Cross Your Heart (Tadashi x Reader)

Chapter Two: Promise

That night, your mother reads you a story before bed. She slides the book back into place on your shelf. You crawl under your blankets, trying to get used to the heavy cast that has trapped your arm. She sits on the edge of your bed and runs her fingers through your hair.

"Sweetie, I'm still upset that you didn't listen to me. Do you understand the scare you gave me when I came out of the bathroom and you weren't there? And then to see you get hurt? What were you doing up there?"

"Science, Mommy!" you say happily, "I wanna be a scientist."

"I know, baby," she says, pressing a kiss to your forehead. She stands up. "But don't do anything like that ever again."

You nod. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I love you."

She turns off your light and goes to the door. "I love you, too. Get some sleep."

She shuts the door behind her and you're left alone. You lay back and close your eyes, thinking about robots you want to invent one day. Your thoughts begin to get hazy, and you're just starting to fall under when you hear a quiet knock on your window. You gasp and sit up, your eyes wide with fear. You clutch your blanket as if it were a lifeline. Then a head pops up from the bushes.

"Tadashi?" you whisper, climbing out of bed and onto the soft carpet of your floor. You walk to your window and pull the glass up. Tadashi hops in, a smile on his face.

"Wow, I've never snuck out before!" He says softly to himself, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. "Aunt Cass is working late 'cause it's beat poetry night." You shut your window and smile shyly at him. He returns the smile before dropping to the floor. He pats the space in front of you. He opens up his navy blue backpack and pulls out your robot. "I found this when Aunt Cass asked me to clean up the cafe."

You take your robot in your hands and grin. "Thank you," you whisper so quietly that Tadashi even misses it.

He places a hand on your shoulder. "I need to show you something," he tells you seriously. "We need a secret place." You raise your eyebrows and glance around your empty room. No one was here . . . why was a secret place needed? "You never know if Krei Tech is listening in on our secrets!" He explains with a loud whisper.

You gasp and nod your head in agreement. You run to your office chair and drag it to the center of the room while Tadashi takes a flashlight out of his bag. You lay a blanket out over the chair and grab all of the pillows off of your bed. You crawl under the blanket and Tadashi follows. He lays down on his stomach and turns the flashlight on. You lay beside him.

"I am about to let you see something that I have never shown to another human being. Not even Hiro. Ever, in my life." Your eyes widen. "You have to swear that you won't tell anyone." You nod. "Cross your heart," he tells you. "Do it!" You obey, bringing your finger to the space above your heart. You draw an X onto the fabric of your shirt, sketching out an invisible promise. Tadashi smiles and lifts something out of his backpack.

"My journal," he says, lifting the green hardback for you to see. The front of it says 'Tadashi's Journal' and it is packed with colorful sticky notes and bookmarks. Tadashi lays it out in front of you and opens it up. An article from a newspaper is the first page. The person in the picture is Robert Callaghan. You gasp. "You know him," Tadashi says. "Robert Callaghan. Famous inventor. When I get big, I'm going where he's going. San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. I'm gonna be a famous inventor just like him." Tadashi flips through the pages, which are mostly notes on the rocket boots and other things that he invented. He stops at a page that says, 'Stuff I'm Going To Accomplish', and says, "I'm saving these pages for all of the things I'm going to accomplish. Maybe I'll find a way to keep lights from going out or cars from needing gas. Who knows?" He sighs. "Only, I just don't know how I'm going to get into SFIT."

You glance up through the opening of your small, handmade tent. You look at the poster of a giant silver robot on your wall. Tadashi follows your gaze and grins.

"That's it!" He says. "We'll make a robot!" He turns back to you. "Promise you'll help!" he orders, "Cross your heart! Cross it!"

You cross your heart once more.

"Good, you promised. No backing out." He smiles at you and packs up his stuff. You take apart the tent and watch as he climbs out of the window. "Well, see you tomorrow, ___." He pauses his climbing to say, "You know, you don't talk very much, not like Hiro. Hiro talks a lot. I like you!"

You feel your cheeks heat up and you walk towards your window. "Wow," you say, watching Tadashi run away. You never dreamed of finding someone who was just as passionate about robotics as you. Especially someone as cute as Tadashi. You lean against the window sill and sigh.