Hiro Hamada would have called it serendipity. GoGo Tomago would have called it a long time coming.
He had circled back to the lab after grabbing a late dinner at one of the campus restaurants. Even though he was in his brother's former design studio nearly every day, he still forgot to unplug his USB drive from his workstation at least one night a week. Cloud backups only went so far when Hiro was absorbed in a project. If an idea struck him, he couldn't afford to be at the mercy of a wifi signal or his mobile hotspot, even if San Fransokyo did have some of the best coverage in the country. His computer, paid for with a couple weeks of bot fights he'd kept on the down-low, could crunch the numbers for most of his projects without any need to tap the school network.
Of course, it was kinda worthless without his actual project files, safely stowed on a flashdrive still firmly lodged in the tower computer at his workstation in Lab Building D. Hiro parked his Daperol scooter in the charging station by the door and swiped his card. Most students didn't have access to the lab complex of SFIT's lab complex after dark, but Hiro didn't count as "most students." He had become, rather against his will, the poster child for San Fransokyo's tech scene. Even when he tried not to put in the effort, his projects still astounded his teachers and awed his classmates. He entered the annual showcase to honor his brother Tadashi, and he had taken home first prize two of the last three years. The previous summer, Hiro and the gang had gone camping down near Santa Cruz to test Wasabi's hardlight tent design. Spoiler - it still had some issues to be ironed out. Fortunately, real lodgings were only a phone call to Heathcliff away, when Fred was part of an expedition. The gang had lived in fear of Wasabi's second test run ever since.
As he climbed the stairwell, motion-activated LEDs snapping to attention around him, Hiro thought about the last few years. Time had certainly blurred since the storm that had been the Big Hero 6. His lips twitched upward involuntarily at the thought of him and Baymax in their composite armor, the compact scramjet engines and snazzy earpieces. He couldn't stop his mind lingering on those exploits from years ago, always conjuring new ideas for upgrades and weapon systems.
I'm glad this place isn't a warzone, he thought as he pushed open the door to room 215. The last time I built weapons, my brother had barely been laid in the ground. He plucked the USB drive out of his workstation and turned to leave when his feet betrayed him, swiveling smoothly to face the direction he had felt his attention pulled towards three years earlier. That night, when he'd gone over his head in bot fighting, and Tadashi had fished him out. Tadashi had taken him to SFIT. Tadashi…
Hiro found himself staring absently at the circular window that he was sure his brother had picked the room for. He'd never know what exactly Tadashi had in mind for his little brother. He'd never know how Tadashi would have reacted to him saving the city, or turning his friends into superheroes, or any of the improvements Hiro had made to Baymax…
"He's going to help a lot of people," Tadashi's words hung in the silence.
Hiro might have stayed lost in reflection for a small eternity had a familiar voice not snapped him back to his senses.
"Not that I would really fault you, or judge in any way, frankly, but are you in Tadashi's old lab at midnight often, just staring into space?" came the sardonic voice of GoGo Tomago. "Because I thought all of us, you especially, were kinda adjusted by now."
Hiro had learned instinctive banter over the years of knowing her and had an answer before his brain had even fully returned to the moment. "Actually I had this room officially renamed the Tadashi Shrine, and anyone but me setting foot here is grounds for expulsion, so tread carefully, Ms. Tomago." Okay, probably a bit much, but hey, it was late.
"Oh my, Mr. Hamada," GoGo put on a mock simper (Hiro enjoyed the fact that GoGo's attempts to mock traditional femininity still came off as cute in her unique-GoGo-way)."I had no idea I might be disturbing the next revelation of America's next boy genius. Would you grace a simple mortal girl with the knowledge of what had you so captivated, staring at a window you can't even see out of because the light is on?"
"This boy genius is wondering why he needs a reason to be here doing anything when normally there aren't any students allowed in the robotics lab. If anything, asking each other should cancel out the question as if neither of us were ever curious."
"Nice try," GoGo had donned the smirk typical of her need for facial movement in the absence of bubblegum. "If you don't tell me, I'm going to tell Honey Lemon that you keep a collection of Fred's most disgusting boxers down here, and you're distilling the scent into a new cologne -"
"OK, geez! Enough with the Sharktank pitch from hell," Hiro laughed, flashing the thumbdrive at her. "I'm grabbing my midterm. Dynamic servo AI. Why are you here after hours?" The usual answer, GoGo's constantly evolving electromag bike, was nowhere to be seen at the moment.
"Maybe I'm not in here as regularly as you," GoGo said with a mischievous grin. "Maybe I was walking past Lab Building C when I saw you entering and decided to see what trouble I might have to get you out of."
"That's the part where most people call my name, or wave to get my attention," Hiro said, grinning now. "They don't follow me to a secluded area and hit me with an emotionally charged question to cover up their own inner anxiety about… what makes you anxious, GoGo?"
"Ugh. Is this what it means to know each other too well? I was going to segue into it naturally, but I guess I just have to come out and say I saw that Insta post of you outside the Warriors game last week."
"With Sarah."
GoGo's face remained relatively impassive, even without the usual obfuscation of gum chewing. "You could do a lot better than her, Hiro. I'm not even one of those nay-saying bitches, I just know you have the kind of mind that the right girl can unlock. Sarah is not that girl."
But you are. This was happening so fast Hiro could feel his internal monologue twist itself into a mobius trying to tell him what he was processing. GoGo had thought about him like that? Did think of him… like that?
