For the record, Hiro was doing fine. The piles of research papers and blueprints were morphing into a health hazard, but he had it under control.
Hiro sat in his wheelie chair, Tadashi's old wheelie chair, and spun in circles. It was two years after his brother's death. The lack of a soundboard was taking its toll. And really, it wasn't a matter of being sad or being filled with rage. Hiro was in a mood.
The piles of paper were part of his finals project. Towers of sketch paper and scribbled down notes loomed over him. Despite the amount of work, Hiro was procrastinating.
SFIT was a great way to stay out of trouble. Finals were quickly making their rounds across campus. Honey Lemon and Wasabi were hard at work studying, Gogo was busy completing her senior project, and Fred was, well, team motivation.
Hiro was finishing an Associate's degree. It would add to his list of accomplishments. Big deal. He was mentally preparing for Aunt Cass' extremely over-the-top celebration that would ultimately be watered down to a movie and dessert. It was everything Tadashi wanted.
Now, Hiro was sitting in his old lab, surrounded by his brother's old things.
He ran his fingers through his hair. He was 16 years old and mentally exhausted.
The anniversary was in two days. The sad, awkward phase should be over by now. Yet the mood lingered.
Hiro sank in his chair as he tried to ignore upcoming tests and the quiet knock on the glass windowpane.
"G'morning!" Honey Lemon greeted as she pushed the door open with her shoulder. She was carrying a bright pink box of donuts. She still sported the platform heels and bright colors even after finishing her Bachelor's. Now, she was doing graduate work. There was no way Hiro's enthusiasm could ever match hers. Deep down, he hoped she would give him some words of encouragement.
"Hey. It's technically not morning anymore," he said.
"Well, technically, it's 11:42 which means it's still before noon. So, I'll say it again! Good morning!" Hiro rubbed his eyes to snap him out of his rut. Sure, he hadn't made any progress since 8 o'clock, but who was keeping track?
Honey Lemon sent a photo to the group chat, his phone vibrated on the desk. Every message in their forsaken group message board was like a beacon to all of his friends.
'Free food in Hiro's lab,' flashed on his screen with a photo. Apparently, Honey Lemon was keeping track.
He expected nothing less than a horde of hungry college students inviting themselves inside only to ask him indirect questions about his feelings and whatnot. It was always nice until it wasn't. This time was nice.
Hiro pushed himself away from his desk.
"Uh, thanks. Where did you even find donuts this late?"
"Your aunt referred me to the pastry shop down the street," she said as she grabbed a donut covered in rainbow sprinkles. "Come grab some. You know Fred likes seconds."
As soon as Honey Lemon sat down, the door was kicked open. The wall had a black dent mark after weeks of trying to persuade Fred to open doors 'like a normal person.' To him, it was for special effects. For everyone else, it was property damage. The wall dented anyway.
Honey Lemon sighed.
"Morning, familia!" Fred yelled after browsing through the donut box.
"G'morning," they greeted as he grabbed two candied, cereal-topped chocolate donuts and plopped down on a desk.
Gogo and Wasabi invited themselves in later. They traded notes as Fred fueled their conversation. General greetings, shoulder punches, and laughs made their way around the room. Hiro separated himself halfway through Fred's debate about whether heroes were destined to become villains. He sat crossed-legged in his office chair, eyes locked onto nothing in particular as he pretended to reread his notes.
It wasn't enough to keep Hiro from getting caught overthinking. Wasabi noticed his silence first.
"Hiro?" he asked.
The wheelie chair creaked as Hiro looked up. The general feel-good group meetup quieted down. They were looking back at him. Hiro shifted in his chair.
"What?" Hiro asked.
"You doing okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay?"
Hiro instantly regretted speaking at all. All eyes fell on him as his brain scrambled to piece together a rebound. A solemn tone swallowed up any fun that was present in the room seconds ago.
"Well, it's just that, y'know, it's that time of year," Wasabi said. Hiro knew exactly what he meant. Hiro didn't reply. He was thinking about finals, hero work, Aunt Cass, and keeping up appearances. Or, at least, he was trying to.
