ripples: chapter one – a new reality

Summary: The present is charmed by the changes of the past, but the end result will always be the same. Or, the one where Hiro and Baymax fall through a ripple in the alternating timelines and somehow, end up, in the past.

Prompt: I could not sleep the night before thinking of a BH6 time travel fanfiction. I needed to feed off my craving for such through reading fanfiction and that did not satisfy me bc a) all good fanfictions are incomplete and have not been updated in over ten years, and b) there's a romantic spin in it and hey to each their own but I just really want some brotherly love that makes my heart ache and cry for baby Hiro because bae Tadashi is dead.

A/N: It was a struggle not being able to sleep without this idea pounding at the back of my mind. I don't write non-romance fanfiction so this is a first for me. Please be nice, and review? Criticism, always welcome—not insults or flames.

Disclaimer: I own not Big Hero 6 of the Disney franchise, nor the Marvel franchise.

He falls. Through shades of purple and galaxy pink that blinds his brown eyes, he falls through the soft ripple in between the changing times and alternate universes. They call for him – Gogo, Honey, Wasabi, Fred—everyone. But everything is blurry. All he really remembers ever being there is the protective hold of a white balloon, robotic pat on his head, and flashes of memories throughout the past two years. In the moment he lands, he opens his eyes up to a new reality.

Noises, they surround him. Chants, cheers and jeers, and he looks down to the small controller in his hand, and then up ahead to where Mr. Yama sits, ready for battle. He doesn't really know what exactly is going on but he can kind of understand so he does what he once did before.

"Megabot, destroy."

The small bot with the yellow smiley face heels it's head, bright red face ready for the kill. Mr. Yama is just a little bit confused, but Hiro knows how this will all play out. The small little bot made of scrapped metal and wiring surprises the audience with quick dodging and acrobatics, separating it's body only to come together and disassemble Little Yama. Hiro sits, a small smile on; he forgot all about the thrill of bot fighting—until now.

The megabot continues to destroy, leaving people in awe and amusement at how such a small thing could become such a big threat. And when the final kill hits, it jumps back, turns face again and bows like it should after a well fought battle. Hiro is smug because, why wouldn't he be—it's the second time he's conned the same guy.

"No more Little Yama."

"Wha—what?! This is not possible!"

"Hey, I'm—I'm surprised as you are. Beginner's luck. Do you wanna go again—"

He totally forgets this is right about the time he should be running. But of course, old habits die hard and it's like the script of that night had embedded itself into his mind. He's just surprised he even remembers anything said at all that night because it's been so long.

"—Yama?"

"No one hustles Yama!" The older guy shouts, and Hiro sees the boys from before coming up towards them, hard glares, and cracking their knuckles. "Teach him a lesson."

"Hey fellas? Let's—" Hiro takes a step back, a sheepish grin that he knows will not suffice, stupidly plastered on his face. "—talk about this."

And just like he expected, a flashing light rushes towards them, his brother on a red moped. Tadashi shouts for Hiro to get on, which the latter takes his time to, staring up at the undead brother of his with the worried frown etched on his face. He can tell Tadashi's a little mad, but Hiro just wants to hug him because he's right there, he's alive and everything's going to be okay.

"Tadashi! Ah, good timing!"

Tadashi slaps the helmet down his head, just like he did before. And when Hiro lifts it up, to look up his brother's back, he smiles, quite contended. He turns to take control of the robot he knows is still with Yama, excitement rushing through him like the salty city wind fractioned against his teary eyes and rosy cheeks.

"You okay?"

"Yeah!"

"Are you hurt?"

"No!"

"Then—" Tadashi starts hitting him while he drives, and it's hazardous but it's just like old times—he doesn't really care if his older brother is pissed off at him at this point as long as he's alive. "—what were you thinking?! Knucklehead!"

Tadashi makes a sharp u-turn at a dead end, and drives on. He starts his speech about Hiro graduating high school at thirteen and how he's not doing anything useful with his life. It's the same old boring script but it's refreshing because Hiro who's seen beyond just bot fighting and exciting moped chases knows this is something he previously wished he had back – and now he does. Yama comes in, his goons right behind him readying themselves to block out the only other exit for the Hamada siblings. But Tadashi is smart, and he's a great driver—and there's a conveniently placed plank of wood at the side—so they get away unscathed.

"Bot fighting is illegal! You're gonna get yourself arrested!"

