Secret Santa gift for my very own sister, Miss Pookamonga! Yeah, how weird was that? But I loved doing it, I knew exactly what she'd like so this is going to be a great fic!
Tadashi is alive and no explanation will be given for that. ;)
Christmas at the Hamadas
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!" Cass's slightly off key singing rang through the Lucky Cat Cafe as she bustled about, fixing Christmas lights and straightening wreaths. "Tis the season to be jolly-"
"Aunt Cass," Hiro cut in, "I think the outside lights are coming off."
"Again?" Cass sighed deeply. "One of these days, I'm going to get a better toolbox."
Cass picked up the magenta toolbox and hurried outside to fix the falling lights. Hiro smirked at her as the door shut, which did not go unnoticed by his older brother.
"Rather convenient that the outside lights suddenly start sliding off when she starts singing." Tadashi said suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Convenient." Hiro said as he carefully stowed a small remote in his pocket.
"Now that's just evil." Tadashi chided him. "We want Aunt Cass to be happy so she doesn't throttle us in front of our friends."
"She'll be happy!" Hiro assured Tadashi. "It's Christmas! Christmas means peace on Earth and good will toward men."
"Sure but it doesn't say anything about good will toward adolescents." Tadashi ruffled Hiro's hair. "So you're just going to have to suck up to me so I won't tell Aunt Cass your dastardly plan."
"Okay." Hiro threw his hands up in surrender. "If you're cool with her off key singing all day, who am I to keep the peace?"
"I'm cool with her being happy, Hiro." Tadashi sighed. "We could really use that around here."
Hiro shrugged lightly. "Can't argue with that, bro. Anyway, I'm going to wake Baymax up and you can greet everyone as they come in."
"Great, I can't even program my own invention now?" Tadashi snarked as Hiro pounded up the stairs.
"Technically I invented him while you were busy being dead." Hiro shot back. "So now he's mine."
Tadashi rolled his eyes and turned to the front door just in time to get nearly tackled by a blur of red and green. Instinctively, he put his arms around his friend.
"Hey, Honey." he said cheerfully. "Nice to see you here. Early."
"I just couldn't wait!" Honey squealed. "I know you said no presents because we're doing that later but I had to give this to you right away!"
She shoved a bag into Tadashi's hands and stared at him expectantly, as if begging him not to take too long to unwrap the present she'd gotten him.
"I knew you were going to do this." Tadashi chortled as he reached into the bag. "Every year it's the same. You make us all look lazy in the gift giving department."
"You know that doesn't matter to me." Honey waved a hand dismissively. "It's the thought that counts."
Tadashi pulled out a small book and stared down at the cover. "101 Harmless Yet Obnoxious Ways to Get Even With Your Siblings." he let out a laugh. "Why Honey Lemon, I never thought you'd be the one to encourage such behavior."
"I have four older brothers." Honey reminded him. "This book saved my childhood."
"Believe me, I'll be putting it to good use." Tadashi chortled. "As it happens, I did get you something."
"Aww, Tadashi!" Honey sighed. "You didn't have to!"
"Are you kidding? How could I not when you're constantly cooking for us? You deserve something nice. And speaking of," Tadashi pulled a small package out of his pocket, "here you go."
"This is so exciting!" Honey tore off the wrapping paper with relish. "It's... oh Tadashi, you're amazing!" In her hand was a small set of salt and pepper shakers shaped like butterflies. "They match my tablecloth!"
"That's why I got 'em. Aunt Cass, Hiro, and I stopped by the museum of salt and pepper shakers about a month ago. They were too perfect to pass up." Tadashi grinned as he watched her inspect them more closely. "I'm glad you like them."
"I love them! You're the best!" she kissed him on the cheek before hurrying over to the table, where she placed her purse.
Tadashi marveled as he watched Honey extract several tins of cookies from said purse.
"TARDIS bag." came a voice from just over his shoulder.
Tadashi jumped and came face to face with Fred. His friend laughed at his surprise.
"You should've seen your face!" Fred laughed. "Priceless! Next time I'll get my phone out and take a picture!"
"You do that." Tadashi deadpanned, though he couldn't keep himself from smiling.
"All right, the lights are perfect outside, the company's perfect inside, and everything's going okay." Cass said as she walked in, looking like she was trying to calm herself down. "No need to stress. I got this."
"Yes you do, Aunt Cass." Tadashi assured her.
"Hello, treasured family friends." Baymax waddled down the stairs and waved to them.
"You made him multitask?" Tadashi rolled his eyes at his brother, who was practically skipping down the stairs behind him. "So typical."
