So for Valentine's Day I've decided to do something just a bit different-still Disney, but cuter, a bit more appropriate, and fluffy as hell.
Because Baymax is great and there needs to be more fanfiction out there for the HiroLemon ship. Like, not even romantically, just really cutesy stuff. Also I haven't written in first person in a while, so that was a fun exercise, getting this done.
There's no indication of when Hiro's birthday is in the comics or the movie, so I went with this because why the hell not. Happy Friday the Thirteenth and Valentine's Day!
"Chemistry, Robotics, and the Conundrum Called Valentine's Day"
If I had the power to choose my birthday, it never would have been February 14th. Out of any day of the year, that one has been, and probably always will be, the very worst day to have a birthday. Christmas is fine—usually you can bank off getting more presents. New Year's, Pi Day, Arbor Day—even Leap Year is a better day to have a birthday than Valentine's Day.
Why?
Because no matter the age, everyone always asks if you have a Valentine, like you're obligated to have one just because it's the day of your birth. And it wasn't from Aunt Cass or Tadashi, it would be from teachers, classmates… anyone who knew. So the first year after Tadashi passed, I was dreading the inevitable day. Tadashi wouldn't be there to dismiss the teasers, make everything more lighthearted, less terrible—but friends were a pretty decent substitute, I guessed.
This year was different, though. This year, I had a stupid Valentine.
Whether or not she accepted it was a different story…
So when did you become infatuated with her, Hiro?
That's what the therapist would ask. Or in my case, Baymax. And my own head. Unfortunately Baymax 2.0 had downloaded an entire database on adolescence and puberty, much to my everlasting embarrassment, so he could pick up the "signs" almost immediately after I rebuilt him.
"Your heart rate has increased, and there has been a rush of blood to your face at the sight of Honey Lemon," he'd observed. Which meant I had to look away, pronto. I hadn't been staring; was I staring? Luckily it'd been another long say at the lab, and usually we were the last two there, so no one could hear Baymax. Least of all Honey—she always listened to her music so loudly, singing along sometimes… she had a really pretty voice, nice hair, really big green eyes…
"Tch! Baymax…" I warned. But I didn't like her. Nope. She was just… a really pretty friend.
"Gestures of showing infatuation for another include: asking the other party on an outing, holding hands, long talks alone—"
"Baymax!" He was great but he needed to shut up…!
"Hiro." I pouted up at him. "Talking to Honey Lemon about this issue would decrease your stress levels."
"Will you stop scanning me?!" Was I actually stressing over this…? Over the Robotics classes and superhero crises, this is what got the blood pressure rising?
"Later," I promised, with no intention of doing it. "I am satisfied with my care."
And hopefully I never had to worry about it again. I didn't like Honey. And, more importantly, she definitely didn't like me back.
But really, though, it started even before Baymax got put back together. Luckily, with Tadashi's notes still around, rebuilding him took a lot less time than 84 takes. At the moment, I'd been waiting for the white vinyl to arrive from the site at which I'd ordered it.
It was already almost midnight when I was done with the finishing touches on Baymax's internal hardware. Had it really been that long…? I guessed, since Wasabi always left promptly at eight too keep up with his schedule, Fred finally decided to do laundry, and Go Go had finished her fastest bike yet and went home for a much needed break. The rest of the SFIT students trickled down, until it was just Honey Lemon and me, and she'd probably come close to blowing up her station three times that week.
It was so… quiet in the lab, eerily quiet. With Baymax there was company, but he wasn't here right now, not yet. And with Tadashi gone, home just still seemed too silent, and now even the lab was starting to resemble that unsettling stillness.
And, with Baymax almost ready for a test run, what was next? I didn't have that many ideas now… Ever since the microbots incident, SFIT kept pushing me for these new, innovative ideas, but without Tadashi, and without any real ideas, I was stumped. There was Baymax, but… he had always been Tadashi's. I couldn't take that from him.
Even Honey, who was usually in her own little world with her loud music, seemed to notice. Then again, we were the only ones here this late.
She turned off her Bunsen burner and set her tubes down. And, in her thinking I was more important than chemistry, made me feel… I dunno. Fluttery. Something stupid. Something great.
