Hiro couldn't sleep.
A gentle rain pounded against the window, in time with the soft beeping of Baymax's charging port. The watery moonlight cast deep shadows on the dark, muddled room. Everything was quiet. Everything was still.
On the outside.
Hiro's mind was racing. Heart pounding. This was… pretty normal, honestly. He never admitted to the others how often superhero missions left him begging his brain for sleep. But he suspected it did the same to them.
He sighed, turning, quietly so he wouldn't wake Baymax. Pulled his cream and blue comforter up to his nose; it looked gray in the dark. Sighed, staring at the green-tinted wall and watching the shadows of raindrops slither and warp down it. Let the rhythm of the rain pull his weary eyes closed-
Blue. Purple. Red. A thousand myriads of colors.
Fear.
Flashes.
"Baymax, please-"
"I'll find another-"
"There is no time."
"Last time he went in there-"
"Lost the original Baymax-"
Hiro's eyes flew open, heart pounding; he huffed a frustrated breath through his nose. That was it. If he wasn't going to sleep, he could start working on his new project.
Because every time he closed his eyes, there was one thing above all flashing in his mind.
Sitting behind the computer, eyes wide, a small smile gracing his face. Turmoils of emotions- surprised, happy, proud, triumphant, scared, all settling in a melancholy, bittersweet, nostalgic sort of joy.
"What are you looking for?"
Hiro leaned back, crossing his arms above his head. Satisfied.
"You."
He'd found Baymax. Hiro sat up, slipping on his house slippers and padding downstairs, once again silent as a mouse. And he was going to get the original Baymax back.
Back then, he hadn't been sure he could. The skeleton was lost to space, stuck in a pseudo-magical vortex. But now, as Hiro cracked his knuckles and slunk into the garage…
He'd traveled the portal realm successfully. Without magnetization issues. Without deaths. Without pain. With, honestly, less past-trauma-reliving than he'd expected. He knew it was possible now, to guide something- or someone- through that ethereal world and exit safely.
He could get it back. Hiro pulled up the information they'd taken from KreiTech on Project Silent Sparrow, gulping at the name. Shoving down the accompanying trickle of fear, Hiro began to scroll, skimming the documents for anything of use. Specs, experiment logs, personal notes…
There. Cirque's… adjustments. He tapped the blue-lit screen with one hand, the other rubbing at his chin. That's what I can build off of. My magnets were strong enough to hold it in place… what if I made some sort of auto-stabilizer from my cuffs?
That could work, Hiro realized, fingers flying as he opened a new tab and began pouring out a jumbled mess of ideas and notes. He probably looked ridiculous. Hunched over a boxy old computer in his PJ's at well past midnight, tired bags under his eyes already forming…
But it was worth it. A small, satisfied smile curled Hiro's lips. His fingers flew even faster as the semantics of his idea presented themselves. His mind flew just as fast, racing with ideas and solutions and equations. He was going to finally, finally, right the wrong.
A dull edge in his heart smoothed. This, this, was a loss he could rectify.
Even if there were… others… he couldn't.
—-
"Hey, Hiro, you got time for breakfast before school?" Gogo rapped on the metal of the open garage door, sending a sharp clang through the space. It took her a moment to find the boy, huddled in a blanket next to the 3-D printer. His head was resting on the matte gray corner of the whirring device, jet-black hair flipping in all directions.
He did not.
"Hiro Hamada!" Gogo yelled- Hiro shot up, blinking and glancing around with eyes wide in shock. "Wh-huh? What's- what's up, Gogo?"
"Oh, nothing." Her black jacket's zipper clanked against the garage door as she leaned against it, crossing her arms, and Hiro winced. "Just wondering why on earth you pulled another all-nighter?!"
"I- I didn't!" Hiro protested, glancing around. No doubt looking for a clock. "What time is it?" He finally asked.
"Look outside, squirt. It's almost eight in the morning. And I know you didn't wake up early, so don't even try it."
"Hey!" Hiro held his hands up in a placating manner before letting them thump back atop the printer. "You- you never know, right?"
Gogo glanced him up and down- his poof of hair was a mess, his eyes were half closed and the bags under them were massive at this point. Rumpled clothes, still-fading confused expression, slippers…
"Ok, you win." Hiro finally yielded, getting to his feet and arching his back with a groan. One hand went out to steady himself against the counter as he stretched. "I stayed up pretty much all night. This stupid printer's taking longer than I thought it would."
"What are you making that's so complicated?" Gogo questioned, padding closer with a half-interested, half-angry expression. "It must be important, to spend a night's sleep and Granville's wrath on."
