Though he was a formidable mind, particularly for his age, Hiro Hamada regularly found himself outwitted by his brother. Of course, Hiro and Tadashi cared a great deal for each other, but their unbreakable bond did not preclude them from engaging in a bit of good spirited brotherly squabbling every now and again. In just about every scenario, Tadashi came out on top. Whenever Hiro was unintentionally gawking at an attractive customer of the Café, Tadashi was perpetually equipped with a sardonic comment on Hiro's lack of self-awareness. If Hiro ever found himself beaten by a mathematical equation or scientific problem, Tadashi always knew almost instinctively how to counter it before Hiro could even begin to formulate a solution. Even when Hiro was all but absolutely certain he had his brother's number, Tadashi effortlessly turned the tables at the eleventh hour. To shatter the cycle of defeat, Hiro concluded that he would have to conjure forth a plan so ingenious, so Machiavellian, that even Tadashi could not escape its intricate machinations.
Hiro believed that everyone, everyone, had some sort of dark secret to hide. Hiro loved his brother, but he needed something to hang over Tadashi's head for the rest of their lives. Sure, he was upstanding, kind, noble, empathetic, and always ready to stand up for his friends, but Hiro knew that there had to be something Tadashi was actively suppressing from the world at large. Hiro's first idea was to test his brother's patience when it came to his work. Luckily, Tadashi saved his current project on an easy-to-steal flash drive. The present problem, however, was that Tadashi was practically glued to his work space. Hiro, a master of tactical espionage, snuck his way into Tadashi's lab every so often only to find him hurled into his work.
"Hey, uh, Tadashi." Hiro tepidly entered Tadashi's lab, fearful to not make any sort of sudden movements just in case Tadashi deemed him an active threat.
It took Tadashi several moments to register that another living being had entered his immediate vicinity. He had to glance over in Hiro's direction more than once. "Oh. Sorry, Hiro, ultra busy. Feel free to get yourself ten dollars from my bag and grab something with the rest of the team if you're in the mood for dinner." He snapped back to his work immediately after concluding his sentence. Hiro felt like slapping himself in the face for such a poor attempt at subterfuge. He retreated to his desk to consider a new plot. He pressed his index finger to his temple and considered the possibilities. Lure him out with food? No, that would be totally ineffective. Inform him of a supervillain attacking the city? No, he'd seen through that in a second. Perhaps taking a walk around the campus and absorbing the cool night air would help clear his mind and let the power of vengeance guide him to victory. It was a gorgeous night out, anyway.
Just before Hiro could exit to the campus proper, he noted the subtle workings of machinery in an adjacent room. He assumed that the lab was only occupied by him and Tadashi, so out of sheer curiosity he investigated the noise to find GoGo.
"She must've come in when I wasn't looking." Hiro casually noted to himself.
Then, something struck Hiro's mind. He would tell GoGo that Tadashi needed to speak with her and use the distraction to swipe Tadashi's flash drive. It was perfect. The only minor obstruction in his brilliant plan was that GoGo was typically about as welcoming and forgiving as a keeper of a medieval oubliette. He would have to be extremely convincing to get her to go along with the plan. Carefully, Hiro entered GoGo's unapologetically unkempt workspace. While GoGo cared little for its upkeep, any intruder that foolishly dared to alter even the most minor element of its structure would soon face a wrathful retribution like no other. Despite that, one thing Hiro noticed in his time at the SFIT was that GoGo was actually fairly open to Hiro and Tadashi, at least relative to how she treated everyone else. It was true that half of their interactions involved her deriding his small stature and age, but Hiro got the sense that she enjoyed his company far more than she would ever reveal. At least, he hoped that was the case.
"Yo, Little Hamada." Hiro's eyes snapped up to meet GoGo's as a rush of nervous energy shot through him. Had to be extra attentive around her at all times.
"Oh, hey, GoGo. What's going on with you? You're working hard, I can see." Unphased by Hiro's pleasantries, she returned to her work.
"Your command of the blatantly obvious is astounding. I'm quite impressed." Hiro was well-acquainted with GoGo's razor-wit and acid tongue.