"Yeah, because doctors never multitask." Hiro snarked. "Seriously though, if he couldn't walk while waving, there was a serious design flaw."
"I was still working on him!" Tadashi huffed. "Forget it, Hiro. You had it easy. You had all the plans. Try starting from scratch sometime."
"Good luck with that, I'm always saying that about baking." Cass said, walking up and patting Tadashi on the shoulder. "Also, one of your friends is wiping the snow off the decorations outside."
"That would be Wasabi." Tadashi chirped as he hurried over to the front door.
Sure enough, Wasabi was carefully brushing the powdery snow off of every single reindeer on Santa's sleigh.
"You know, when we invited you to a party, that wasn't an invitation to stand around outside the house and clean up the yard." Tadashi called over.
"Just let me do this and the Nativity scene and I'll be right in." Wasabi called back.
"Nope." Tadashi marched outside and grabbed Wasabi's arm. "The nice stable is protecting the most important people and I'm sure the shepherds are no strangers to a little snow."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Wasabi wailed as Tadashi attempted to drag him away. "I'm almost done!"
"Is he seriously doing this again?" Gogo asked as she got off her Harley. "Wasabi, as soon as we turn on the lights, the snow will melt right off."
"It'll be uneven!" Wasabi complained. "My way is much more efficient."
"Yeah, well, it's Christmas." Gogo shoved him through the front door. "And you are going to have fun if we have to strap you down and force feed you figgy pudding!"
"Not figgy pudding! You know I hate raisins!" Wasabi griped.
"Wasabi! Gogo!" Cass waved at the pair as they walked in. "You're just in time!"
"I do not mean to interrupt the festivities but this eggnog appears to contain alcohol." Baymax called from the kitchen.
"It's supposed to, Baymax!" Cass shouted back. "Don't worry, we'll drink responsibly!"
"Would you like me to show you a short video on the dangers of alcohol poisoning?"
"Yeah, I think we'll pass on that, buddy." Tadashi shook his head. Perhaps he should have programmed Baymax with some better social skills.
"Sooooo who wants to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas?" Cass pulled out an ancient VHS tape from the breadbox, of all places.
"Um sure, but why the old fashioned technology?" asked Gogo.
"This is the copy my parents recorded. It's family tradition to watch all the old 80s commercials!" Cass got out a dusty old VCR and connected it.
"It's sort of a tradition." Tadashi told Gogo in an undertone. "Don't question it. We'll be here all night if you nitpick."
"I think it's cute." Honey spoke up. "So how old were you when your parents recorded it?"
"How old do you think I am?" Cass peered at Honey through narrowed eyes. "I wasn't born yet in the 80s, come on!"
Honey blushed and suddenly make a big deal of arranging the cookies on the table by color. Tadashi grinned in amusement and turned to make a snarky comment to Gogo when he spotted Wasabi painstakingly straightening every picture in the cafe.
"Come on, man, it's Christmas. They don't have to be perfect." he called to his friend.
"Actually they do." Wasabi admitted. "I... sort of invited someone."
"Oh really?" Fred piped up, slinging an arm around Wasabi. "A girl friend?"
"What are we, twelve?" Wasabi shrugged off his arm with a glare. "But uh... yeah. She is female."
"You dog!" Fred punched the taller man's arm rather hard.
Please don't call me that again." Wasabi deadpanned. "But actually it's... well she kind of..." he glanced out the window and his eyes went as wide as saucers. "Oh no. Ohhh no, she's here. Guys, please don't chew me out but uhh... I kind of invited Abigail."
"You did what?" Hiro shouted, bolting to the window and pressing his face against it. "Wasabi, what possessed you to-"
"Hiro." Tadashi interrupted sharply. "There's no reason not to be polite."
"She's Callaghan's daughter!" Hiro bellowed. "There's plenty of reason."
"And everything worked fine for both you and Tadashi." Cass reminded him.
"Except for a little emotional distress and mind control, sure." Hiro mumbled. "Fine. Let her in."
Wasabi opened the door seconds before Abigail could knock on it. "Hey!"
"Hey." Abigail said shyly. "I hope I'm not too late."
"Not at all." Wasabi got out of her way and allowed her to enter, his eyes fixed on her as she walked through the door. "Do you want some cookies? Honey made cookies. And look at all the pictures on the wall, they're all straight! Yeah. That was my doing." he rambled.
"Uhh yeah." Tadashi smirked at Wasabi. "He's a pretty amazing guy."