"Oh, shoot." Hiro groaned, twisting his neck back and forth. Idiot probably gave himself a neck sprain just from the way he was sleeping, Gogo laughed to herself. "I forgot I had thermo today." He yawned. "Not like I need to take it anyway. That stuff's boring."
"You know full well why Granville stuck you in that class." Gogo smirked.
Hiro paused mid-twist. "Huh? You mean to torture my very existence?"
The evil smirk widened. "She's trying to get you hooked up with a certain genius girl about your age…"
"Oh, shut up." Hiro groaned, almost overshadowing the ding of the 3D printer. Its lights flashed for a moment before powering off. "If you must know, I'm creating a new piece for my armor. It can automatically throw, connect, activate, and anchor magnetic discs. Saves me some trouble… while I'm… flying."
Gogo sighed, shifting her weight against the counter. A bubble of gum popped. She crossed her arms. "I know when you're lying, squirt."
"Huh?" Hiro's oh shoot face was priceless, that she knew. "You're making that thing for a reason. And the one you gave me was not it."
Hiro visibly sagged; he'd been hoping Gogo wouldn't grill him. But, her being her, he couldn't squirm his way out of this one. Maybe if it was Fred… but not Gogo. The one who was currently staring him down, silently begging him to try to run.
He would be on the floor in a second, he knew. Totally not speaking from experience.
"Fine. I… it's about last night." Dimly, the young hero realized he'd never told any of his friends what he'd found in the portal. He took a steadying breath. "When… when I went back in there…"
"Baymax, please!"
"I can't lose you too!"
Shoving down the painful, racing memories, Hiro pressed his hand against the printer, grounding himself to earth. You're here. Not in the portal. He could still hear the whirring, rushing wind behind his ears as he spoke. "I found the original Baymax. In the portal."
"There is no time."
"I… I'm satisfied with my care."
"Hiro?" Gogo frowned at her little brother of shorts. He wasn't just tired, he was shaking. And pale. "Are you sure you're OK?"
He glanced up at her, confused. "Of course. I'm fine. But… I- I think I can get Baymax back."
Gogo's eyes narrowed but she didn't move from her slouched position. "You're seriously thinking about going back in there."
"Yup." Hiro popped the p, pulling his new gauntlet from the printer. A series of slow descending beeps emanated from the machine as it powered down. He hefted the device in both hands. "Geez, this thing is heavy."
"And how are you planning on keeping the portal from collapsing on you?" Gogo questioned, crossing her arms. "I don't need to remind you what happened last time.
"She's still in there."
"Someone has to help."
"No, you don't." She didn't miss the way Hiro's voice wavered as he brushed aside a school project and let his new machine clump onto the desk. Maybe he's more shaken than we thought. "But that Baymax…" He paused. Took a steadying breath. "Baymax now is… different. I made him." One hand was splayed across his chest. "That one- that's my brother's! That… Tadashi made that bot with hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, and tears, and I never even asked him how it worked! I- I never…" He sighed, tone dropping. "I never even bothered to act like I cared about his dreams. And now it's too late."
He didn't dare glance up at Gogo- if he kept his head down, maybe she wouldn't see the tears burning at the corners of his eyes. Where did all that come from? Chalking the sudden outburst up to sleep deprivation, he took a shuddering breath and shoved those feelings way back down where they belonged. "So!" He picked up the gauntlet again- basically a larger, bulkier version of his current pair- and clunked it down next to his computer. "That's why I'm going back in there to get him out."
"No, you're not." Gogo lunged forward, grabbing his arm and pulling the connector cord out of his hand. "Are you kidding me? We almost lost you in there. Twice."
"It worked the second time, Gogo!" Hiro went for the cord, only to have it yanked out of reach. Desperation gave him an angry sound. "I have to do this, OK?"
"Then we're coming with you."
"No! I- it's not that important! I'll just be in and out!"
Gogo sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ok. Ok, fine. You know I'm not good with this stupid feeling stuff." Eyes pressed closed, she continued- "How would you feel if you lost one of us?"
Hiro paused. He knew… but putting into words felt wrong. Like speaking something horrible into reality.
"You know what it feels like. Right? It sucks. Did you ever stop to think about the fact that the rest of us lost Baymax and Tadashi too?" Her voice wavered slightly and Hiro glanced up, shocked. I mean, yeah, I know you guys were sad, and you were at the funeral, but…
"He was like a brother to me, Hiro. Think about it. If it wasn't-" She paused. Sighed. Finally, turned to face Hiro- he was shocked to see tears in her eyes, cheeks flushed pink. "If it wasn't for him…" she continued, voice low and shaky. "I don't think I'd be here."
