Hi! It's been awhile since I've written anything, sorry if I seem a bit rusty!
Reviews and critiques are loved!
Rated M for mature language and possible sexual scenes later on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Big Hero 6 or any of the characters.
Fred noticed it first; the way Baymax treated Hiro...differently. It was a given that Baymax would be closer to Hiro, after all, he was the brother of his creator and the one who needed Baymax the most when Tadashi died. But after fighting as a team, as Big Hero 6, Fred noticed some oddities in the robot. Baymax was the ultimate protector for them all, as his programming dictated, but only for Hiro would he fight. Only for Hiro would he awaken from sleep mode without being needed or called upon. Only for Hiro would he act against orders (even as it was only Hiro who could give him orders).
Fred was aware of the extensive programming Tadashi had coded within Baymax. All the extra data space was to allow room for Baymax's own observations and opinions, thus his own emotions and sentiments. It was an attempt to have Baymax go beyond the boundary of an artificial intelligence and become more human like for the sake of his patients. It made the robot seem more like a friend than a servant, though now Fred could see it expanding to more. Everyone knew Baymax was coded to be caring and understanding, but with Hiro he went above and beyond.
Should the boy say "ow" or disappear from his field of view, the robot would become restless and almost panicked, though his never changing voice gave no clues. If he was tired, Baymax would take it upon himself to pick Hiro up and carry him home (Fred would bet the bot even tucked Hiro into bed, but he really couldn't just ask to confirm). Though he was designed to be a hug-able marshmallow, Baymax rarely gave hugs, unless it was Hiro. It was a common sight to see the boy cuddled against the robot's chest in an embrace, hell, it was even common to see the boy asleep in Baymax's arms.
The final piece to the puzzle was Baymax's jealousy. It was subtle and harmless to the point where Fred was unsure if Baymax even knew he was jealous, but it drew his attention all the same. Whenever Hiro would be touched by another person, Baymax would watch him like a hawk. It was noticeably worse when Go-Go would wrap her arm around his shoulders. To them it was a friendly, even sisterly, action (though Fred sometimes saw a glint in her eyes that told him otherwise). To Baymax, it was she was trying to take the boy out of his care, away from him. The bot would loom behind them, a silent disapproval and worry radiating off of him. Should Hiro be in a mood and shrug off the "offending" appendage, Baymax would take it upon himself to hug the boy immediately after. Fred was unsure if it was out of relief, if it was an attempt to rub it in her face that Hiro rarely ever pushed HIM away, if it was an attempt to replace the sensation of her touch with his own, or if it was a way to claim the boy as his (both to himself and them).
When Hiro would become obsessed with a new idea for an invention, Baymax would loyally stay by his side. He would help the boy as much as he could with his work, and would bring him food and water when he couldn't. But after an hour of basically being ignored, the bot would pick the boy up and forcibly take him outside "for some fresh air". Fred suspected the robot was simply jealous. He could have wanted the boy's attention on him, maybe he was worried that Hiro may forget about him or become bored of him.
God forbid anyone actually hurt the boy under Baymax's watch. It was rare, but it happened all the same. While the robot would never seriously hurt a human being, if he deemed it necessary to hurt a human in order to protect Hiro, he would. On these occasions, Fred swore he saw that blood chilling flash of red in the robot's eyes. The only time Fred had been scared, intimidated, or hurt by the bot was the time when Hiro had taken out Tadashi's data chip, and he would never forget it. It made him nervous that Baymax could seemingly control which chip influenced him more at a moment's notice.
Neither Hiro nor Baymax had told them what exactly had happened inside the portal and none of them were brave enough to ask. There was no point in bringing up the obviously bad memories for the pair. Hiro would always get this far away look in his eyes and a heart wrenching look on his face, and Baymax would get an almost cold quality to his normally light voice. They both seemed to blame themselves for whatever occurred. Fred wondered if that was the point where Baymax actually began showing his affection for the boy, as he had only detected all the changes in their relationship after Baymax had been rebuilt.
The only thing Fred knew for sure was that Baymax loved Hiro. And even though it was thought to be impossible, he didn't consider it wrong. Love was love.
Go-Go noticed it first; the way Hiro treated Baymax like he was human. She wondered if it was a side effect of the boy's rather friendly feelings for the bot.
After meeting the boy, she had been sure that he had a small crush on her. She had returned the feelings easily. Though he was younger than her, he was mentally mature and intelligently on par with them. It also helped that he was adorable yet awkward, sweet yet cocky. But after Tadashi's death, his crush on her was nonexistent. But then again, it seemed everything about the Hiro she knew was nonexistent. They were so worried about him and his emotional state, but he pushed them away every time. He had so much grief and anger; anger at himself, anger at Tadashi, anger at them, anger at the world. Then came Baymax, the lovable personal healthcare companion. Hiro never pushed the bot away, and only he could stop the boy's downward spiral.
It concerned her to see Hiro begin to grow dependent on the robot. He always had Baymax at his side, in or out of battle. At the lab, when Hiro would be tired, when he would have a headache, or when he couldn't think of new inventions, he would crawl into the robot's arms or lay on top of him for comfort. When Hiro was having a bad day, he would fly off with Baymax to cheer himself up (and he always made sure to go somewhere where they couldn't follow). Should the robot get hurt in battle, normally while protecting him, Hiro would become almost frantic.
Go-Go became aware quickly that Hiro didn't like it when other's touched Baymax. She was unsure if it was because he was jealous, if it was because he considered Baymax to be his toy, or if it was because the robot was the last piece of Tadashi Hiro had. The boy would subtly orbit around as if he was keeping a close eye on the interaction, a look of displeasure on his face.
Hiro also made it clear that he didn't like flying with the others. Whether because he considered it his alone time to clear his thoughts, or because it was his bonding time with Baymax, she was unsure. All the same she disliked the idea of the boy's life being in the hand's on the robot, though a part of her knew Baymax would never hurt a hair on Hiro's head.
She wondered what they did when alone at Hiro's house. Did Baymax go into sleep mode in his charging station, or did he stay out and keep Hiro company? Did they talk, or did they simply coexist? Did they cuddle, or did they- she considered hitting herself as her thoughts drifted far beyond the line of acceptable.
The only thing Go-Go knew for sure was that Hiro felt something for Baymax. She wouldn't call it love, not yet, but she did consider it wrong. The boy's affections were wasted on something that wasn't alive.