"So, I'll tell you why I'm here," He paced around her lab, the low temperature helping to relax his nerves. "Tadashi sent me here because he needs to talk to you about something. He would've been here himself, but he's super, super busy and that's why he sent me."
GoGo had completely forgotten about her work and shifted her gaze to Hiro's, eyebrow arched with piercing incredulity. "Did he say what exactly he needs from me?" Hiro didn't need to be a genius to detect the tentative skepticism in GoGo's voice. She wasn't exactly unnerved, but Hiro's query certainly had an impact on her.
"Something about his work. I think he said something like "only her expertise can help", or at least I'm pretty sure that's what he said. He seemed kind of distracted." That last part was the honest truth, at the very least.
GoGo contemplated the situation for several seconds. The wait was interminable. So far, Hiro had been lucky to avoid angering GoGo to any great degree, but this was taking a titanic risk. He hadn't predicted that this would be any more than an innocent conversation between two friends, but something about Hiro's request dug its way underneath GoGo's armor. Soon he would doubtlessly begin to perspire despite the low temperature.
"Alright. I don't know why he couldn't tell me this himself, but whatever." GoGo dropped her work and began making her way to Tadashi. Hiro breathed a sigh of relief as his nerves relaxed. The next step in his master plan was now in motion and GoGo suspected nothing. Hiro followed her.
As Hiro followed GoGo, something incredibly bizarre happened. Did GoGo...adjust her hair? Hiro assumed GoGo cared for other people's opinions of her the same way a whale cared for a single-celled eukaryotic organism sneezing on its tail, but something told him that GoGo was in fact adjusting her appearance. And this wasn't just slightly brushing it out of her eye; this was full-on meaningful adjustment mode. How curious. GoGo and Tadashi talked to each other all the time, what exactly was happening tha-
"Hey." GoGo turned around to confront Hiro in the midst of his venture into introspection.
"What's up?" Hiro was both genuinely serious and deathly terrified.
"If I remember correctly, Tadashi needed me."
"Yeah."
"So why are you tagging along?"
A startling development. Hiro's whole plan was predicated on being in the same room as Tadashi and GoGo. He would have to act competently and swiftly.
"He, uh, also needs me. We're working together. On a thing. That's why I'm going with you." GoGo's eyes worked their way through Hiro's soul as she questioned the validity of his explanation. She waited a moment before continuing her march to Tadashi. Strangely, Hiro noted another subtle change in GoGo's behavior after she realized Hiro would be accompanying her. Her back was no longer arched to its maximum capacity, she walked at a more relaxed, slower pace, and she let her hands lazily hang out of her pockets. She was far more relaxed, for whatever reason. In any case, Hiro's operation was going off without so much as a minuscule divergence.
When the two arrived, GoGo held her arms to each adjacent end of the door into Tadashi's lab. Hiro used the opportunity and his small stature to slip through before GoGo engaged Tadashi.
"Hamada." While Hiro's attempt to gain Tadashi's attention went rather poorly, GoGo instantly knocked him out of his entranced state. He whirled around in place to face her.
"GoGo. What's up?" Tadashi stood up and paced forward, giving Hiro the opportunity to inch towards the hard drive, eyes set on his target. As a master of stealth operations with years of video game experience, Hiro knew waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike was the key to victory. He would have to watch GoGo and Tadashi with the utmost concentration.
"Tiny You says my presence is needed." She laconically shifted her gaze to Hiro.
Tadashi looked back at Hiro with an air of suspicion before returning his gaze to GoGo. "Well, it's always nice to see you, GoGo, but I don't think I need anything at the moment." Hiro shuffled to the terminal and grabbed the flash drive while the two were determined to annoy each other. Another important element of espionage and theft was actually escaping with the merchandise undetected. That would require knowing his targets and their movements.
A moment after Hiro had successfully completed the next step in his quest for revenge, GoGo's neutral expression shifted to a more uncertain one and she cleared her throat before continuing to talk. "Well, Little You said it was of the utmost importance that I come here to talk to you."
The normally collected and in-control Tadashi appeared to be taken aback by the present situation. "Uh…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "It's great to see you as always, but I don't think you're really "needed". No offense, of course."