"What?" Hiro hardly dared ask. He sank into one of the red-cushioned chairs nearby, Gogo remaining tensely upright. She wrung her gloved hands together. "I'm not gonna give you all the gory details, but Tadashi saved me from a really dark place. All of them- but we wouldn't be friends if it wasn't for him. All of this was him, Hiro. And when he died, we made him a promise to protect the people he cared about most. You- and your aunt." She jerked a finger at him, then the cafè. Determination blazed in her narrowed brown eyes. "I'm not letting you get yourself killed for a skeleton."
Clear as day, Hiro could hear another, darker train of thought running through her mind. If you die, I'd rather die with you.
"Ok." He relented, flinging his hands up in submission. "Fine. I'll wait for you guys."
Silence.
"And… Gogo?" She half-turned to look at him, watery and hunched over. "I'm sorry I never asked you guys about… you know. I was just- just so wrapped up in-"
"It's fine." Her voice came out more brusque than she'd meant it to. "Dumb feeling dump over. Get your butt upstairs for breakfast before I dump you in the bay."
Hiro couldn't help but let out a sigh as she stalked away, back toward the cafè. I didn't expect that.
But when did he ever?
—
Stealing the portal tech had been easy.
Actually, too easy. Hiro rolled over in bed, struggling to dislodge the late-night paranoia. There's no way that was a trap… right?
He'd disabled the security cameras. He'd been invisible, for crying out loud. But… surely even Krei wasn't so stupid he would leave the portal tech in with the other regular projects, right? Especially not after what had happened?
Hiro sat up, smacking his pillow a couple times before leaning back. The cool of the windowsill felt nice. Maybe he is that stupid.
Or maybe Cruz had a plan to capture her.
Maybe there were other, hidden cameras.
Maybe the orbs are being tracked.
Hiro jolted up, palming the marble-like objects in his sweatpants pocket in a sudden panic. The smooth, cold orbs were still there. He ran his finger down the grooves of each one, silently counting.
But was that a bump on one? He pulled it out, squinting in the darkness. There was nothing but a vague silhouette available on this starless night. So he rushed- as quietly as he could manage- to his desk, flicking on the small black lamp. He studied it closely, the metal glinting in the yellow light. Is that something? He honestly couldn't tell. There was a small, raised bump under the surface of the orb. But whether it was a tracker or a part of the device, he couldn't tell.
Crud. His mind was spinning as he shoved a hoodie on over his PJ's and made his way down to the garage. I just led them right to my house. And Aunt Cass. His footsteps picked up a little as he hit the cold night air. If I get caught, then my identity gets exposed. And if that happens, then-
The others. He screeched to a halt, letting out an inaudible gasp. I could get them out in jail with me if the police think they helped.
He didn't care if he went to jail- he'd been plenty of times. But the others had jobs to work towards, and they were adults. Whatever happened to them would stay with them forever. Honey Lemon in jail… Hiro stifled a laugh.
Yeah, no. Not allowed to happen.
He gave a huff of frustration, racing for the garage. Gogo's gonna kill me… I promised her I'd go with them.
But not if it's gonna get them hurt.
He found his spare suit, strapping it on with fumbling hands, then attached the new gauntlet instead of one of his arm guards. The spare was kept under his arm- he'd need it when he went in the portal. Some semblance of protection. Skymax was called for Baymax, and Hiro rushed back upstairs to get his bot.
"Are you satisfied with your care?"
Hiro screeched to a halt, one hand going to the banister. I can't take him in there.
"There is no time."
"I will always be with you."
Not again.
But what other choice do I have?
The only thing that kept Hiro from groaning aloud was the idea of Aunt Cass waking up and seeing him in his suit, sneaking into his room. He'd either get a frying pan to the face or- well, he wasn't sure what else, but it would be bad.
He couldn't go on his own, he realized eventually, making his way up the stairs again. I could use my jetpack, but it doesn't have enough propulsion to get me and a downed three-hundred pound robot out of there. We'd run out of fuel and then we'd both be stuck.
So that idea was out. Hiro gently tapped the little metal button on Baymax's dock, making a shhh! sound when the bot inflated. His volume meter went down. "Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. Hello, Hiro." The boy couldn't help but huff a laugh through his nose at the robot's actions.
"We gotta go, Baymax."
"You have an appointment tomorrow at 2:45 P.M. with Dr. Ishioka. I suggest you sleep."
"No time."
"A suggested eight to-"
"Baymax, I know." Hiro sighed. "I wanna get your original body back, OK? And I can't do that without your flying skills."