His friends were older. And, the lab changed. The air vent was louder than usual. Sunlight didn't burst through the window like it typically did. Even the floor tile was scratched and chipped in some places.
The lab was drowning in chaos. Hiro imagined Wasabi was nearing his breaking point of needing to reorganize all of his things. The only thing standing out from the mess was Baymax's red case tucked away neatly by the window.
Fred scooted over and poked Hiro's arm, "Hey little dude, what's bothering you?"
"What? I'm fine," Hiro said. "It's just finals."
"Something tells me it's more than finals."
"It's just a busy week," he smiled. "I can handle it."
Gogo stood up. She took her time walking up to Hiro. He scooted back into his wheelie chair.
"How are you holding up?" She's talking about school, Hiro thought. He looked away. Mentally, he was thanking her for changing the subject.
"I'm doing okay. I'm just stuck right now. With my thesis, I mean. I've been stuck since yesterday, and I can't find a good angle to look at it. I don't know, I just need inspiration." The gang traded glances.
"No," she said firmly. "How are you holding up?" Hiro's shoulders sank. Oh. She wasn't asking about finals. He searched her face for sympathy points but couldn't manage. Her glare was a superpower on its own. At least, she was blunt.
"It's… it's rough. But like I said, I can handle it." Gogo closed the distance between them. She held him by the shoulders before he could change the conversation again.
"Are you sure?" He was holding back a wave of emotions but managed an answer. Hiro nodded.
"You're all taking the anniversary a little too serious this year, guys," Hiro said. "It's not my first time." Honey Lemon laughed.
"Well, never hurts to check. We miss him too." Hiro squirmed out of Gogo's grasp.
"Thanks, guys. It, uh, means a lot." A million words filled his head with what he could've said. Instead, he blurted, "Can we change the subject?"
"To what? That low-level robbery we stopped last week?" Fred asked. Gogo shot him a frown. She had Hiro in a good spot where he was comfortable being vulnerable. Now, he had a way out.
"Absolutely," Hiro said with a sigh of relief. Crime came in waves.
For the past several weeks, there were no challenges. Hiro still hoped something crazy would happen. The citywide crime rate could increase, some crazy dude in a cloak may show up, or maybe Globby was making rounds once again down 7th avenue, the food truck alley.
Globby would say it was a way of supporting small businesses; giving them some airtime on Channel 9. Instead, Big Hero 6 had little to no reason to stake out. Crime rates dropped. San Fransokyo was peaceful for the past several weeks. There was no reason for bringing out the suits.
"That was last week's crime," Gogo pushed. "We're talking about this week's."
"Not even petty crimes like car-jacks or stealing purses from grandmas?" Fred asked.
"Nope."
"Not even a word from Krei?" Hiro sat up in his chair.
"Yeah," he said. "Krei hasn't called us at all. Not for the past several weeks."
"That's because we call him," Gogo said. "Usually, because it means his life or his company is in danger. I don't think he wants to participate in high-risk friendships." Hiro swiveled back to his notes.
A feud between Gogo and Fred dominated the group's attention, except for Hiro.
His friends and family were bound to question him throughout the week. And usually, he was doing okay. Yet Fred's mess-up was perfect.
Finally, something to do. There was something to take his mind off of Tadashi's anniversary besides testing. He could run by Krei's.
University was fine. It was just... slacking. It's what Tadashi pushed him to follow. Yet he couldn't stay in class forever.
Hiro slouched in his chair and groaned. He wasn't getting anything done today.
"I'll see you guys later," Hiro said as he made his way towards the door.
"Wait!" Honey Lemon called. "You're not going to stay for lecture?"
"Professor Granville knows about Big Hero 6. I'm sure she'll understand."
"Yeah," Gogo said, "Just like last week she understood oversleeping. Have fun facing her wrath tomorrow morning."
Hiro smirked as he left his lab. The gang was always sensitive when it came to discussing Tadashi around him. But he was fine, really. Hiro just needed a distraction.
He raced towards KreiTech's headquarters.
Judy recognized him at the front desk.
