Author Note: Enjoy the update- please review!

~CWA

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Danny Fenton

I end up strolling into the police station with a big grin on my face, my hands shoved into the pockets of my jackets. I walk with a purpose and a strut in my step. A few cops give me a quick look over and I give them a friendly, I'm only here to see someone smile that causes them to go back to their business rather quickly. It doesn't take long for me to spot Hiro, idly sitting on a bench in front of a small jail cell with a sheepish expression on his face. As I get closer to the jail, I notice that it's filled to the brim (quite literally) with heavy, rough men, so much so that Tadashi is being shoved into the bars. He doesn't look that happy. A quick glance to the other cell shows a medic looking over the guys that I had taken out in the alley. The one conscious one looks to me with a frightened look on his face, opening his mouth as if he's about to say something but I just narrow my eyes at him and I can feel them flash green for just a brief moment. He quickly shuts his mouth.

"Wow Tadashi, I never pegged you for a criminal. I'm heartbroken," I chime as I plop down next to Hiro on the bench, throwing my arm over his shoulders, "Just what type of example are you setting for your little brother?"

He gives me the most dry, I'm so gonna kill you later look paired with a small annoyed growl that causes me to burst into laughter. Hiro doesn't join me in the laughing fit, but he does have a shy, shit I don't know if I'm allowed to laugh at that grin on his face. I just continue to give him a tight side-hug with a large, goofy grin on my face.

"Fenton," Tadashi growls, causing me to pout at him in a dramatic manner, a hand over my heart.

"Using my last name? I'm wounded."

Hiro does laugh at that, but he tries (and fails) to cover it with his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly at our exchange. Tadashi just continues to glare daggers at me, but I make a kissy face at him, combined with forming a heart with my hands, causing him to flush as he mutters slightly under his breath. When he doesn't say anything, I just relax onto the bench, putting my hands behind my head with a content expression on my face. I know he's okay in there- even if it doesn't look comfortable- and I'm sure Aunt Cass will be anytime now to pick up these knuckleheads.

"That was a cool disappearing act, Danny," Hiro gushes, eager to break the silence, causing me to look at him through the corner of my eyes with an amused smirk, "Just how did you do that?"

"Ninja training, Hiro," I pat his head, "Lots and lots of ninja training….. And ghost hunting experience," I add as an afterthought.

"Does that mean you'll teach me how to do it," Hiro asks hopefully, his eyes wide and bright.

I briefly look to Tadashi through the corner of my eyes to see him silently pleading me to say no. To not teach Hiro dangerous stuff. With a small sigh and sad smile, I ruffle Hiro's hair affectionately.

"Maybe when you're older," I compromise, "And if Tadashi says it's okay."

Hiro pouts at my answer, crossing his arms over his chest, muttering about how that'll never happen then. My eyes sadden softly and I look to Tadashi as if to say please, but he just shakes his head (well to the best that he can anyway since he's in a pretty jammed position). Seeing him in that jail, I have to admit, is a huge chance for me to make multiple jail jokes as well as sex jokes. However, with Hiro sitting beside me, I'm trying to at least censor myself and my jokes. Though when I look to Tadashi and give him a certain look, he seems to catch onto what I'm thinking, causing him to flush and swear under his breath.

He doesn't get a chance to scold me for thinking something so vulgar (thankfully) as a cop comes wandering by with a shake of her head. She eyes me and Hiro for a moment, giving us a small smile before turning to the jail cell.

"Hamada, Tadashi," she speaks, unlocking the cell, "you've been released. Keep your nose clean and hopefully we won't see each other again…."

She lets Tadashi out of the cell and he gives her a thankful look. Tadashi wastes no time in heading over toward Hiro and I. Both of us give him a huge hug, squeezing him tightly and I even plant a small peck to his cheek, murmuring a small glad you're okay that makes him blush. The cop looks a bit fondly at us, a small smile on her face at the scene, before she turns away and heads back to her business.

Another nearby cop escorts us all out of the police station, even going as far as holding the door open for us. We're greeted by the sight of Aunt Cass pacing nervously in front of her car before she spots us. To my surprise, she doesn't seem that angry. Just concerned.

"Hey Aunt Cass," we all greet softly.

She doesn't hesitate to grab us all in a large hug, pulling us close,

"Are you guys okay," she asks in concern.

"We're fine," we all mutter.

She gets a fond, caring expression on her face for a brief moment as she pulls away, allowing me to squirm free of her grasp. The anger comes in a flash. Ah there it is. That's the expression I was waiting for. She snatches Tadashi and Hiro by the ears, dragging them to the car, causing me to bellow in laughter.