"Bot fighting is not illegal. Betting on bot fighting—that's, that's illegal. But so worth it! I'm on a roll big brother and there is no stopping me!"

Like the last time, he speaks too soon. Red lights and blue flash around them, police scattered everywhere. Tadashi gives Hiro a side glare and Hiro shrugs innocently. They are cuffed and taken into the car, Tadashi's moped being driven by one of the officers. The ride to the station is silent and Hiro could swear Tadashi is lecturing him telepathically all the way from the slums to the city center. It takes Aunt Cass three hours to pick them up from the station and Hiro has never been so relieved to see her worried stricken face rushing up to them.

"Are you guys okay? Tell me you're okay!"

The two brothers chorused back with their own reassurance, small smiles on their faces. Aunt Cass hugs them tight.

"Oh good." She grabs one ear each from the two brothers and drags them back into her car. "What were you knuckleheads thinking?!"

Hiro can actually relate to fourteen years old him now that he's felt the thrill of bot fighting once again. But Aunt Cass' current scolding is no longer directed to him, it's the other Hiro who was so clueless and knew nothing of what is to come. And with the gift—curse—of having seen the future unfold through his very eyes, he's determined to stop the unfortunate series of events he knows is coming. So once up in his room, he goes straight into his computer, Tadashi mindlessly mumbling behind him.

"You better make this up to Aunt Cass before she eats everything in the café."

"For sure."

"And I hope you learned your lesson bonehead."

Hiro does not reply like the last time. He is already starting the research for Baymax's new design and upgrades. Tadashi takes a glance at him to see what he's up to, only to see diagrams of arm thrusters and wings. Taking a guess of what this is all about, he lets out a frustrated growl.

"You're making a new bot again, aren't you?" Interrupted, Hiro swivels the chair to face Tadashi with a stoic stare, only to meet his brother's glare. "Unbelievable. When are you going to start doing something with that—"

"Take me to your nerd school."

It is not what Hiro says that catches Tadashi surprised. It is in the tone of Hiro's voice. He sounds mature, sure, and very determined – nothing like the Hiro he knows of.

"What?"

"If you want to stop me from bot fighting then take me to your nerd school."

"That's new."

"I've been thinking."

"Of?"

"What I can do. And I think I have something figured out?"

"Oh?" Tadashi raises an eyebrow, grabbing the spare helmet from the side and tosses it to Hiro who effortlessly catches it. "And what is it that you have figured out?"

"Just, something."

Needing no more explanation, Tadashi grabs his own helmet from the hook and leads the way down. They get to the garage and Tadashi prepares to drive the vehicle, Hiro eagerly climbing up behind him, helmet on and an all too familiar chip stuffed inside his cargo shorts. They drive fast to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, Tadashi's renowned nerd school—as Hiro likes to put it. The classical campus modernized by the glowing spiral of the robotics lab, and Hiro sees a mile away, excitement pounding hard against his chest. And Tadashi feels the subtle adrenaline pump from his brother, a proud smile creeping up as he slows down the moped.

"We're here."

"Cool. Can you show me around?"

"Sure."

They walk into the building, bright lights all around and different experiments stationed in every corner of the room – cats with thrusters, robots playing ping pong, girls on electromagnetic suspended bikes and everything Hiro remembers the first day he stepped foot into this very lab, three years ago.

The yellow bike glides past him, and Tadashi comes up from behind. Hiro steps aside as the rider gets off the bike, and hangs it up. She takes off her helmet, looking right at him with intimidating brown eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Gogo, this is my brother, Hiro."

She pops her gum, still staring at him with that same piercing gaze. But Hiro's used to it so he just smiles, and slips past Tadashi to inspect her bike. He feels the magnetic field surrounding the wheels, and turns to her.

"Have you ever thought of using these as skates?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean like—think about it. If you can create a bike modeled with the use of electromag suspension, you can use the same formula to create skates."

"Skates huh?" She raises an eyebrow, and Tadashi leans against the counter, a curious glint in his eyes. "Why skates, to be specific?"

"They're smaller, lighter, which means they're faster, and they're also easier to maneuver which means they can take tight corners that a bike normally won't be able to."

"I'll think about it. "

Hiro is satisfied and moves on to the next. Tadashi curiously follows after him, roles feeling reversed, but it oddly makes him happy. His brother is taking interest on the projects of his friends, and suggested something even Gogo finds as a good idea. Not everyone can crack her stubborn protocol in terms of dealing with her projects but oddly enough, Hiro is able to.