"Oh, I know that." Abigail winked at him, prompting Hiro to raise an eyebrow.
"Are you dating?" Tadashi asked Wasabi in an undertone once everyone was distracted once more.
"Um... little bit." Wasabi admitted. "Don't tell Hiro."
"That's great!" Tadashi smiled warmly at his friend. "I'm really happy for you."
"Yeah, well, we wanted to take it slow. Not tell people until the time is right. Guess I was a bit too obvious." Wasabi let out a nervous laugh. "Anyway, I should get back to her."
"Go for it!" Tadashi chirped.
As Cass turned on the TV in the cafe to show a special taped decades in the past, Tadashi smiled wistfully. This party was already becoming an adventure. But there was a tightness in his chest he couldn't quite shake off. The same tightness as every year. Of course no one in the room needed to know that but perhaps he'd take a minute to be alone if it got to be too much.
The special was enjoyed, the commercials were laughed at, and Christmas dinner was quite eventful when Hiro, apparently having forgotten his earlier ire, had casually held mistletoe over Abigail and Wasabi. As things began to settle down, Honey caught sight of herself in the mirror and realized that, to her annoyance, her makeup had gotten smudged. So she did what she always did. She excused herself to go to the bathroom to fix it.
Honey pushed open the bathroom door and took a step forward when she froze, her face suddenly burning. Fred was standing in the middle of the bathroom, his hand frozen over the spigot in the sink. Apparently he was just about to wash his hands.
"Omigosh, Fred, I'm sorry!" Honey said breathlessly, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Uhh why?" Fred smiled apologetically. "I forgot to lock the door. And besides, I'm just washing my hands. Never seen a man wash his hands before?"
"I'm a scientist." Honey smiled, her face still feeling pretty hot. "I've seen plenty of hand washing."
"Great." Fred's smile widened, a tiny twinkle of mischief in his eyes. He turned off the faucet. "All done. See? That wasn't so bad. I'll let you pee in piece."
"Uhh no." Honey said as she pulled a small makeup bag from her purse.
Fred's eyes flitted to the bag and he looked conflicted for a moment. It almost looked like he wasn't sure if he should say something.
"You know, you look fine without makeup." he said far too quickly.
Honey balked. "What?"
"Well, uh..." Fred rubbed the back of his neck, a small blush rising to his cheeks. "You know, you're not... you don't really need... heh... I've never said something like this to a girl before. Except to Lynda Carter. But that was a poster and I was twelve."
"Aww, Freddie!" Honey let out a nervous laugh. "It's okay. I think I know what you were going to say."
"Yeah but I still want to say it." Fred took a deep breath. "I think you're beautiful without makeup, more beautiful than Scarlett Johansson even. Like twenty times more beautiful because I know you and you're beautiful inside too."
Honey felt her heart skip a beat. Was Fred flirting with her? If he was, he wasn't very good at it. Then again, this was Fred. Flirting probably wasn't his forte. But he was adorable fidgeting and blushing and trying to express his feelings in words she would understand. As Fred chattered on about how amazing she was, she found herself feeling reckless. She suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him in for a kiss.
Fred's eyes widened at the spontaneity of her action. Did she just... she did! His Honey, his beautiful, sweet, perfect Honey Lemon, looked at him the way he looked at her! He couldn't believe it!
This moment was perfect. So perfect that they didn't happen to see a certain someone push open the door, turn around, and march upstairs. Too focused were they on each other, that even if they had noticed it, they wouldn't have cared.
When they finally broke apart, Honey giggled. "Wow."
"Uhh... yeah, wow." Fred replied in a lower register in an attempt to sound manly. "Soooo... what now?"
"Well... I think my makeup is messed up again so I'm going to just-"
Fred laughed and interrupted her with a rather bold kiss on the cheek. Honey giggled again and stopped talking.
"I think you're perfect as is." he whispered in her ear.
And, for just a moment, Honey agreed.
Gogo wasn't the sort of person to notice things being slightly out of place. But Tadashi being gone for a full half hour made her a bit uneasy. What in the world was he up to?
As she ascended the staircase to his and Hiro's shared room, she heard some voices emanating from it.
"Hiro, that's not a cookie!" laughed a woman. "Don't eat it! Hiro I said don't-"
A young child's yelp interrupted the woman, as did the laughter of a man and another child.
"Aww come here." the woman said in a pitying tone. "Let me wash that out."