GoGo, rather uncharacteristically, gave a smug grin. "You know, Hamada, these excuses are getting more and more pathetic by the day, and now you're using your poor brother as an intermediary. If you want to talk to me, come on down anytime. Never pegged you to be the timid type." She arched her eyebrow.
"I would love to continue inflating your colossal ego, but I really need to get back to work."
GoGo rolled her eyes before turning around and giving Tadashi a casual wave goodbye.
This already unusual day was becoming more unusual by the minute. Tadashi felt modestly uncomfortable in a social situation and GoGo gave an ever-so-subtle hint that she cared about someone's opinion of her. Perhaps more importantly, GoGo responded to Tadashi's good natured ribbing with a bit of her own well-meaning snark rather than the deadpan, vociferous derision she dispensed at regular intervals to the world around her. What a spectacle! What would happen next? Would Wasabi use mud as shaving cream? Would Honey Lemon dye her hair pitch black and indulge her latent proclivity for grunge and heavy metal? Was this a portent of the apocal-
"What was that about?" Hiro was knocked out of his mental ruminations on the possible end-of-the-world scenario he found himself in by a somewhat perturbed looking and sounding Tadashi.
"Erm…" Luckily, Tadashi was likely too distracted to deduce that Hiro had taken his flash drive. The end was near. Couldn't let all that work go to waste. "I'm really worried about you, Tadashi. You've been working extra hard these past few days and I really think you should take it easy for a bit before you combust. I incorrectly assumed GoGo would be able to convince you to at least take a five minute break." He despondently lowered his head, suddenly finding an incredibly fascinating quality in his shoes. As he hoped, Tadashi's anger relented and morphed into gratitude.
"You're right, and I appreciate it. It is pretty late, after all, so what's say we get out of here and grab something to eat? Just let me get my flash drive." Hiro mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he had been born with a massive brain and excellent acting skills. Now, it was time to reap the fruits of his labor. He watched with anticipation as Tadashi searched his terminal and desk.
"What's up? Can't find your thing? Oh man, doesn't that just fill you with rage? All that work for nothing." So many strange things were happening that Tadashi was guaranteed to explode in a storm of frustration. Finally, he would have his victory. Unfortunately, though, Tadashi only shrugged his shoulders in response.
"It's all automatically saved to my email. Can never be too careful." He patted the despondent Hiro on the shoulder before putting on his coat and heading for the door. "C'mon, I'm starving." Hiro squeezed his eyes shut. All that effort! All that struggle! All for nothing. Even if he never knew it, Tadashi was always ten steps ahead of Hiro.
But perhaps there could be another way to defeat Tadashi once and for all.
An idea jumped to the forefront of Hiro's mind. It was small and rather pedestrian, at first, but it germinated in Hiro's subconscious into something wondrous. Hiro separated his fingers which covered his eyes. There was no need for shame, this was time for action! Hiro knew Tadashi's big secret, and he was going to expose it to the world. Tadashi was totally into GoGo, and Hiro would prove it. All he needed was a bit of assistance from a close friend who wanted nothing but Tadashi's to live a long, healthy life. Of course he would want to help. However, this would take time, preparation, and the utmost care. He was almost absolutely certain in his assumption, but exposure without evidence risked damaging his relationship with Tadashi beyond repair. He would have something to eat, a good night's rest, and he would engineer the gears of destiny in the morning. He had all the time in the world, after all.
Hiro waited until his compatriots were away or otherwise predisposed and he was absolutely certain he had the lab all to himself for a significant amount of time. If even one person caught so much as even a hint of his plan, it would collapse in on itself. He couldn't afford any mistakes. He shuffled into Tadashi's lab, briefly attempting to recall whether or not Tadashi had any sort of surveillance system installed before giving a quick glance to the corners of the ceiling for any cameras. He then noted that perhaps he should take steps to mollify his overly obtrusive paranoia.
Here was the most difficult part of the operation: he would have to hurt himself to get Baymax out of his slumber.
"Wait," Hiro thought to himself. "What am I thinking?" He walked over to a desk and casually bumped his foot against the corner.