Wasabi stands at the back corner. Tadashi makes the brief introduction and Hiro waits for Wasabi to demonstrate his own project. He tosses the apple through the invisible lasers, and Hiro catches the thin strips that fly towards him.

"Laser induced plasma?"

"Oh yeah. With a little magnetic confinement—"

"Ever thought of using them for something else?"

"Like what?"

"Seems like something a superhero could use."

"Little man, you make me laugh."

"With the right materials and engineering, these plasmas could be embedded as retractable blades into a suit ready for battle action."

"That's interesting."

Hiro nods, happy to have done his job. Wasabi gives Tadashi a bewildered stare, and the older Hamada shrugs, clearly just as lost his friend is. Gogo slips by between Wasabi and Tadashi, grabbing one of the tools neatly placed in Wasabi's work station, causing a friendly quarrel to surface between the two. Meanwhile, honey-blonde Honey Lemons rolls her ball of tungsten carbide whilst listening to her very, audibly loud earphones. Hiro and Tadashi follow after her and she notices them, eyes immediately locked onto to the younger of the Hamada brothers.

"Oh my gosh, you must be Hiro! I've heard so much about you!" She coos at him with a shrill voice, kissing both his cheeks. "Perfect timing!"

"That's a whole lot of tungsten carbide."

"Four hundred pounds of it!"

Honey drags him all over the place, much like the last time. He follows helplessly as she goes through the chemical ingredients of her project. Hiro remembers the scene pretty well so he follows through with the flow. Tadashi is sidelined again, perfectly fine with it as he sees his brother enjoy the antics of his overly hyped best friend. The color pink explodes in front of him, and Honey Lemon is covered in it's dust. But she's smiling and Hiro rubs his chin in consideration. Tadashi guesses he has a comment to make about this one as well.

"So, chemical metal embrittlement?"

"Exactly!"

"That's cool. But you know what would be cooler?"

"What?"

"With the right coding and sound knowledge of chemical reaction and the periodic table, I think you can expand by creating mini bombs of chemical reaction, specially compact and ready for easy use."

"Oh, I like that idea!"

"Yeah, me too."

Tadashi nods in approval, stepping up to pat Hiro's back. Hiro smiles at him, scratching the back of his head.

"Hiro, this is Honey Lemon."

"Honey Lemon? Gogo? Wasabi?"

"I spilled Wasabi on my shirt one time people, one time!"

"Fred is the one who comes up with the nicknames."

"So, where's Fred?"

"I'm right here!" A green mascot jumps in to the conversation, and Hiro turns, expecting to see the goofy member of what once was Big Hero 6. "Don't be alarmed my friend, this is just a suit, not my real face and body."

"Hello." Hiro offers a hand to Fred, who eagerly takes it as he comes out from his costume. "I'm guessing you're the school mascot, both day and night."

"Yup."

"What's your major?"

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not a student—although I am a major science enthusiast. I've been trying to get Honey to develop a formula that can turn me into a fire breathing lizard at will. But she says that's not science."

"It—it's really not."

"Yeah. And I guess the shrink ray I asked Wasabi for isn't science either. Is it?"

"Nope."

Tadashi rolls his eyes, about to make a leave for his lab, but he stops, seeing as Hiro doesn't follow him. Instead, his brother once again makes a suggestion—to Fred of all people.

"While there may be no formula to change you into any mutant of some sort, with a little bit of tweaking and some installments made, your mascot costume could be made into a battle armor equipped for combat such as fire breathing, and withstanding heat and impact."

"See guys, this is what I'm talking about!"

Rolling his eyes, Tadashi whistles to Hiro, making a gesture to follow him as the younger Hamada turns to look at him. Hiro gets the message, and leaves the group just in time as another playful argument arises from them. Hiro follows after Tadashi, the same hallway that once lead him to his own lab, back in his own time. He smiles slowly, nostalgia forming at the pit of his heart. But the lab is different – because this is Tadashi's lab, and everything in place is not his but Tadashi's.

"So, what have you been working on?"

"I'll show you."

Hiro's not sure if when Baymax activates, he'll be his Byamax, or Tadashi's. His mind is split in half as a part of him wishes that is his Baymax because it would be nice to have something—someone—familiar in an environment where everything and everyone are strangers again. And plus, reprogramming Baymax back to his Baymax would be a hassle and he may need the robot's help to follow through with his plans of changing their fate. But then, there's that part of him that knows that if that is his Baymax, he'll have a lot of explaining to do. And he really does not want to get anyone—specially Tadashi—involved in the upcoming crisis.