"-Then what were you two knuckeheads thinking! And don't you laugh, Danny, if I had a third hand, you bet I'd be dragging you too… Now get in the car. All of you. Now."

I'm smart enough to not argue with her and I get shoved into the backseat of the small car, right between Tadashi and Hiro as Aunt Cass starts driving off, heading in the direction of the Lucky Cat Cafe, ranting the entire drive.

"For ten years, I have done the best I could to raise you," she starts, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, "Have I been the perfect guardian? No! Do I know anything about raising children? No!"

She parks the car and gets out, heading straight to the doors of the cafe as we all follow her patiently.

"Should I have picked up a book on parenting," she continues as she unlocks the doors, "Probably!… Where I was going with this? I had a point!"

She looks a bit frantic as she holds the door open, her voice on the edge of scolding, yet it seems she doesn't know what words to say to discipline them. Her voice is so straining and stressed. Stress caused from the shop and from us…. Crap. I hate to worry her so much. She's like an aunt that I've always wanted.

"Sorry Aunt Cass," Tadashi and I offer as we share an equally shameful look.

"Love you Aunt Cass," Hiro adds, causing Aunt Cass to snap that she loves him too.

We all enter the shop hesitantly. I note that it's empty despite it not being closing time. A sign for Beat Poetry hangs on the wall. Ah man. Did I miss Beat Poetry night again? I love poetry and hearing people share theirs is so fun. Mochi comes up and greets me, purring at my feet, causing me to coo at the cat slightly as Aunt Cass continues to rant.

"I hate to close up early because of you three felons," Aunt Cass grabs a doughnut from the counter and starts chowing down,"On Beat Poetry Night!…. I'm stress eating because of you, come on Mochi!"

She heads off to behind the counter, the cat reluctantly leaving me to follow her. Tadashi, Hiro and I head straight up toward the room. My feet drag behind me slightly with my hands still shoved into the pockets of my jacket.

"You sure you're okay 'Dashi," I whisper to him as we walk side by side, Hiro practically racing up the stairs.

"I'm fine," he answers with a small sigh, "Just… tired. When is he going to learn that he can't do this?"

We stop briefly in the middle of the staircase, turning to face each other with a caring expression as I put my hands on his shoulders, placing a small kiss to his lips,

"He'll figure it out, 'Dashi…. But maybe a small push in the right direction may help him? You know, I don't think he's really been to the lab enough to really see our inventions…?"

Tadashi hums a bit thoughtfully, relaxing a bit into my grasp and leans in for another brief chaste kiss before we continue on our up the stairs. Hiro is already tuned out from the world, focusing on the computer screen with wide eyes. I sigh a bit before plopping straight down onto Tadashi's bed, giving him a jokingly flirtatious look and a wink, causing him to roll his eyes as he tosses his jacket at me, causing me to pout.

"You know you have to make this up to Aunt Cass before she eats everything in the cafe," Tadashi chimes to Hiro, "And I hope you learned your lesson..."

"Absolutely," Hiro says, turning in the chair to face Tadashi, but he doesn't look or sound that convincing.

"...You're going bot fighting again, aren't you," Tadashi's face drops as Hiro jumps from the chair, revealing a bot fighting website on the screen.

"There's a fight across town," he explains, "If I hurry, I can still make it."

He goes to head down the stairs, but Tadashi grabs him from the collar, pulling him back in a way that causes Hiro to turn to him.

"When are you going to do something with that big brain of yours," Tadashi taps Hiro's forehead, causing Hiro to scoff.

"Like what? Go to Nerd College ike you? So people can tell me stuff I already know?"

Tadashi's expression drops in disappointment and a part of mine does as well as Tadashi puts a hand to his face in exasperation.

"What would Mom and Dad say," Tadashi groans a bit.

"I don't know, they're gone," Hiro snaps a bit, heading back to the staircase.

Tadashi and I share a look and I give him an encouraging smile and a slight go on do it wave, causing him to roll his eyes before he tosses his helmet to Hiro.

"Come on, I'll take you. I can't stop you from going, but I'm not going to let you go on your own."

Hiro doesn't seem to catch on, muttering a sweet under his breath before hopping down the stairs. I hop off the bed and head after them, slapping Tadashi on the butt lightly as I pass him on the stairs, causing him to yelp. I don't even have to turn around to see his flustered expression as I go outside to join Hiro on the moped.

"What are we doing at your nerd school? The bot fight is that way."

