actually quite familiar. The sight that greeted him was that of his father, dishevelled and tired, exhausted even, but sporting a grin so bright that it lit up the whole room.

"Come on, Hiro. Your little brother's waiting for you." he said, effectively sparking the boy's curiosity.

"Hai, Tou-san."

"What, don't I get an invitation too, Tomeo?" teased the sole woman present at the scene with a sly grin.

He simply smiled and shook his head exasperatedly, motioning for her to follow as he took Hiro's hand in his own and led them to the designated room. Hiro didn't pay attention to his surroundings during the short trip, instead trying to imagine what this brother would look like, what he would be like, so he promptly smacked into the man's leg when hey stopped in front of a door without him noticing. Rubbing his nose more out of irritation than actual pain, he watched as the door slid open before entering the room first. If his father found his apparent hurry rather amusing, he did not say so out loud.

Hiro found his mother immediately, lying in a bed in the middle of the room like that, and immediately headed for her. If he'd thought his father looked exhausted, then she was on the verge of death. The thought made him uncomfortable and he quickly banished it from his mind, lest it go down an unsavoury train of thought before he could stop it. Yet still her smile remained, strained and somewhat weak, but oddly satisfied, and it widened a margin once she spotted him.

"Hiro, Hiro-chan, my dear Hiro," her eyelids seemed to fall with every word and her voice sounded raspy and pained, "You have a brother now, Hiro. He's so beautiful. He'll be as smart as you, I'll say. Take good care of him, Hiro. Take good care of Tadashi, ne?"

As her eyes closed and the hand weakly caressing his cheek fell, he started panicking a bit, until he turned to his father's still smiling visage, "She's just asleep. Mommy's been working hard for a while, she deserves her rest." That calmed him down and he nodded, albeit reluctantly.

The small boy looked around and his father, apparently knowing instinctively what he was looking for, pointed at a corner of the room that was occupied solely by a strange looking crib-like... thing. He approached it slowly and with no small amount of trepidation until he was right in front of it and stepping on the little bench that had probably been placed there for this exact purpose.

Peering down, he found that... Tadashi, right, that was his name... that Tadashi was not quite what he had expected. Instead of a screaming, crying little mass of human, he found himself staring down at a tiny, peacefully sleeping, absolutely adorable child. Oh sure, he was wrinkly and red and that little stain behind his ear was probably blood and god knows what else. But this was his brother now.

This was Tadashi.

At that moment, Hiro felt it: a small spark of warmth in his chest that spread with an almost pleasant kind of pressure. He knew this feeling, though he had unfortunately felt it a lot more scarcely in the last year and a half. It was like those times.

When his father hugged him tightly, whispering words sweet and calming as dripping honey, and didn't let go until his body felt as warm as it did under the blanket.

When his mother talked to him on and on, excitedly explaining the finer details of her latest project to him with a grin that would put the sun to shame.

When aunt Cass visited for the sole purpose of sneaking him sweets and snacks while his parents weren't looking – that time when she had come with a literal mountain of cookies to congratulate him for his early entrance into school had been exceptionally memorable.

And also now, when he looked down at his oh so tiny little brother and had the unexplainable urge to wrap his arms around him and never let go. Suddenly those thoughts from months ago of using him as a shield of sorts felt so terrifyingly wrong and he wanted to smack himself for no reason he could understand.

Hiro was four years old when his little brother Tadashi was born, but suddenly he felt just a little bit older.