"Hiro?" she asked. I turned in mu seat, slumped.
"Hey, Honey Lemon." I shot her the biggest smile I could muster up at midnight. Way harder than it sounds.
I dunno, there was something about the way she smiled back, though. Empathetically, sympathetically, prettily… I couldn't tell. But it was something in her hair, something in her posture, something in those big, green eyes of hers.
"You've been working really hard on Baymax. Is he almost done?" Her head tilted to the side, that honey blonde hair sweeping over her shoulder. Was it always that soft looking?
"Uh… yeah," I told her, then sighed. "But I don't know what to do after that."
"Oh." Honey blinked, then pondered a moment. "What about developing your microbots again?" she suggested.
And how could she suggest something like that? "No," I answered immediately. "Never."
"Never?" Honey actually looked shocked at that.
"After what happened with Callaghan, who knows what will happen? They could be used for evil again," I pointed out.
"Yes, but look at all the good they could do as well." Honey leaned over and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Take chemistry, for example. I could take any mix of chemicals and make a very dangerous bomb, but I don't. Well… not intentionally."
I had to crack a smile at that.
Honey continued. "Same thing with your microbots. Callaghan might have used them for evil, but I know you won't. As for other people… that's why you modify and develop, and take extra precautions. You're a scientist, Hiro. Taking risks is in your blood."
The way she put it… she had a point. No one had ever said it so… nicely before. But she was right. And I was, too, and she knew it. She didn't ignore what I thought, but… she offered her solution.
Maybe I might just take her up on that… For some reason, my heart was beating faster than usual. Was it the way she looked, or…?
No, I couldn't…! Did I?
"I'll, uh… I'll consider it," I told her, before quickly adding, "Thank you."
"Oh, Hiro, of course." I liked the way she pronounced my name. Aunt Cass said it was considered "correct" from a Japanese standpoint. I guessed Spanish as well. It had her own flair to it, something that could be copied, but not fully replicated.
And then, because she always acted so casually touchy around pretty much everyone, Honey hugged me. But, unlike her usual quick, energetic ones, she made this one slow, and it lingered.
She smelled nice, and I really liked it. I liked everything about her. Same with the rest of the team.
But… did I like Honey Lemon more? Like that?
As she pulled away, I kind of actually wanted Baymax to make a diagnosis, if it made things less complicated.
Needless to say, once Baymax was put back together, I kind of regretted the constant scanning, and worse, I couldn't deactivate him often due to any crises we might come across at any given day. I wasn't exactly built like Superman, and I definitely couldn't lift the weights Baymax could.
But could he shut up every once in a while?
"Have you discussed your feelings with Honey Lemon yet?"
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that…
"Later, Baymax." This paper on titanium alloy and the effects it's had on modern science wasn't going to write itself.
"I have downloaded a database on Valentine's Day, February 14th—the day of your birth." Well, that was new. I turned away from my computer.
"Baymax…" The thing about robots was, they never got emotional or embarrassed. And they didn't understand or empathize as well as humans could. Oh yeah, Baymax was awesome, but… oh, gosh, he could embarrass me even more than Tadashi used to.
"While birthday tradition dictates celebration on your part, it is customary for an individual to display affection toward a significant other, commonly in the form of gifts. May I suggest writing Honey Lemon a poem to show your pubescent adoration, or give her chocolates or roses?"
Could the ground please swallow me up now?
"It's not pubescent adoration!" I defended. Wait, why was I even… But it was true, it wasn't just some puppy love thing, I just…
"And I don't like Honey Lemon!"
"Your increased heart rate and blood pressure indicate that you are feeling stressed, or irritated. Have I angered you, Hiro?"
Sighing, I moved from my office chair to the bed, slumping onto it. "It's not that, Baymax," I assured. Oh, who was I kidding, he knew me far too well, just from constant scanning. He knew, because my own stupid body knew. My mind just didn't accept it.
"I do like her, it's just… I don't think she would like me back. I'm too young. So I don't wanna say anything. We're already good friends." Even if I thought her perfume always smelled pretty when she hugged me, and I remember the way it felt when she kissed my cheeks, and how nice she looked in her dresses when she played around with chemicals, it wasn't like she had to know any of that. Why would I compromise a good friendship?