"Afternoon Hiro," she greeted unenthused.
"Hi," Hiro waved. "Is, uh, Mr. Krei here?"
"Is it important?"
"If I say 'yes,' will you let me see him in his office?" Judy started to walk away. "Oh, come on! You know I don't show up unless it's important!" Judy shot him a glare. "Semi-important."
"He's free until 1:30. You know where to go."
"Thank you." Hiro ran towards the elevator. Krei's office was a stupid-amount-of-floors high. The elevator ride was grueling as Hiro came up with a game-plan.
He needed someone to save. Maybe find out whatever public events the CEO planned or if any news came in about low-profile criminals. Anything to get his mind over his annual grief.
"Good morning, Mr. Krei!" Hiro greeted as he gingerly walked into his office.
"Afternoon," he corrected.
"Right, right. Well, Krei, I was coming to make sure you weren't in dire need of rescuing. You know, making sure everything is running smoothly?" Krei looked like he hadn't slept in days. His usually clean-cut appearance was frazzled and on edge.
"Thank you, but my team can handle it from here. No lives need saving today. Now, if you don't mind," Krei gestured towards the door.
The businessman usually let Hiro stick around until he ordered him to leave. It was too soon to get kicked out.
"Are you okay?" Hiro asked. Krei groaned.
"Nothing a little PR can't handle. KreiTech is doing fine, Hiro. Thank you for your concern, but it's not a good time."
"Well, when is it a good time?"
"Not now. Out."
"What?! Big Hero 6 hasn't done anything for two weeks! Are you sure you don't need help? No extra security or publicity stunts?" Hiro caught sight of the folders littering Krei's desk. The isometric sketches were too familiar. "What's that?" he pointed.
Krei blocked his line of vision with his arm, "That's none of your concern. Now go. Can't have teenagers wandering around my building." Hiro was about to protest but was cut off.
Krei's phone rang.
He answered it absentmindedly. Krei slowly trailed away from his desk and began to pace the room. Hiro edged closer to the blueprints. Scaled drawings of Silent Sparrow's old design were overwhelmingly modernized.
'Updated Version To Date' was stamped across the top with the current year in print.
Hiro swallowed his panic. There was no way Krei was working on his trashed prototype again. Not after Callaghan's breakdown. Not after having his entire company's reputation tarnished.
Krei kept pacing the room, talking on the phone. His tiredness morphed into frustration.
"Well, I don't care if it goes against regulation," he said. "We need to ensure… Of course, I know it can taint our image. That's why we're doing this!"
Hiro shoved the blueprints into his jacket and backpack. He wouldn't miss anything backup files could replace. He smiled as he waved goodbye to Krei, who barely noticed him leave.
Krei was more secretive than usual. Keeping things under the table was never good news. Yet Hiro cheered in silence. He had something better to focus on than finals. No testing, no showcases, and no being dragged down by misery.
Hiro raced home.
He just needed to think about something else. Anything else. His SFIT thesis was due in a few days. Maybe he could skip out on the emotional confrontations for another week. At least until finals were over?
Hiro became accustomed to everyone tiptoeing around him when the anniversary slowly made its way back into their lives. He wished he could say he was doing better.
Seeing the piles of research thrown haphazardly across every flat and duct-tappable surface was one thing. Imagining his brother walking in to complain and tease him about the mess was more painful. In a bittersweet way, anyway. The reminders still hurt.
Hiro was healthier and semi-alright with how the future turned out. Sure, the emotional cushion of being surrounded by the gang and Aunt Cass' cherry turnovers was a nice sentiment. Seeing SFIT dedicate a building will always be something he's proud of. He was nearing his graduation. That was crazy. He never expected that to happen. Still, Hiro was losing sleep over what he was going to do once school was done.
Hiro huffed as he jumped onto the trolley back home.
Crime or no crime, this was going to be Tadashi's week. Hiro was going to face himself for as long as he could and promised he'd appreciate the quieter moments.
Maybe he could watch Baymax's video logs.