Hiro complains as Tadashi pulls up to the school, a small smirk on his face. I can't help but smirk as well, knowing what Tadashi is planning as we pull up to the school. Hiro doesn't stop complaining the entire time, causing me to smack him upside the head,

"Relax, Hiro, we just have to pick up something. We'll be in and out before you know it."

We head straight to the lab, passing a few people on the way. My arm drapes around Tadashi's shoulders, pulling him close to him, as Hiro walks besides us in a huff, his arms crossed as he mutters to himself.

"Don't be a big baby," Tadashi smirks, "You've never really seen the projects before."

"Oh great," Hiro tosses his hands up sarcastically as I let Tadashi go to open the door for them, "I get to see your nerd lab~"

The expression on Hiro's face as GoGo whips by, nearly running into him is hilarious, but I don't linger any longer than I have to and hurry to go stand by Tadashi. We share a knowing, this is so going to work look and a discrete high-face as Hiro's eyes sweep across the lab. It's a sight to see. Hovering cats. Robots rolling around. Flying robotic sharks. My giant half-way built portal in the background, planted into the wall. Anything you can possibly dream.

Hiro hesitantly heads to GoGo's bike, his hand going between the bike itself and the wheel with a whispered woah.

"Electromagnetic suspension," he mutters, "I've never seen that on a bike before..."

GoGo pops her bubblegum, cradling the bike as she spins the wheel carelessly,

"Zero resistance equals faster bike… But not fast enough," she tosses the wheel into a bin of other older wheels, "...Yet."

Hiro nods a bit before wandering on, stumbling across Wasabi's section of the lab. I grab Hiro by the collar and pull him back behind the safety line, a small scolding expression on my face as Wasabi frantically waves his hands about,

"Behind the line, please!"

"Hey Wasabi," Tadashi and I greet.

Wasabi gets a wicked grin on his face, excited to show his project to a fresh face as he eyes Hiro.

"Hello Hiro…. Be prepared to be amazed."

He gestures his hands dramatically before tossing an apple through the two rods he has set up. With my ghostly enhanced vision, I can see what the other two can't- the million and one tiny blue plasma lasers that are shooting between the rods. The apple passes through, splitting into paper-thin slices that flutter through the air. I take one and look it over before looking toward Tadashi with a shrug, popping the apple slice into my mouth. Tadashi rolls his eyes at my behavior, but I have a cheeky grin on my face. Wasabi flicks a switch, making the lasers between the two rods visible to the naked, human eye.

"Laser-enduced plasma," Hiro awes.

"With a little magnetic confinement for ultra precision," Wasabi informs him, gesturing toward his very organized tool box.

"Wow," Hiro snorts, picking up one of the small tools, "How do you fine anything in this mess?"

Wasabi quickly snatches the tool away from Hiro with a tsk, carefully placing it back so that it was perfectly between the lines.

"Ah-eh, I have a system. There's a place for everything and everything in it's place."

I spot GoGo coming up from behind us and move out of her way quickly, causing me to see Honey Lemon trying to move a large ball of metal through the room. I quickly abandon the others- vaguely aware of the fact that Wasabi is screeching at GoGo for touching his things as I go to Honey Lemon. She plucks the earbuds out of her ears and gives me a warm grin as I help her move the ball with ease.

"Excuse us," Honey Lemon calls out to warn Hiro and Tadashi as we push the ball together toward her lab.

She's able to move it into place herself as I go to stand back by Tadashi and Hiro. Honey Lemon gets a large grin on her face,

"Tadashi," she cheers, "And oh my god! Hiro!"

She gives Hiro an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek and he flushes slightly in a way that makes me snort with amusement, though Tadashi elbows me to shut up.

"Perfect timing," Honey Lemon cheers, "Four hundred pounds of texan carbate! Come here! You're going to love this! A dash of chlorate acid, a smudge of colbite, and a hint of florid peroxide… Super heated to five hundred kelvin and…."

A large spray spreads a pink flour through the air and as Honey Lemon flips an electric switch, the electricity zaps the substance into the metal, turning it a shade of pink that causes Tadashi and I to share a thank god we didn't get into that look.

"~Here's the best part," Honey Lemon says giddily, before gently touching the metal, causing the pink stuff to spray everywhere across from her, "Total metal embriddlement!"

"Not bad Honey Lemon," Tadashi compliments, causing Hiro to crinkle his nose.

"You know, until now, I never realized that you guys have some really strange nicknames- Honey Lemon, GoGo, Wasabi..."

Wasabi briefly passes us with a frustrate I spilled it on my shirt one time people as he exits the lab.