"Perhaps she will understand if you tell her," said Baymax.
I remembered what Honey told me about taking risks, being a scientist. It would probably apply to everything. She knew about taking risks, that was partly why I liked her so much. She enjoyed explosions, standing close to them, even, if it meant seeing a beautiful chemical reaction.
So maybe she would be okay with something. A little gesture…
An idea…
"I guess so, Baymax." I figured I was finally accepting all those constant scans and diagnoses.
Honey Lemon was larger than life, so I had to give her something or do something she wouldn't forget, right?
I had to overshadow myself on my own birthday, in other words. Not that I minded. I didn't really like Valentine's Day, anyway, much less the fact that my own birthday just happened to fall right then.
But without Tadashi to shake things up, it was a lot harder to come up with an idea that would impress her. And it couldn't just be like remaking her armor or watching a 400-pound ball of tungsten carbonate become a big pink cloud. It had to be awesome.
But sweet.
And me, being the absolute worst at showing affection well (except the occasional last hug with Aunt Cass), well… let's just say my ideas ranged from completely juvenile to outright disastrous.
According to the Internet, I couldn't just go the easy route and make a card stating, "Will you be my Valentine?" because kids sent those to each other without any meaning. And since I wasn't an English major and currently attending a college based around science, my poems I attempted were… I won't even get into any of that, that's how horrendous they were.
I thought maybe baking would be a bit easier, but I think Aunt Cass ended up stressing me out much more than I would have liked.
"No, no, Hiro, you have to put the eggs in now! That's why you follow the recipe, otherwise it's a train wreck!" I could barely understand her as she spoke in between giant bites of yet another donut.
"But it all goes in the same place, what's the difference?" Really, did it matter the order?
"The consistency! You're going to have terrible consistency!" She nudged me aside to try and fix the mess. Apparently making a three-layer cake was an all-day job.
Needless to say, I was leaving all the baking to Aunt Cass. I would be good with instant ramen for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to measure flour again.
Later in the lab, Fred summoned Honey Lemon over. She carried a large tray of brownies, and Fred handed over a bigger wad of cash than I'd ever seen on him.
"Honey!" he drawled, sitting up in his old recliner, donned in his mascot suit.
There was a terse smile on Honey's face, almost like she really wanted Fred's approval as she handed him the tray. "Just as you requested," she assured, and Fred never looked hungrier.
"Oh man, no one makes 'em better than you do, Honey Lemon!" Fred complimented, handing her the cash.
"This can last you a while, right, Freddie? I don't like making these with others in the house." But Honey seemed more than happy to do the work.
Fred waved a hand, and Go Go looked suspiciously over at the tray, but said nothing.
"Don't worry, Honey, I know when to pace myself."
"Okay…" Honey just shrugged and walked back to her station.
If Fred was forking over that much for Honey's brownies, baking something just for her probably wasn't my best bet for a good Valentine's Day gift.
So I needed to get Honey something great, but not something that was too general. Something that made a big gesture, but nothing so big to the point where it was too obvious to anyone else. Something more than a card or a poem, but needed to convey how I felt.
Entering the competition to get into SFIT was way easier than this.
Was it unoriginal to do something with the microbots? Ever since Honey convinced me to start working on them again things were going well, smoothly. I kind of owed it to her to kind of get over myself and do something after fixing Baymax. I wouldn't have touched them again if it weren't for her.
I was grateful to all my friends for being supportive, and I wouldn't be anywhere without them. But there was something about Honey Lemon I was just more attracted to—not just for her smarts or looks, but just for her. I just couldn't wrap myself so much around the why but I just knew.
As I tried to figure out what I could make the microbots do for her, I realized I only had about a week to figure it all out. That, on top of homework and potential quizzes, and emergency crime fighting.
And getting small things for everyone (including Honey, whose real gift I'd give in private).
What had I gotten myself into?!
All I could say was, thank whoever was in charge up there for Aunt Cass. She calmed me down when the stress was high, didn't say anything when I mentioned Honey Lemon. She was a way better crafter and food maker than I, so she was more than glad to feed a few college students.