Somehow, the 40-minute walk back home was over. Hiro swung open the door to the Lucky Cat Café before unwillingly being pulled into a bear hug.
"Sweetie!"
"Aunt Cass!" The awkward half-smile plastered on his face was telling. Cass paid little to no mind.
"Aren't you supposed to be at school? No, don't tell me. Not yet. I actually could use a hand in the back if you're not busy."
Hiro looked around the cafe. Rush hour already passed. "Uh, sure. No problem."
"So, I'm going to have to restock inventory tomorrow, or else we won't have anything to serve. And we need groceries too…" Cass continued. Hiro let her ramble.
He should have bolted for the stairs. He was over Cass' masked attempt to prod.
And even if he did make it up to his room, what was he gonna do? Getting lost in Krei's blueprints was his only good option. Did that help? The somber mood hovering over everyone was dragging him down.
Hiro definitely did not want to ruin Tadashi's memorial. Especially with his brooding.
Hiro snapped out of his thoughts as Aunt Cass cupped his face.
"Are you okay, honey?"
"Yeah! Um, yeah." Hiro rubbed the back of his neck. "Everyone's just being super cautious because it's, like, you know. It's… it's the anniversary but I'm okay. I'm doing okay." Cass gave him a look. "I am! I just, augh!" He threw his hands in the air as she smiled.
"Well, I'm just checking. Never hurts to check." Honey Lemon would have grinned.
Silence filled the space between them as they both folded up boxes. Hiro almost allowed himself to be lost in thought again if not for her not-so-subtle poking. "Would a movie tonight be good? We can talk about it too," she said without looking for his reaction. Talking about it would be better than holding it in. Still, Hiro wasn't in the mood.
"Maybe." Which really meant 'No.' A movie and confrontation were not in his plans.
"Okay then," Aunt Cass said. "8 o'clock. I'll make hot dogs and wings."
Hiro appreciated his aunt's weird ways of trying to relate to him. He really did. He just needed some space. Some more alone time that didn't risk any interruptions. He was still holding onto Krei's blueprints. Hiro glanced towards the garage and then towards the kitchen.
"Is… is it alright if I run back towards the university? I kind of wanted to work on my project a little at the lab."
Cass stuffed the last of the boxes into the crate. He just left school. Hiro was lying. Again.
"Oh," she said as she thought it over. "Sure. Just be back in time for dinner, m'kay?"
He nodded before heading towards the door, "Thanks."
"And don't get into any trouble! You were causing a disturbance across town last week for God knows what reason."
Hiro spun on his heel with a smile on his face, "Mr. Sato doesn't know what he's talking about. Plus, that was last week. I'm a changed man." He could almost hear Cass groan as the door slammed.
His brother's moped was still in operation. Granted, he nearly crashed it after his 15th birthday. That situation was hard to explain.
Now he could legally drive without Cass hunting him down. He already walked half the city. He knew better. Baymax was the fastest way to traverse San Fransokyo.
Still, it was Tadashi's moped and Tadashi's former SFIT project he was referencing. There was no time to get lost in his head.
The blueprints were stuffed into his backpack. The motor roared.
Hiro was heading towards the Ito Ishioka Institute and planned to be home with Baymax before dinner. Of course, after he scanned Krei's documents onto a flash drive and flew over the city's skyline. Then he would be home for dinner.
Notes:
(Currently being crossposted from Ao3): Y'all, I just have to post this. It's been sitting in my drafts for years. I'm not even the target demographic anymore.
So, real quick, Big Hero 6 is a beautifully written movie and I admire the screenwriters immensly for bringing something a little darker into the Disneyverse films. But, like, "Tadashi is here," still makes my heart ache so here's a sequel-esque fic.
I could go on for ages about why BH6 should never be revisited with a second movie. Bringing a character back to life is just That Type of Trope. However, I do think the audience has been scarred in an enormous way and we need some closure. Yes, the movie resolves this. However, my point is that fanfiction is a great place to make that impossible leap happen.
Also, I appreciate feedback. I have absolutely no beta readers. We perish like men. Or, like, Tadashi? Oof. Anyways, enjoy!