Gogo stepped onto the top step and stared. Tadashi had gotten out a small TV and was watching what was apparently a very old home movie of his family. Toddler Hiro was fussing, his mouth full of what Gogo could only assume was a deceptive ornament of a gingerbread man. Tadashi seemed so glued to the screen, he didn't notice her until she was standing right next to it.
"Oh. Sorry. Are they asking for me?" he asked shakily, wiping his eyes.
"No." Gogo replied. "I just, uh... I noticed you weren't there." she sat down next to him and watched a woman who looked a lot like Cass trying to help little Hiro spit out the ornament. "That's your mom?"
"Yeah." Tadashi smiled wistfully at the screen. "She used to tell people that story. All the time."
The dark haired man in spectacles walked up to Tadashi's mother and put his arms around her waist. She smiled and kissed him chastely on the lips before turning back to her little son.
"They really liked Christmas." Gogo said softly.
"Best time of the year." Tadashi replied, wiping his face again. "And I know Aunt Cass gets really into it but it's not the same."
"I know." Gogo put an arm around his shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Every year's the same." Tadashi sighed. "She sings off key and decorates the cafe and Hiro gets really into it. But me? Sometimes..." he paused for a moment, presumably to collect his thoughts. "Sometimes I wish I could hear my mom singing one more time. Or my dad's really ridiculous Santa impersonation. Or the Christmas play at our old church." he smiled. "Did I tell you about that? I was a sheep those first couple of years and then I got to be a wise man. My mom was really excited."
"It sounds wonderful." Gogo put her head on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry."
"I don't know." Tadashi admitted. "I'm okay any other time. But Aunt Cass pulls out that stupid VHS and it's like... it all comes crashing back. And I know Hiro doesn't understand."
"Why don't you tell her about it?" asked Gogo.
"Well Christmas is a time to be happy. And I know she misses her sister." Tadashi shrugged. "Watching these videos, it's the only way to really feel close to my mom. And my dad."
"Well you take your time." Gogo kissed his cheek. "I'm sure Hiro's mercilessly mocking Wasabi and Abigail. Baymax has been lecturing Cass about the calorie content in her desserts. Fred and Honey are making out in the bathroom."
This seemed to snap Tadashi out of his mood. "Fred and Honey are what?"
"Making out in the bathroom. Walked in on them before I came up." Gogo tried to hide a smile. "Odd place to make out."
"Really odd." Tadashi agreed. "Who does that?"
"Them, apparently." Gogo finally let herself smirk in amusement. "Anyway, you take your time." she paused for a second. "Do you want me to go?"
"No." Tadashi leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I don't mind sharing this with you."
Gogo snuggled into him and watched Hiro finally spit out the last of the ornament into his mother's hand. There was nothing better than cuddling with Tadashi on Christmas Eve. And though she didn't know it, Tadashi was deeply thankful that she was here for him as well.
"Best. Party. Ever." Hiro panted as the guests got their coats. "Who knew you'd be the flexible one."
"Ex gymnast" Abigail told him. "And it was Twister, not the Olympics."
"Yeah but still." Hiro shrugged. "You're all right, Abigail Callaghan."
"Yes." Baymax waddled up. "I am very pleased we were able to save your life."
"Me too." Wasabi said, taking her hand and giving her a warm smile.
"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow." Gogo told Tadashi, squeezing his hand before putting on her own coat.
"Can't wait." Tadashi leaned down to kiss her nose, making her smirk at him through narrowed eyes. "You're cute when you're annoyed with me."
"Yeah well, prepare for me to be a lot more cute then." Gogo shook her head and waved at Cass, who was trying to get Mochi to stop moving so she could take a picture of him in a Santa hat.
"I'll see you around, Freddie." Honey winked at Fred, making him blush slightly.
"Yeah. Can't wait." Fred let out a little laugh as he walked out the door with her.
Once they had all left, Cass suddenly threw her arms around her boys.
"Okay, you two!" she squealed in Hiro's ear, making him flinch. "Santa's coming in the morning so I want you up in bed right now!"
"Aw come on, Aunt Cass." Hiro groaned. "Five more minutes!"
"Your Aunt Cass is trying to ensure that you get a good night's sleep." Baymax told them as Cass pushed them upstairs. "Enough sleep is essential for a healthy life."
"Yeah yeah." Hiro grumbled as he and Tadashi pounded up the stairs.
Tadashi pulled close the divider between his and Hiro's beds and immediately went to the window just in time to see Gogo get on her Harley and drive off. He smiled to himself as he pulled the blinds closed and put on his pajamas.
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." he mumbled.
And in that moment, he thought he heard his mother's laugh once again. But it was probably just the wind outside.