"I remember when you'd try to bake with me," she sighed, playing a hand over her chest.
Usually I didn't like getting nostalgic, since a lot of it had to do with Tadashi, but I didn't mind indulging Aunt Cass, especially when even though she took it hard, she had to suppress herself more to still support us. I had to give her credit, while I was moping about, she was still working. Sometimes I would catch her crying over a picture in some places around the house.
I never blamed her; I still had those moments, too.
"Just me?" I asked, making shapes with the heart-shaped cookie cutter she handed me. I couldn't wait to decorate; that was always the fun part. Making the dough…? Well, that was my aunt's specialty. But I was helping, so that counted as me making them, right?
"Well, Tadashi…" She was trying to find the right words to say, I could tell. "By this point, he was starting to really get into robotics, and you were just about to follow him. But this was something you liked to do, just the two of us. I think, after your parents… well, I used to think it was your coping mechanism, doing things with your hands."
I could only vaguely remember.
"I really like this," I admitted. And I guessed it was a thing I missed and something I used to do a lot.
Aunt Cass shrugged. "Well, you know the kitchen is always open. But no open flames or ovens until I'm there!" With that, she unfairly dabbed my nose with icing.
"Hey!" I cried, then reciprocated.
It was a wonder how there was enough icing for all the cookies, plus what we wasted in our impromptu icing fight. Cleaning up was never fun, but with Aunt Cass it was more bearable.
"So…" And by her tone of voice I knew where this was going. "Any potential birthday Valentines this year? Not that you need one this early, but…"
"It's around that age?" I guessed.
"I'm just curious," she assured, holding her hands up. "You're young, but… you deserve to be happy."
I… I couldn't tell her; she'd start acting weird around Honey if that was the case. It wasn't that Aunt Cass wouldn't approve, it was that she would be too supportive. And I didn't want to weird Honey out, or give Aunt Cass something else to stress about.
"I'm going to let her know," I told her, and that's all I was giving out.
She gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "She's a lucky girl, then."
It was definitely the other way around.
I had to keep myself under control. If my heart beat even one more pulse per minute, Baymax never hesitated to point it out. Hence, here I was trying to breathe casually.
With Baymax carrying all the gifts, my hands were relatively free, and I was glad that this could give me something to feel a bit calmer.
And, since it was my birthday, not only did Mochi seem more cuddly, Aunt Cass insisted on a full birthday breakfast (spam, eggs, rice, followed by bacon and pancakes), then assured me she'd have a good gift to give me later in front of my friends. She also insisted on dropping me off at SFIT. Yeah, it was a bit dorky, but what do you expect when you're in a school full of awesome nerds?
Luckily Baymax fit nicely in the flatbed of the truck, and all Valentine's items were totally fine. And thankfully today was a lighter class load than other days, so I had time to stop in the lab and drop off all this stuff before class.
Hopefully no one noticed what was up with the closed box of microbots Baymax was carrying. No one else knew I had started developing them again.
"Bye, birthday boy!" Aunt Cass called as we got out of the car, and yeah, it was a bit embarrassing, but that was just her. "Dinner and cake and your present is all on me tonight!"
I can only imagine the horrors that awaited me, because while this morning was easy, the rest of the day would be the real challenge.
"Your heart rate has increased and your body is secreting more swear, indicating that you are nervous," Baymax pointed out. "Is this because of your infatuation with Honey Lemon?"
"Mostly," I admitted, gulping as I walked into the building. "Just… let me be the one to tell her, okay, Baymax?"
"As you wish, Hiro."
To state that Honey Lemon loved Valentine's Day was a complete understatement. Not only was her station adorned in hearts, cupids, ribbons, and the like, but so was Wasabi's station, my station, and Fred's chair. She took a chance on Go Go by placing a stuffed bear at the very corner of her station.
And 400 pounds of pink tungsten carbonate was nothing compared to how all out Honey Lemon went with wearing pink.
Hearts and teddy bears, she seemed to really like those, too.
I gulped; there was no way she would ever accept my gesture, since she'd already gone above and beyond what I had in mind. How was I supposed to know she was so into it?