"Ow." Hiro put his heart into it.
Thankfully, that was all it took to get Baymax up and ready. This operation was running smoothly. Hiro just had to keep watch of his time table. Tadashi or anyone else could interrupt at any point. Baymax emerged from his dominion and waddled over a few feet in front of Hiro.
"Hiro," Hiro knew that monotone voice almost as well as his own. "I was alerted to distress based on your emission of: "Ow"," Tadashi had apparently managed to implement voice recognition software. Genuinely impressive. "However, based on my initial assessment, it appears you have faced minimal physical damage. Do you require me for some other purpose?"
"I don't, but I know someone who does," While Baymax had no reason to doubt Hiro, Hiro nevertheless maintained his facade of wholesomeness. "I'm worried about Tadashi. I think something is happening to him, and I need you to help me figure out what's wrong with him."
Baymax, curiously, squinted at Hiro. "I have detected no physical or physiological abnormality in Tadashi recently. His health is in optimal condition." Baymax clearly still had quite a bit to learn about mental health. Excellent.
"Actually, buddy, I think this is a weirdly specific illness. Normally, he's calm and confident, but sometimes he gets really nervous and sometimes he even starts sweating for no apparent reason. He really, really needs to be as focused as possible on this huge project, so it's up to us to diagnose what's going on and cure him."
Although Baymax was not the most expressive robot in the world, it was clear he was highly invested in maintaining Tadashi's health and felt frustrated when he couldn't detect problems with his patients. "Based on what you have told me, I will take a more active role in maintaining Tadashi's health. Are there any other details you can provide which will help me identify scenarios that negatively affect Tadashi's health?"
Hiro placed his index finger and thumb on his chin and waited a few seconds before informing Baymax. "Well, this sounds a bit strange, but I think it tends to happen whenever he interacts with GoGo. I think if you make sure to scan Tadashi whenever GoGo is close to him, we could have an idea of what's wrong," This was perfect. Hypothetically, Hiro could've simply presented the idea to Tadashi, but having direct evidence that he had a thing for GoGo would make it impossible to deny the truth. "Oh! And it would really, really help if you scan Tadashi while he's speaking to GoGo. That would be great." Hiro couldn't help but smile.
"I will watch over Tadashi during his encounters with Miss Tomago. Should I report to Tadashi about my scans of his health?"
"No. No, definitely not. If Tadashi finds out…" Baymax probably believed what Hiro told him, but there was no way Tadashi could know that Hiro had duplicitously used Baymax to spy on him. "He'll be upset with me despite the fact that I'm being an excellent brother and going out of my way to make him healthier." Hiro self-righteously placed his fists on his hips and slightly pumped his chest forward. He really was being a good brother, in a way.
It had been about a week since Hiro had started on the path to victory. Since then, he bided his time, refraining from speaking with Baymax on the chance that it would expose his plan before he could crush Tadashi with the evidence. As any good scientist would, he allowed for some of his own input, once sleuthing into GoGo's lab when she wasn't around and dropping a wrench in a conspicuous spot in Tadashi's lab. GoGo hadn't murdered Tadashi following that incident, much to Hiro's surprise, but he made sure that would be the only time as there was a distinct possibility that GoGo would engineer some sort of bizarre and cruel contraption in order to prevent her tools from being stolen. Enough time had passed and the two hadn't destroyed one another, so that was already a success. Even better, Tadashi had completed whatever-it-was he had been doing concerning Baymax's upgrades and was taking an admittedly well deserved day off. He was sure in for a treat as a reward for all his hard work. The moment of truth drew ever closer. He slipped into his pocket, pulled out a pencil, and gently poked the side of his thumb and emitted yet another disingenuous "Ow" to bring forth his ever faithful companion. As certain as the tides, Baymax emerged right on time. The excitement that stirred in Hiro's stomach all weekend was prepared to coagulate and spill right out of him. Finally, his vengeance would be absolute!
"Hiro. Am I correct in assuming you wish to examine the results of my scans of Tadashi?" Hiro practically sprinted over to grab a rolling chair to bring himself up to Baymax's chest. A front row seat to the action.
