Oh look I finally decided to update this little story :P haha but anyways, I finally sat down and wrote this out today while my classes were cancelled due to crazy snow. It ended up going in a bit of a different direction than I thought it would (a lot more feels this time around), but I hope you enjoy it anyways.

Disclaimer: I don't own Big Hero 6.

Time passed, and as the semester continued on, the others learned more about the girl Hiro Hamada had fallen in love with.

Her name was Maiye Barton, and she was seventeen years old. She was a freshman at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, studying Computer Engineering. Like Hiro, she had graduated high school at a young age, when she was sixteen years old. Her parents – a police officer and a professional artist – had divorced when she was fourteen, and her father moved to San Fransokyo to take on a new job. She had been visiting him over February vacation when she first visited the Institute, and loved it at first sight.

It had been a big change for Maiye to move from her original home – the city of New Yorksea – all the way to San Fransokyo, clear across the country. Things sure were different here, no doubt about it.

But sometimes, different could be a good thing.

It had been a simple conversation, one that began while Maiye and Hiro were working late in the lab one night. Thanksgiving was coming up, and they were both more than ready for the well-deserved break.

"This project is going to be the death of me," Maiye had said, chewing on a slice of cold pizza. "I swear."

"One more week," Hiro had promised from behind the screen of his laptop. "One more week, and then we're in the clear."

"One more week," Maiye grinned. "And my house is going to be jam-packed full of relatives who keep commenting on how tall I've gotten." She laughed lightly. "As if I need to be reminded."

Hiro chuckled, but couldn't bring himself to respond. Hearing her talk about how busy and crowded her house was going to be only served as a reminder of how quiet his already was.

Noticing his silence, Maiye raised an eyebrow. "You ok?"

"Yeah." Hiro shrugged, typing away.

Maiye wasn't buying it. Scooting her chair next to Hiro's, she placed a hand behind his laptop and attempted to close it while he was still typing.

"Hey!" Hiro turned to glare at her, but stopped short when he realized just how close she was. At this angle, their faces were mere inches apart, and he found himself staring directly into her eyes.

Wow did she have beautiful eyes…

"Are you sure you're ok?" asked Maiye, resting her chin on her hand.

It was then that Hiro realized there was no point in hiding anything from her. Sighing, he turned away and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

"It's just… I'm not sure if I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year after all."

"You're not?" Maiye raised an eyebrow and was just about to ask him why, until she followed Hiro's gaze to the framed photo that sat on his desk. Inside it, there stood a younger version of Hiro being hugged from behind by an older boy. Both of them were smiling and laughing at the camera.

"I see," Maiye said softly. "I'm sorry."

Hiro attempted a half-smile in her direction. "Thanks." Leaning back in his chair, he remained quiet for a few moments, before speaking again.

"Thanksgivings at my house have always been small," he mused quietly. "But with Tadashi around, they never felt that way. He was always the one cracking jokes and telling me to eat my vegetables." Hiro laughed humorlessly. "He always used to make fun of how short I was because I didn't eat them."

Hearing Hiro talk about how much he missed his brother and how much his death had truly impacted him caused Maiye to feel sadder than she thought she would. Hiro always seemed so happy. It hadn't occurred to her that he was going through a lot more than he let on.

Before she could lose her nerve, she leaned forward and pulled him into a gentle hug. That was acceptable, right? Hugging your lab partner (and hopefully more) when they were feeling upset? Oh please, please, please don't freak out…

Hiro, in the meantime, sat frozen in place when he suddenly felt Maiye wrap her arms around him. Wait, was she hugging him?! She was! In that instant, the genius's brain became filled with nothing but a string of wow she's really hugging me this is really happening her arms are around me and everything I'm not dreaming oh god she smells really nice how do girls do that?!

With wide eyes, he quickly glanced sideways at the photograph of Tadashi that sat on his desk. His brother had always been an expert when it came to this sort of stuff. What would he do right now?

Then, out of nowhere, he heard Tadashi's voice echo in his mind.

What are you waiting for, bonehead? It said with a chuckle. Hug her back.

Timidly, Hiro raised his arms and wrapped them around Maiye's abdomen, allowing his head to rest lightly on her shoulder as a whirlwind of emotions passed through his mind. Oh, why did everything always have to be so confusing? Was it possible for one person to feel happy and sad all at once? Moreover, did Maiye have any idea of the effect she was having on Hiro right about now?

When they pulled away, Maiye moved her hands so that they were now sitting on Hiro's arms, just slightly above his hands. The gentleness in her touch reignited the nervousness Hiro often felt around her as he felt his heart rate speed up and his face flush red. In that moment, Hiro struggled to find the words that would easily explain how he was feeling on the inside, you know, something simple along the lines of,

I really like you as more than just a friend or lab partner but I don't know what to do about it, and I can't ask my brother because he's dead and it still hurts to think about him too much.

But when he saw the expression on Maiye's face and the understanding look behind her misty blue eyes, Hiro realized that maybe he didn't have to do any explaining at all. Maybe, just maybe, this would be enough for now.

This was supposed to be cute, I swear, but it took a completely different direction than I intended and now it's a one way feels trip that made even me emotional while writing it ;_; Don't worry, if everything goes as planned, the next installment should be a little happier.

Well, enjoy the snow friends! (And if I don't update before then, happy Valentine's Day!)

-Liz