So I kept her gift hidden, when I noticed that Honey didn't only decorate in Valentine's Day stuff, but birthday balloons and decorations as well.
I was really overdone.
Well, better now than never… After setting the rest of my stuff down, I took the tray of cookies Aunt Cass and I had made, along with some other treats and gifts for the gang, and started handing those out.
Go Go approached me first, with a bone crushing hug, a gift card to my favorite electronics store, and "a pinch to grow an inch." It might have left a bruise.
She had her own way of showing affection, I guess. I kind of noticed it when she next approached Fred and slugged him playfully in the arm, but when he handed her a box of chocolate she almost smiled.
I wondered if maybe there was something going on between them.
Fred was more than happy "spreading the love," as he put it, and definitely actually bathed and washed his clothes for the occasion. Apparently I had a limo ride to look forward to tonight with the group, and Fred got me a pretty rare copy of his favorite comic book.
"You know, just in case you find a way to actually turn me into a fire-breathing dragon," he added.
"Oh, sure," I falsely promised. Hey, I could let the guy dream.
From Wasabi, I got a very nice, very organized picture frame that held a few great pictures, some even with Tadashi.
He really was a sweet guy.
And finally Honey, who drew me in and all I could smell was a pleasant, flowery perfume. But hey, I wasn't complaining, especially when she kissed each one of my cheeks and beamed at me.
Gotta play cool.
"Feliz cumpleaños! お誕生日おめでとうございます！Happy birthday, Hiro!" she exclaimed, and of course, there was the obligatory birthday selfie she had to take. I wasn't complaining, if it meant she was still pressed up against me.
"Thanks, Honey," I replied. See, I could keep my cool, even when my heart was beating rapidly.
I handed her a few heart shaped cookies and some chocolate. "Aunt Cass and I made these for everyone," I explained.
"Oh!" Honey grinned and took a bite of one of the cookies. "Wow, this is delicious!"
"Thanks." Had to take some credit, I guess.
Honey handed me a small bag, and I didn't hesitate to open it. Inside was a knit beanie, in a tasteful grey with nice accents in hues of dark blue.
"Did you make this?" I asked, totally astonished she'd make me something handmade. Sure, we all had our ugly Christmas sweaters she made us for the holidays, but that was a gimmick (even though I still wore it every once in a while at night because it was so comfy). This was definitely something very special.
And Honey gave it to me. I wasn't reading into it too much, was I?"
"Of course!" she replied, just as enthusiastic as ever. "You know I love to knit. Do you like it, Hiro?"
"I love it," I assured, and to prove it I was already wearing it. "It's really thoughtful."
It might come off later, but I wasn't counting on it.
"Uh… here!" I suddenly declared, thrusting the tray of cookies in her face, not sure what else to do.
Wow, that was stupid.
"Um… thanks again?" Honey politely took another cookie from the tray. My mouth was getting the better of me…
"Delicious," she complimented, patting my head.
Luckily Baymax was talking to Wasabi, so he didn't assess the blush I knew spread across my face.
Keep it together, Hiro, I reminded myself.
I had the whole day to pick up the courage to tell Honey how I felt about her. Whether or not I actually got there was a different story altogether.
By the time late afternoon rolled around, my palms were sweating, and if Baymax scanned me one more time I was going to go insane. I couldn't keep my calm if he kept reminding me I was anything but. I know his protocol was to make sure I was healthy at all times, but… there was only so much a guy could take.
Sadly it did get too warm under the cap Honey Lemon had given me, so that was now sitting on my backpack. At least I knew it served its intended purpose, and I could definitely see myself wearing it pretty often, not just to impress her. Hey, I got cold, too.
Soon Fred let us know Heathcliff would be here with the limo soon to take us all to the Lucky Cat Café. Of course, since space was limited, I had to deactivate Baymax to be able to fit him in. Besides, if he was deactivated, as long as no one said "ow," he wouldn't reactivate.
Which meant it was now or never to talk to Honey.
With everyone cleaning up for the day, they would be too busy to see what was going on. And since Tadashi's old lab was pretty secluded, this could work. Maybe with just the two of us I could feel more confident.