As Hiro goes back and forth between what he wants and what he needs, Tadashi rolls out the duct tape and gently places a strip he bit off onto Hiro's forearm. Peeling it off quickly, Hiro yelps out an ow which activates Baymax. The robot inflates itself from it's charging station, waddling over to the two brothers. Hiro looks up, preparing himself for what may come, rapidly thinking of ways to explain himself if ever this Baymax is his Baymax. The robot, ditzy as ever, bumps gently into a yellow stool on his way. He picks it up, and sets it aside, moving towards Hiro.

"Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." Baymax and Hiro stare at each other for five seconds and before Tadashi can interject, Baymax speaks again, much to Hiro's horror. "Hiro, I am glad to see you again. It is good to know you are alive and well after a terrible fall."

"Wait—what?" And there it is; Hiro's eyes quickly dart up to Tadashi who stares incredulously at his robot. "Baymax what are you—"

"Hiro, I shall scan you now."

"No—wait, don't scan—"

"Scan complete."

"Unbelievable."

"It seems that there is an error in my system as it indicates you are currently of the age fourteen, and of 5 feet height. However, in my last scan you were sixteen and—"

"Tadashi your robot's talking crazy."

"Baymax, I don't understand. Your coding was perfect the last time I checked."

"Tadashi, you are alive."

"Yes, I'm alive but you're—wait, what?"

Hiro's eyes widen, glare turned to the big white robot, warning him to shut up. Taking the hint, Baymax silences himself but Tadashi does not miss the silent exchange between the two.

"Hiro, do you know what's going on?"

"Tadashi—of course not! This is my first time ever being here!"

"Hiro, don't lie to me. This isn't a funny prank. How did you even get to Baymax—I haven't even brought him home yet."

"Tadashi, I promise you, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hiro!"

There is a knock on the door, and a man of the late forties enters. Hiro knows this man – he knows this man so well, he actually feels sick being in this close proximity to the person responsible for Tadashi's death. Baymax tilts his head, also recognizing the professor. However, Hiro's warning still looms and he keeps quiet about his findings.

"Save by the villain."

Hiro mutters, and though Tadashi catches a little bit of his mumble, he decides to let it go, turning his attention to his famed professor.

"Burning the midnight oil Mr. Hamada?"

"Hey professor. Actually, I was just finishing up."

"You must be Hiro."

"Um, yeah."

"Professor, actually—may I speak with you?"

"What's wrong, Mr. Hamada?"

"There's something wrong with Baymax's coding, I'd like to ask you again about using an alternative to—"

"I see. Okay, come with me."

Tadashi and the professor leaves, and Hiro waits until they're fully out of earshot before he closes the door and starts scolding Baymax.

"What were you thinking—oh I know! You weren't thinking at all, because robots don't need to think."

"I am slightly confused."

"Baymax, don't you get it? We've travelled back in time!"

"I thought the portal ripped, and we were unable to move past the—"

"I know, I thought that too buddy but how else would you explain Tadashi being alive and me being fourteen again?"

"I understand."

"This is bad. First day and we've already caught Tadashi's suspicion. This is bad—this is very, very bad. He's going to reprogram you!" Hiro paces back and forth, grabbing a handful of his hair as he squeezes his eyes tightly, trying to come up with ways to neutralize Tadashi's suspicions. "I have to do something, quick—Baymax, open your access port!"

"Hiro—"

"Buddy, I won't take out your chip. I'm going to insert in the old one that allowed you to perform karate. We will be needing it."

Baymax nods and opens his port. Hiro takes out the red chip that contains all previous fighting data, including new upgrades, from his pocket and inserts it into Baymax. Hiro taps the port close, and sighs deeply.

"Baymax, what are we going to do? I can't just tell Tadashi that I've come from the future where me and you, and the rest of the gang are superheroes and now I'm back here because I want to stop Tadashi from burning to death."

"You what?!"

A/N: I have nothing to say. I usually do but not this time. Maybe next time. Sorry the ending was rushed. I'm not sure where to go from here but I hope you are all satisfied with my writing. Thank you and please, review – it would definitely make my day. PS, if you like Jelsa, check out my Jelsa fanfiction, coins :) Not beta'd.