Baymax blinked, optics refocusing on his patient's face. "Why do you wish to have my original body? Retrieving it could cause you or others physical harm."
Or mental. Hiro scoffed to himself. "It's… hard to explain." But if I don't, he won't let me out of the house.
"It's because it's the one Tadashi built. I thought I'd never get a chance to get it back, and I made peace with that, but now…" Hiro sighed. "I dunno."
"Personal items from lost loved ones can provide great healing." Baymax replied gently. "We will go."
"Yes!" Hiro whisper-yelled, clicking a few buttons on his phone to direct Skymax where to land. "Thanks, dude. I appreciate it."
"I do not have a gender." Hiro snorted- loud. Those words whispered were really strange. "It's a figure of expression. Let's go. Set a course for Balbosaki Park."
Sorry, guys.
—
Hiro and Baymax flew through the air, crisp night wind seeping in through the cracks of his armor. But unbeknownst to them, they were being followed.
"Faster, Heathcliff!" Fred yelled. The limousine screeched around a corner, bobbing and weaving to keep time with the flying heroes. Wasabi gagged in the backseat- "This is not a time to go- faster-"
"It's OK, Wasabi." Honey Lemon patted his back in an attempt to calm the man. "It'll be over soon."
"Let's hope." Gogo's eyes were fixed firmly on the retreating red speck in the distant horizon. "If that kid gets himself killed…"
"How'd you know what was gonna happen?" Fred asked. Gogo merely shot him a pointed glance.
"He's Hiro. The heroic idiot? Remember?"
"That's true."
"I have lost sight of them, Mistress Gogo." The butler driving suddenly intoned. All glued their faces to the windows- yup. They were gone. Gogo smirked. "Then it's a good thing I gave Baymax instructions to broadcast his location earlier."
"You're a genius!" Wasabi yelled.
"Isn't that… kind of an invasion of privacy? I mean… he obviously wants to be alone…"
"He also wants to get himself killed." Gogo pointed out. "If he's opening that portal like he told us at breakfast, it could be dangerous. We're going with him, just like we planned."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Wasabi asked.
"No." Gogo's eyes remained glued to the rising sun. "But it's better than him going in alone."
And never coming back.
—-
"Is that…"
"Yes, Honey, that's the portal!" Gogo leaped out of the limousine, not even waiting for Heathcliff to fully open the door. The others followed, all donning their superhero suits. "I can't believe we're actually doing this!" Wasabi screamed as they pelted toward the glowing blueish-purple light shining over the trees. Closer… closer… they could feel the pull now, hear the tree roots groaning as they were tugged endlessly toward the device-
Then it all stopped.
Everything.
The noise, the wind, the vacuum. The heroes screeched to a halt, Fred tripping over several tree roots. "What- just- happened?" Honey Lemon gasped.
"Yeah!" Fred joined in. "It's- like-"
"It worked." Gogo's voice came out breathless, but not from the sprint- from awe. "He… he stabilized the portal."
"Then he's about to go in!" Honey Lemon shouted, tearing off through the forest on an ice slide. "Let's go!"
"Hop on!" Fred called, sticking his suit's hands to the shoulders. The others complied, Wasabi letting out a nervous whimper, and they were off.
The clearing was in sight within moments. "Woah." Fred breathed.
The gauntlet had been driven into the ground, no doubt by Baymax, and from it stemmed no less than twelve thick, crackling tethers of electricity, each pulling one struggling magnetic orb back into place. The portal was swirling calmly, a myriad of purples and pinks. And…
"What is that sound?" Wasabi whispered in awe. "It's…"
"Beautiful." Fred finished, tone hushed for once. "It's… I have goosebumps under my suit, man."
"It's a siren." Honey whispered. "Like the… like the myths."
That truly was the only way to describe it. A strange, whistling, ethereal sound, beautiful and haunting and pulling and magical. Something about it tugged their souls. A single note, pure and sweet and simple, yet somehow infinitely complicated and swelling and mixing.
Love.
"It's… it's creation." Wasabi said. "It's… there's no other way to describe it. It's inside a black hole, creating the worlds on the other side. It's… whoever or whatever is the cause of all this."
"He really did it." Gogo whispered. "He perfected the portal."
"He got it in tune with… the universe?" Honey asked softly- no one dared speak over the haunting, stunning draw. "The electromagnetic frequency must be acting almost like a radio-"
"And it wasn't strong enough until he used the gauntlet. The genius found the frequency Callaghan couldn't find, for all his years of research."
"And he did it for a robot." Wasabi half-smiled, still fixated on the swirl of ethereal color in front of them.
"That's our idiot."
