There will be a minor Hidashi moment in this story, but overall, it's Brotherly!Hidashi :)

(Slight AU that the explosion never happened but Hiro attends SFIT)

Trigger warnings: Implied rape/self-harm/depression

Hiro could recall the exact moment the light went out in his eyes.

Like a switch, they were now void of life, and two black holes replaced the brown warmth that he inherited from the mother he didn't remember.

It seemed oxymoronic to say, but emptiness was filling him up. Like a flood that destroyed everything in its path, so was this. A crashing wave swept over him and washed away his joy and enthusiasm, leaving him just a shell of a person.

Getting up each day and pretending everything was alright was torture. The smile he had to force was painful, and when he wasn't looking, he could feel Tadashi and Cass' worried stares boring into the back of his head. They knew better. Both would ask him if he was okay, but he brushed them off, saying he was fine, ignoring the stinging shame in the pit of his stomach.

School was even worse, where he faced near-daily prodding from his friends, mainly Honey. He knew she meant well, but he shut himself off, refusing to answer her persistent questions.

This was his dirty little secret, and he was planning on keeping it that way.

A/N: Please R&R! I currently don't have cover art for this story, so if anyone out there is interested, I would be most appreciative :)

This story is also on AO3 *under a different name; if you would like my AO3 pseud, send me a PM*

Thanks! :)