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Hiro Takachiho was by far Tadashi Hamada’s youngest, and most intelligent, classmate. That brought the younger boy a lot of unintended notice, especially due to how animated and charismatic he was about his learning. He would ask questions with a polite, but insistent, curiosity, and answered his teacher’s inquiries with an enthusiastic exuberance. It was quite endearing, if Tadashi were honest with himself, but his more insecure classmates did not appreciate Hiro's confidence, which was imagined as arrogance.
On more than one occasion, he would catch a bully attempt to demean or even physically hurt the youngster. Of course, Tadashi always intervened, but it didn’t deter the occasional wayward middle schooler from taking out their aggression on the genius student. He tried to ensure Hiro's safety by offering his hand in friendship multiple times, but it was always declined. The boy never cited his reasoning, but Tadashi didn't need one. If Hiro didn't feel comfortable with him, pushing the matter wouldn't change the issue.
So, it was a great surprise when Tadashi found a love note in his locker one day, written in Hiro’s distinct scrawl. It was signed as anonymous, but the twelve year old had helped grade enough of the eight year old’s papers to know for certain who the sender was. The letter read:
“Tadashi,
You are a wonderful person. You’re so nice to everyone, even to people who don’t deserve it. You’re also really handsome. Your nose and ears are my favorite parts of you.
I don’t want you to know who I am, because I’m sure you would hate me, but I just want you to know that I have a crush on you. I think about you all the time, and I wish I could be your friend.
Anonymous ”
Reading over the not-so-elegantly written words, Tadashi felt his face heat and his heart race. While he didn’t return Hiro’s romantic affections, being as he was far too young to even be thought of in such a way, it was overwhelming to think that someone, anyone, would have a crush on him. It also gave him hope that Hiro would finally accept his attempts at a friendship.
Over the course of several days, Tadashi dropped hints of the note’s acknowledgement around Hiro, even going so far as to tell the boy during study period: “I would love to be this person's friend if they only told me who they were."
However, it wasn't until the day Tadashi confronted Hiro at his locker after the day’s classes had ended that the secret was finally revealed, albeit reluctantly.
The boy was stiff lipped as he shook his head in response to Tadashi’s question of, “Did you write the letter, Hiro?”
Tadashi felt his expression soften as the lines of Hiro’s features hardened. The notch between his eyebrows and the way his mouth set itself into a sharp, lethal line was enough to strike a hot poker of anxiety in Tadashi’s stomach, but there was a distress in his eyes that called out to him. He couldn’t allow the boy to leave while knowing that he was in pain. He refused to be defeated by Hiro’s hurt, not for one moment longer.
Without forethought or preamble, just as Hiro attempted to walk around him, he took the boy by the shoulders to prevent him from escaping. Tadashi gazed deeply into his amber orbs. After a heartbeat of searching Hiro's expectant eyes, he realized what he had to do. Tadashi leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
Hiro gasped, but did not pull away or struggle against the older boy’s hold. Instead, he pushed forward and clung to his back, gripping his t-shirt so tightly that the fabric threatened to rip in his hands.
"Does this mean you'll be my boyfriend?” Hiro mumbled against the meat of Tadashi’s shoulder.
For a long, awkwardly silent moment, Tadashi froze. His indecision settled as a tension in his arms, which wrapped themselves tightly over the other boy's shoulders. He couldn't, in good conscience, lie to Hiro and tell him that he returned his feelings. But, he also couldn't let the boy down and risk him pulling even further away. He was so lost, so lonely, and he worried that without his help, Hiro would fall into the darkness formed from the cruelty of others.
Tadashi nodded against his kitten-soft hair. He didn't have to be in love with Hiro to be his boyfriend, right? They were only kids after all.
Years later, as he shared the wet, heavy breaths that accompanied their post-coital bliss with his beloved Hiro, he was glad for his well-intentioned, if misguided reasoning. Otherwise, he would have never interlaced his fingers with Hiro's as they played video games together, shyly exchanging glances and small smiles all the while. He would have never shared a tentative first kiss with Hiro in his room, after they had returned from a rousing martial arts session, only to find that he would never want to feel the lips of anyone other than the thirteen year old boy locked in his embrace. He would have never given his virginity to Hiro on the eve of the younger teen's sixteenth birthday, after much debate and ensuring that his boyfriend was ready for that step (without relaying his own fears to salvage his pride). He would have never built award winning robots with him, earning them the accolades and praises of his peers, although such rewards could never compare to Hiro's bright, gap-toothed smiles. If Tadashi hadn't agreed to Hiro's proposal on a simple impulse, he would have never fallen so madly in love with the man in his arms.
"Marry me."