I'm Still Here (Hiro x Reader)

| Your POV |

Hiro is already by the bench when you arrive. He flashes a gap-toothed grin and gives you a small wave. You wave and return the smile.

"Hey, nerd," You say, eyeing the bot in his hand.

Hiro rolls his eyes and says, "This thing is going to win me a whole bunch of cash."

"I'll believe it when I see it," you tell him.

"Well then, we'd better get to it," he says. Hiro starts walking off. You speed up to walk beside him.

"So what does this bot do?"

"Crazy, awesome stuff," he says.

"Wow, how specific," you mutter sarcastically.

"You'll just have to see," he says, shoving his bot into the pocket of his hoodie.

The rest of the trip is spent in silence. As you and Hiro approach the darker, more dangerous part of town, shouts of excitement and anger could be heard. You soon find yourself in a crowd of people, all of them sporting dark clothing, dark makeup, and super bright hair. Hiro elbows you lightly.

"Follow my lead and don't say a thing," he orders, stepping through the crowd.

"The winner by total annihilation, Yama!" A woman shouts, holding a dish full of cash.

"Who is next?" A voice booms, "Who has the guts to step into the ring with Little Yama?"

Hiro steps out, holding his own small robot. You bite your lip as the crowd breaks apart to make room for the two of you. "C-Can I try?" He asks softly. "I have a bot. Built it myself."

Yama laughs loudly. The sound of it hurts your eardrums. Everyone joins in on laughing.

The lady holding the tray shakes her head. "Beat it, kid," she says dismissively. "House rules. You gotta pay to play."

You watch as Hiro digs into the pocket of his hoodie. He pulls out a thick wad of bills. You blink in surprise. Where did he get that cash? "Oh, is this enough?" He asks.

Yama perks up, suddenly looking interested in this opportunity. "What's your name, little boy?" he questions.

"Hiro. Hiro Hamada."

Yama grins. "Prepare your bot," he says, leaning forward, "Zero."

You stay where you're at as Hiro places his money in the dish and sits back. Yama puts a small amount of cash in himself before taking a fear across from Hiro. They place their bots and Yama reaches up to crack his neck. You try to hold in a laugh as Hiro mocks his movement.

"Two bots enter," the lady announces, spinning a parasol between the two fighters, "one bot leaves. Fighters ready?" She pauses. "Fight!"

Yama wastes no time to charge towards Hiro's small bot. Hiro pushes the switches forward and his bot waddles it's way to Little Yama. Little Yama viciously tears through Hiro's bot in mere seconds. It falls into three even pieces. Hiro gasps. You frown and shake your head as everyone erupts with laughter.

"T-That was my first fight," he explains. "Can I try again?"

"No one likes a sore loser, little boy!" Yama laughs and grabs his winnings. "Go home."

Hiro digs out more cash. This time, the bills are perfectly rolled up and are easily twice as much as what was placed earlier. "I've got more money." He open up his already big brown eyes and smiles sweetly. You smirk when Yama pulls his hand back from the tray.

More money is placed. "Fighters ready? Fight!"

The second fight begins. Hiro's bot pulls itself back together. Hiro smiles and pulls his remote, revealing another set of keys and switches. "Megabot, destroy," He growls, dropping that all innocent act. And this time, Hiro breezes through like a natural. He doesn't seem to be having much fun by the look on his face. He acts as if this is the easiest fight he's been in. You can see the panic on Yama's face and soon enough, Little Yama is laying on the pavement, completely broken.

"No more Little Yama," Hiro announces, collecting his winnings.

"Wha-What. . .? This is not possible!"

"Hey, I'm as surprised as you are," Hiro lies as he shoves the cash into his pockets. You notice everyone backing away.

Realization floods through you when you realize what is going to happen. You want to run away, but leaving Hiro alone to face Yama is just cruel. You reach out for Hiro and whisper, "H-Hiro?" You swallow.

He ignores you. "Do you want to go again?" He asks. He glances up and sees Yama's huge form standing over him. Gulping, he finishes with, "Yama?"

Suddenly, Hiro is thrown against the brick wall of a building. You cover your mouth. What are you supposed to do? The two of you are just two kids. He winces in pain as he presses himself against it.

"No one hustles Yama!" He shouts, yanking Megabot from Hiro's hands. Yama turns back to his gang of three guys. "Teach him a lesson."

"Whoa-- hey--" Hiro reaches for his Megabot, but Yama continues to walk off with it clenched in his fist.

Just as the guys crack their knuckles and step towards Hiro, you jump in their way, one arm held out protectively in front of him. "Hey, we're not going to beat up an innocent kid, are we, guys?" You question, trying to sound a lot braver than you felt. They continue to step forward and you back up until you can feel Hiro's warmth against your back.

One of the guys with a green beanie raises his fist to punch you. You raise a hand in front of your face and feel Hiro's hand on you shoulder, until suddenly, the guys are gone. You open your eyes to see a young man on a mo-ped and the gang of men laying on the pavement, frozen in fear.

"Hiro!" He shouts, "Get on!"