Some moments allow for only a split-second of thought. In the darkened light of room 215D, Hiro's mind raced, millions of neurons and hormones flooding through his brain as he realized, mentally smacking himself in the face for his ignorance, that GoGo had clearly been anticipating this moment for a long time, probably before Hiro had been… legal. In this split-second of consideration, Hiro also noticed that this fact did not perturb him in the slightest, and in fact he was growing increasingly enthused for this version of reality where apparently GoGo Tomago had the hots for him.
GoGo wasn't just one of his best friends and a covert member of the Big Hero 6. To San Fransokyo, she was the state's longest reigning electromag racing champion. The prototype wheels Hiro had seen her spend hours machining in his freshman year had long been perfected, patented, licensed, and no doubt were providing GoGo with a comfortable stream of disposable income - not that she showed any sign of having spent a cent of it. All the members of BH-6 (the cool way they had decided to refer to themselves in public) had various technical patents bringing in varying amounts of money, save for Fred. Wasabi's laser-induced plasma was now in use all over Germany and Korea for the manufacture of electric cars. Honey Lemon had spent three months denying that she had, in fact, patented a stable silicone-lanolin compound that happened to be liscensed exclusively to "sexual wellness" companies. Yes, Honey Lemon was such a real one, she was making money off her own brand of lube. After much laughter they had agreed to keep it secret - somehow, after all these years, embarrassing Honey Lemon still made them feel bad.
But while Honey Lemon brought the full weight of latina sexiness to the table with a large side of genius, it was GoGo Tomago, the no-nonsense tomboy racing champion, who was shifting her weight from foot to foot and looking at him with something approaching actual nervousness. As two and two became four in Hiro's mind, the curves of her body seemed to gleam against the light from the hall, making Hiro's brain very aware of the two of them, alone, in near-darkness, with GoGo having more or less propositioned him.
Tadashi had taught Hiro a valuable lesson when they were both young. Before a person gets choosy about the opportunities they take, they should be in the habit of grabbing every opportunity that might be useful. Only once that is a habit, should ruling out options be a habit too. For Hiro's social life, that had meant the usual college flings, the latest being whatever he was up to with Sarah - hookups flowed like water for a boy genius in college. Hiro felt like he'd seized enough opportunities - shared enough nights with his choice of female classmates - that he could spot a chance that simply must not be allowed to slip away. Ok, Schroedinger, he thought, preparing the mental leap. What's in the box?
"What's left to be unlocked?" he asked quietly, his eyes wide and innocent but his lips twitching with a grin.
"Maybe Tadashi used to talk about you," she said softly, her eyes fixed on him. Hiro had never really noticed how the dyed streaks of her hair combined so well with its natural black sheen. It was clear there was a lot he'd never noticed.
"Maybe Tadashi once told me he was worried you'd never find someone who could match you, be a true partner for you," GoGo took a step forward. Did her hips always move so hypnotically like that when she walked? "Maybe, for a while, I've been worrying about that myself."
It was moments like this that made GoGo awesome. Hiro knew Honey Lemon just as well, but it still would have taken her ten minutes just to get to the point.
Okay, his brain regained its balance. Let's put all those hours in gross, humid frat parties to use.
On the pretense of checking his flashdrive, he stepped closer to her, pretending to examine it for any flaws. "So we could unlock each other? To be clear, I wouldn't want to do anything that would jeopardize our friendship , so if you're not sure about this - (he was a hero, after all) -"
Fortunately for Hiro, GoGo had a few more years of college under her belt. She closed the distance, took his hand and gently pulled him closer. Hiro felt her breasts against his chest as she pressed her lips to his, the kiss starting gentle but a mounting fierceness emerging with unchecked ferocity. Hiro instantly felt blood rush to his nethers and broke the kiss before he could give away his growing excitement.
"I guess you have my combination," he murmured. As he looked into her eyes, Hiro felt like they were each seeing deeper than they ever had.
"Anyone can have a combination," GoGo replied, some of her usual cockiness slipping back into her voice. "I want the key." With that, she slipped her hand over Hiro's cock. Before he could form a thought, he felt himself growing to full hardness, the friction of his skin against the fabric of his pants suddenly feeling so blissful, knowing her hand was just a few layers away from wrapping around his shaft…
"Uh," said Hiro. His brain wasn't even able to come up with a sentence to which 'uh' could not do justice. It seemed to have stopped cogent thought somewhere around ohmygodohmygodshehasherhandonmycockohmygodgogowantsmeohmygodisthisrealpleaseletthisberealpleaseletthisbereal -
"Please let this be real," Hiro moaned softly to the Universe, closing his eyes, flexing his arm muscles just enough to gently squeeze GoGo closer in their embrace. He hadn't meant the words to come out but they hung gracefully in the air, like a prayer to be answered.
GoGo nuzzled into his chest, beginning slow strokes of his cock through his pants. She could feel the movements of her hand slowly overwhelming his mind with pleasure. It was the absolute trust between them that made the moment so special. She understood now what his older brother had said, the day she had spoken with Tadashi about her own issues…
"It's real," GoGo breathed, her heart thundering like that first race, when she mounted her first prototype, all her senses and skills on the line -
It was as though they were crossing a starting line together, a sort of physical exhilaration in her body she had never felt just making out with a guy before. This felt like movement, like it was going somewhere. She had to repeat it. It had to be true.
"It's real."
Across campus, her phone chimed, indicating someone had disturbed her old workstation in the robotics lab.
Probably just the janitor, Honey Lemon thought, pushing her head back down into her pillow. Tomorrow I'll see if it logged an incident photo.