"Fred comes up with the nicknames," I offer.

"Fred," Hiro nods, "Yeah that makes sense."

He turns on his heels a bit, only to come face to face with a guy in a lizard suit, making him jump with a yelp.

"Don't be alarmed," Fred chimes casually, "This is just a suit! This is not my real face or body!"

He sticks a hand out of the lizard's mouth to shake Hiro's hand. Though Hiro doesn't seem too thrilled about it, eying Fred cautiously.

"Hey Hiro, didn't expect to see you here. But dude- check me out! School Mascot by day and by night," he twirls the sign in his hands, "I'm also a school mascot."

The mouth of the suit opens to reveal his head and face as he plops down on his beanie chair. I'm surprised we have have the space to spare for him to have his little junk pile here.

"So what's your major," Hiro questions, but Fred scoffs.

"I'm not a student here! But I'm a major science enthusiast. I've been trying to make Honey Lemon come up with a formula that will turn me into a fire breathing dragon at will. But she says that's not science."

Honey Lemon comes with with a sheepish expression on her face,

"It's really not."

"Oh and I suppose the giant mind controlling device I asked Casper for isn't science either!"

"It's really not," I cross my arms, "And even if it was, I still wouldn't do it."

Fred looks mildly offended, but continues babbling about other unscientific things that gain the others attention. Hiro briefly turns to me, mouthing the word Casper that causes me to nudge him. As they all banter among themselves, Tadashi leads Hiro and I to his personal lab, making sure to close the doors securely. Tadashi takes out the red box that I know as Baymax.

"So what have you been working on," Hiro questions.

Tadashi motions for Hiro to come forward, a roll of duct tape in his hands. I wince slightly, knowing what's coming next.

"I hate to break it to you, but duct tape has already been invented."

He's too busy being snarky and sarcastic that he doesn't process the fact that Tadashi has torn off a piece of duct tape and put it on Hiro's arm, ripping it off quickly, causing Hiro to pull his arm away,

"Dude! Ow!"

I pat Hiro on the shoulder comfortingly, as the red box beeps and Baymax emerges,

"This is Baymax," Tadashi introduces, "He's what I've been working on."

Baymax slowly starts to walk over toward Hiro, moving the chair out of his way. I back away from Hiro and head toward Tadashi as Baymax waves at Hiro slightly,

"Hello I am Baymax. Your personal healthcare companion. I was alerted to the need of medical attention when you said ow. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

His stomach lights up with a simple pain chart, but Hiro glances back to Tadashi,

"Physical or emotional?"

Tadashi pouts and I snort slightly at Hiro's answer. I think I've been a bad influence on the kid. He wasn't this snarky when I first met him.

"I will scan you now. Scan complete. You have a slight epidermal abrasion on your arm. I suggest an antibacterial spray."

Hiro tests Baymax slightly, but Baymax seems to pass as Hiro looks him over with an impressive look on his face, pressing his face against Baymax to comment on the metallic skeleton piece that's apparently pretty strong as Tadashi doesn't hesitate to say how Baymax can lift over a thousand pounds.

"You've done some serious coding on this thing," Hiro praises.

"Uploaded him with over ten thousand medical procedures," Tadashi presses the button to reveal the two chips inside of Baymax.

One chip is a green one with a small piece of tape that says Tadashi Hamada. The other one is a ghostly blue chip with a cartoon ghost on it.

"-And," I pitch it, "He's Ghost Proof. He can detect ghosts, can't be possessed, and can offer a small temporary Ghost Shield."

Hiro quirks an eyebrow at my explanation, but Tadashi just shrugs his shoulders with a he insisted expression as I give a cheeky grin,

"And you haven't seen nothing yet. Unlike your nerdy brother, I'm doing something cool."

I nudge Tadashi lightly, causing him to huff but he smiles at my taunting as we exit Tadashi's personal lab and head straight toward my portal. Hiro eyes the large slabs of metal cautiously and isn't afraid to look through any lingering papers on my desk with a critical eye.

"The Ghost Zone," I announce dramatically, "Coming soon to a portal near you," I wink, causing Hiro and Tadashi to roll their eyes.

"An actual dimensional portal," Hiro mutters with awe, "How is that possible?"

"Anything's possible when you come here," I explain gently, placing a hand on Hiro's shoulder, "As long as you open your mind up and never stop learning."

Hiro nods a bit, a thoughtful expression on his face and I can see the proud look on Tadashi's face.

"...I have to go here," Hiro announces quietly.

Mission accomplished.