"Yes I am, buddy," He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and considered the possibility of spontaneous combustion.
"I have scanned Tadashi and Miss Tomago twenty-five times, and based on my scans, I can conclude-"A bright screen popped up on Baymax's chest.
"Hiro!" Hiro unintentionally let out a yelp and fell out of his chair as Tadashi appeared on screen. He was clearly either a psychic or a supervillain. Before any other supernatural occurrences could disrupt Hiro's notion of the meaning of existence, he sprinted for the door as quickly as his legs could propel him only to collide with an object Hiro's overriding sense of danger failed to detect. Hiro's legs felt as if they would tear themselves from the rest of his being if he refused to move, so they sprung the rest of Hiro up and kept blazing away from danger. The only thing that stopped him was the same "Hiro!" that began his brief career as a track star. Only then had he realized that Tadashi was at the opposing end of the collision. His hypercharged nerves relaxed, if only slightly, as the prospect of facing an indignant Tadashi was only ever-so-slightly less horrifying that fighting a psychic supervillain who could somehow manifest himself in the digital world. Continuing to flee from fate would doubtlessly prove to be an exercise in futility, and Hiro was prepared to face his doom.
"So," Tadashi crossed his arms. "I'm curious, what were you attempting to achieve with using Baymax behind my back?" There was the vaguest hint of a smirk on his face. Hiro slipped his hands into pockets and sullenly began a thorough examination of the floor.
Hiro considered continuing a lie, but he knew that Tadashi could instantly dismantle anything as this point. "I was using Baymax to spy on you."
"I can see that. I found out the day after you snuck into my lab. The real question here is what specifically were you doing with Baymax?"
A layer of perspiration had developed on Hiro's hands and forehead. He was fairly certain that Tadashi was perceptive enough to put all the evidence together to reach a fairly logical conclusion and he was just toying with him at this point, but he was powerless to escape Tadashi's victory celebration. "I was testing to see if you had the hots for GoGo. I thought I could use your creation to get one over on you."
Tadashi gave a small chuckle. "Well, I give you credit for a decent idea, but I think you know that I know Baymax better than anyone, and I can tell when someone has tampered with him," He gave Hiro a light smack on the shoulder. "And, more importantly, I like GoGo because she's my friend, and I like all my friends. I'll admit that she keeps me on my toes, but I think you can empathize with me on that one," Tadashi seemed more disappointed in Hiro's lack of sleuthing skills than angry at his deception. Hopefully, he would dismiss the situation soon enough. "Now, I'm starving. Let me check up on Baymax and we'll get outta here."
Hiro, spirits somewhat lightened, went for the door. "Thanks, Tadashi. And I honestly wasn't gonna use Baymax for anything evil. Honest."
"I figured as much. You don't have that in you. Give me five minutes and I'll meet you outside."
As soon as Hiro was out of sight, Tadashi frantically slid a chair over to Baymax, who remained mercifully passive during the confrontation with Hiro. Whatever Baymax had discovered, Tadashi would have to go through now. He was eternally grateful that he had managed to discover Hiro's intrusion a mere 15 minutes before their confrontation. What luck! Discovering that Hiro had deduced his flame for GoGo was horrifying enough, but the fact that he would have tangible evidence made Tadashi feel as if a brick had been placed in his stomach.
"Baymax, I need you to bring up everything from your examinations in the last week," Tadashi had to work with a deal of haste. He could've left it for the morning, but anticipation would make sleep a Herculean effort. "Give me your diagnosis." Flashes of data, graphs, and medical journals covered Baymax's form.
