Soli Deo gloria

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Big Hero 6. So q little stand-alone one-shot amongst my numerous 84th Time's the Charm chapters . . . :))

The lady cashier behind the drug store counter possessed a plump body, purple lips, and librarian glasses and look; her beady eyes saw through her lenses past her long beak of a nose to see what a small pubescent boy had just heaved onto the counter. The black-haired young shrimp of a teen turned away from her judging gaze and bent down into the green grocery cart. He heaved up armfuls of boxes and pill bottles and spilled them onto the counter. He looked up from his arms atop his big medicine mountain of a hail and gave the lady cashier a quick teeth-filled smile.

"Hi," Hiro said forcefully, trying to act casual. Which was hard, considering the fact that the cart he was withdrawing several dozen pieces of product out of was being pushed by a 6' 3" white cushy robot, whose head was turned ninety-degrees to the left to stare at the lady cashier without a single blink.

It was eight fifty-eight, the drug store closing at nine, and here was a teenage boy with a . . . a something, buying . . . what? The cashier, whose big obvious nametag let the world know she was named Veronica (Ronnie to friends), picked up a bottle and examined it. Aspirin. She looked up with slanted eyes and Hiro offered, "Our medicine cabinet is REALLY empty" for an answer.

Her eyes never leaving the boy, Veronica silently, sullenly, rung up the medicine. And so she thus continued processing the boy's order without a word; she rung up the items and stuck them in the plastic bags and the boy made repeated trips bobbing for painkillers and antiseptic cream. The white robot kept staring as gauze, ibuprofen, rubbing alcohol, adhesive bandages, acne cream (it was a teenage boy—duh), allergy pills, antacid tablets, fever-reducers, burn cream, cough syrup, hydrogen peroxide, skin moisturizer, vitamins, eye drops, nasal spray, petroleum jelly, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, and whatever basic medicine one would find in any first-aid kit was unloaded.

Upon ringing up a box of sleeping pills, the register demanded that Veronica card the boy. "Can I see some ID," she said in a slow, drawling voice.

"ID?" Hiro squeaked, frisking his own pants pockets. "For what?"

"You have to be eighteen to buy this kind of drug," Veronica drawled. It was bad enough the kid was allowed to buy all these drugs.

"Um, okay," Hiro said. He held up an index finger and bouncing on his feet, he said, "Be right back." Veronica watched the kid slip around an aisle and then run straight back to his spot. (His strange robot never moved from his spot during all this.)

Veronica waited for something to happen, but nothing did. But Hiro looked certain, so she (im)patiently waited for a lanky youth with too-long golden brown hair and the general air of a reckless drifter to come down an aisle and present her with his driver's license. "I believe THAT will do the trick," Fred said, smirking as he pressed his elbows into the counter.

Veronica, rolling her eyes, imputed his birthday and yes, he was over eighteen, so he was good. She handed (almost flung) the card to Fred, who pocketed it after inserting it into his wallet. "There you go, buddy," Fred said cheerfully to Hiro. He looked at the huge pile of grocery bags piling up in Baymax's shopping cart and said, "Now we won't have to do this again for a while! Baymax is gonna be set for a longgggg time."

"My medicinal supply level will be high soon," Baymax said.

Fred clicked his teeth and pointed a finger at Baymax. "Indeed, buddy. In-deed." To Hiro, "I will be right back." Fred disappeared from sight and Veronica looked from the disappearing weirdo to the kid in front of her and decided to just not think about the situation at all.

She finished with the ringing up of the order. "Do you have a Buy 'N' Large card?" she asked.

"No, but he does," Hiro said, pointing to Fred, who appeared from the candy aisle. He put down a bag of lollipops, a pack of energy shots, and a HUGGGEEEEEEE bag of pistachios. "For the kids," Fred said, indicating the lollipops.

Veronica could hardly care less.

"Fred, your card?" Hiro said.

Fred perused the cards in his wallet like going through a record collection and handed the lady his store card, which earned him points and surveys and discounts and the like. "Your total is $268.81," Veronica pointed out.

"Cool," Fred said. Then he slipped his credit card through the pinpad.

Hiro said, "Thanks for getting this, Fred," as Fred was interrogated by the pinpad machine.

"No problem, little man. You guys do all the science-y stuff, I finance the stuff; we're all part of a team," Fred reassured him. (Not to mention many of Baymax's medicines dispensed were for Fred, such as antacids for his frequent burger-catalysed heartburn and the burn cream for his fierce abusing of his fire-making power.) He stepped back, was handed the receipt by a sullen Veronica, and he said, "And you have a VERY nice night, ma'am." Hiro waved at her and Baymax said, "Goodbye" without moving or looking away. So Hiro tugged on the front of the cart and dragged it outside the drugstore, where Heathcliffe folded away his newspaper and helped the young Master Fred's friend's drug run into the back of the limo. Once down, they piled in and drove to Hiro's aunt's, to the garage where their friends were waiting for snacks. Baymax was particularly looking forward to his snack of medical supplies and off-the-shelves drugs.

Thanks for reading!