"Honey? Can I talk to you in my lab for a second?" I asked, pointing in the right direction.
She shook out that pretty blonde hair. Maybe I couldn't do this.
"Sure," she replied, shedding her lab coat and hanging it up. She followed me, and I hoped I was at least the slightest bit ready to say something.
"Did you want to show me anything?" she asked politely once we were inside.
"Right!" Stupid. "I was, uh… thinking about what you said the other week, about being a scientist, taking risks and all that." I shuffled around, just looking for the right… Aha.
I put the neural-cranial transmitter on my head and decided not to do anything just yet.
"Oh! You're working on your microbots again," she realized, smiling politely.
"I dunno, if it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have attempted working on them again," I admitted, looking down. But the microbots started moving, twirling around her a second before I commanded they retrieve a maroon envelope that contained the other gift I had set aside for her. I wasn't too good with crafting without a computer, but I'd saved up a bit for this—luckily it wasn't too out of my price range or anything.
The microbots were doing everything I couldn't bring myself to do—I needed those extra nerves, and Honey just seemed impressed with the feat.
I was still looking down at my shows when Honey opened the envelope, and gasped at the contents inside. The card was just a cheesy "Will you be my Valentine?" drugstore card with a bear I thought she'd find cute. Other than my named signed and the date, there was nothing else.
Nothing except the silver charm bracelet I'd gotten her. It wasn't the nicest (even though she probably deserved better), but for what I had, I hoped it worked.
When she gasped, I had to look up at that. "Oh, Hiro, this is…" I couldn't believe she was at a loss for words. It only had four charms—a jar of honey, a lemon slice, a purse, and a heart. Kind of generic, really… I told her this, that it was nothing special, even if this was a big reveal.
Honey didn't see it as such. "I love it," she declared, slipping it on her wrist before snapping a few pictures.
Eyes wide, I sent the microbots back to their home and slipped the transmitter off, then rushed to her. "Really?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager. "You don't… I mean, you're not weirded out by me liking you or the age difference at all?"
She shot me a sympathetic smile, and on anyone else it would look condescending, but on Honey Lemon it seemed genuine. "No, really, Hiro, I'm so flattered. I've never gotten such a sweet gift."
I sensed the "but" that was about to slip out of her mouth, so I beat her to the punch. "But I know I'm too young and I'm sure you'll always only see me as a teammate and friend."
"Not at all." Honey shook her head. "I have no doubt you're going to be incredibly handsome in a few years. But you don't have to sell yourself so short—you can do incredible things, Hiro. And any other girl around your age will like that."
"You'd wait for me?" Hey, a guy could be hopeful.
"I don't know," she answered honestly, shrugging. "Who knows? You'll probably find someone else by that point."
I doubted it, but at least she didn't say no. In fact, I got a way more positive response than I was ever expecting. It was this small bit of hope she gave me—nothing was set in stone, we both knew that. And Honey was willing to admit something could work out in the future, maybe.
"Okay." I grinned, but I don't know, did she think the gap in my teeth was too childish? "Thanks."
"No, thank you." Honey leaned down and kissed my forehead softly. And, for what I had expected, today was better than usual. I had a Valentine, and she wasn't creeped out by my crush on her, even if she didn't like me back that way. I got some cool stuff for my birthday. And I really did have the best friends any newly christened fifteen year old could ask for. Even though it was still sad Tadashi wasn't around anymore, I was still happy—I know he wanted me to be.
It was Valentine's Day. And, as Honey jingled her new charm bracelet happily as we rejoined the rest of the group, I realized—maybe my birthdate wasn't that bad if I had days like this to look forward to in the future.
Whether or not I expand on writing HiroLemon I dunno yet, but I did hint that I also ship GoGozilla, so I have an idea or two for them. I did have to rate this a bit higher just for the pot reference (if you spotted it), but I love how in BH6 I don't take anything higher than a G-rating because I don't really see anything more. xD As for my next fic, though...
So yeah, was it too fluffy? Was Hiro not in character? Was Baymax not in it enough? As always, reviews are always loved and appreciated!
Until then,
Eliza