"Based on my week long examination, I have concluded that you suffer from what is colloquially known in common parlance as a "crush". The recipient of your affection is most likely Miss Tomago." Tadashi reflexively winced. He accepted his liking for GoGo ages ago, but having it brought into the open was painful. Of course, he couldn't blame himself. Since they first became friends, Tadashi acknowledged that GoGo was an extremely good-looking woman who was also funny, intelligent, capable, and about a hundred thousand other awesome things, but it went much further than that. There was just some ethereal air, an energy, about her that enchanted him. She presented herself to the world without worry or concern for what other people thought. On more than a few occurrences, though he would sooner crawl through a mile of broken glass than admit it, his affection for GoGo became so powerful that he fantasized about hugging her with superhuman strength and telling her everything he thought about her. Of course, Tadashi knew he had a better chance of dodging raindrops in a hurricane that forging a romantic relationship with her. Additionally, he did genuinely appreciate their friendship. Though he loved each of his friends in their own way, he felt the most powerful bond with GoGo. He could be totally transparent and genuine with her. There was no need to worry about the weight of the past because she didn't care about his or her own. She was rather easy to fall for, he told himself. The combination of preventing Hiro's discovery and his musings about GoGo relaxed him to a degree. He would delete the information from Baymax's mainframe and leave it at that.
"Alright, Baymax, you can go ahead and get rid of all this."
"Are you sure? Would you like to hear my additional report on Miss Tomago?"
Tadashi heart leapt as if he had been directly injected with a syringe full of sugar. Had Hiro ordered Baymax to scan GoGo as well? He would be sure to thank Hiro at some point. Although, did he want to know? He was fairly certain he would have the energy to sprint to the end of the universe if she reciprocated his feelings, but with that came the risk of her rejecting him, a blow deadlier than any other.
Tadashi, despite everything, stood firm in his belief. He had to face the truth. Running from it wouldn't help anyone. "Tell me."
"These are the symptoms." Tadashi was too focused on the on-screen text to acknowledge Baymax's narration.
Increased heart rate
Increased level of anxiety
Occasional stuttering
Frequent misuse of basic words, phrases, and idioms
Dilation of pupils
Restlessness, particularly the shuffling of feet
Redness of the face, or 'blushing'
There was a bit more, but Tadashi had seen enough as he covered his eyes with his hands in shame. "I don't need to know how much of a fool I am around her." Tadashi was well aware of GoGo's ability to unnerve him with her mere presence. He didn't need any reminders.
"These are the symptoms of Miss Tomago's condition when she is in immediate proximity to you."
About a week later, Hiro found himself in quite a mood. He felt a spring in his step. What a day it was! Vindication was so very, very sweet. It was time to reap the rewards of his genius.
"Tadashi, my brother, my man," He swaggered into Tadashi's lab. "What's up? How have you been? I'm in a good mood. I'm in a great mood, actually, because I just found out a very interesting piece of gossip."
Tadashi knew this was going to happen at some point. It was pointless to fight it, but that didn't mean he was going to indulge Hiro's smug superiority.
"Do you actually need anything?"
"Oh no, I'm just here to find out if what I heard was true."
"And what would that be?"
"I hear, from a certain, extremely energetic someone who wishes to remain anonymous, that you're dating," He lightly punched his brother in the shoulder. "A certain someone that we both know quite well. I wanted to know if that was the case. I didn't want to be a victim of vicious rumors."
Continuing this chase was maddening. Really, there was no reason to hide what once was Tadashi's worst kept secret. He wanted to shout it from the mountains.
"Yes."
"Yes? Yes what?"
"I am."
"You're whaaaaaaat? C'mon," Hiro was growing slightly impatient. "I want to hear you say it. Don't chicken out."
Tadashi turned to look at Hiro. "I'm dating GoGo. I asked her out two days ago and we're tentatively going out," He let the words hang in the air for a few seconds. "And I couldn't be happier to say that." He couldn't suppress his massive grin. He desperately wanted to inform the entirety of humanity that he, Tadashi Hamada, was dating GoGo Tomago, but he held back because that was clearly not the most mature way of handling the situation. Plus, he didn't want his Aunt to find out just yet. She might suffocate him with an exuberant hug as she liked GoGo quite a bit. After he first brought GoGo and the rest of his friends to the cafe, Aunt Cass would occasionally offhandedly ask him about his opinion of "that cute girl with the short hair". Each time, without fail, it made him blush, a problem he faced at present. Hiro gave a smug smirk in response.
"Well, I'm happy. But did you ever think that you never would've ended up in that situation if it wasn't for me? Aren't you just so, so very grateful to have a kind, caring, empathetic brother like me?"
Tadashi did actually love his brother, even outside of his practical uses.