"Speaking of- is that?" Gogo lunged past Fred, snapping his mouth closed mid-question. "He's going in!"
Just like that, the strange peace was shattered. A small red shape soared through the air, making a hauntingly familiar loop before shooting straight into the depths of the portal, bending its center slightly before disappearing into its depths, leaving nothing but a minuscule trail of smoke where there friends had been. Fear tore through the peace and tranquility of the scene as the heroes broke out of their trance and rushed forward. The gauntlet began to power down.
"Shoot! It's gonna close!" Gogo yelled. "Everybody jump in!"
"How are we gonna get back out?!"
"We'll figure that out later! Just come on!"
"This feels like a bad- oh, she's in." Gogo's foot disappeared and she was gone.
"We don't have time!" The harmonic whistle was twisting, shrinking, into a hideous whine. Fear. "You have to jump now!" Honey Lemon followed her own advice, leaping into the portal. Her strawberry blonde hair was the last thing they saw of her. Fred shrugged, clapping his hands to the ears of his suit. "I've gotta get out of here!"
Now Wasabi was the last one. That chilling fear crept in on him, panic rising in tune with the heightening, warping pitch of the closing portal.
Go.
He stumbled to his feet- when had he fallen?- clasping his hands against his ears as the panic rose. He couldn't breathe. His vision was tunneling to nothing but that flowing, red, vicious whirlpool.
But his friends were in there. Friends meant safety.
Wasabi staggered forward. It seemed as if the closer he got, the worse the noise- and the tidal wave of fear- became. It threatened to buckle him, pull him under. Dark spots crowded in on him, increasing his claustrophobia. The ground seemed too far away.
He closed his eyes, struggling to ignore the painful, pounding wail in his ears. His heart was pounding. His breath quickened.
He stepped in.
—-
Swirls decorated the endless space. The heroes glanced around, wandering in a timeless daze through the mist.
"Hiro?" Gogo called, finally remembering why they were there. The dreamlike blur around them shifted, sharpening into a cold reality. "Hiro!"
A red blur met their eyes, seeming miles away, standing out starkly against the blues and purples of the drifting clouds-like shapes. "Hiro Hamada!" Her voice carried with ease through the dimension.
"Gogo?" they could just barely make out the red dot turn, a smaller, almost invisible purple shape on its back.
"Hiro!"
"You guys shouldn't be here!" He called across the void. Even from a distance Gogo could see just how pale he looked. Something was wrong. She pushed herself closer, bouncing off a small piece of debris.
"Hiro, are you OK?" Honey Lemon's voice drifted across to them. Their headsets weren't picking up anything, but thankfully they didn't seem to need them.
"I'm fine!" Came the distant reply. He was falling back again, pulled deeper into the vortex. The entryway was already fading from sight. "But you guys have to leave!"
"Why?"
Everything was fading out again. Was it the distance, or Gogo? She wasn't sure. Gravity felt heavier, too.
"Because this is dangerous!" Ah, there it was. Gogo felt her control over herself return and pushed off, rage building in her chest. "We know it's dangerous, knucklehead! That's why we're following you!"
"We care about you, Hiro!" Came Honey Lemon's added words. She was flying under a piece of debris as well. Could it be the same debris from the first portal fight? "We know you want to get Tadashi's Baymax back, but–" Even now saying his name felt like a punch to the stomach for all of them. "- you can't sacrifice yourself for a robot!"
"I'm not sacrificing myself!" Hiro sounded agitated. "I'm gonna grab him and come back out! But now I have to save you guys too!"
A very distant voice echoed towards them. "Hey… guys…? Are you… in… here…?"
"Fred!" Honey sounded relieved. "Yeah! Come on!"
His voice grew closer, if only a little. "OK…. I'm coming…" A moment later– "You guys… are going really fast…!"
Gogo glanced around, shaking off the pressing on her mind. They were going fast. Faster than they'd been when they jumped into the portal. "Where's Wasabi?!" They couldn't leave him behind!
"I don't know!" There Fred was, bouncing off great metal bits like some sort of alien frog in his suit. "He didn't come through yet!"
Gogo glanced around, suddenly aware of the pulling sensation acting on them. She was being spun. Managing to latch onto a piece of debris for one moment, she caught eyes with Hiro. He was much closer now, easy to see. So was Honey. And Fred. They were all being sucked closer to… something. "Can you see what's pulling us?" She shouted.
"Oh, why did we do this?" Honey's frightened voice caught her ears. "We don't have thrusters, and Baymax can't carry all of us and the old Baymax out!"
Gogo sighed. She was right. They'd made everything worse. "Hiro—"
"It's fine." His stony expression betrayed him. "I'll leave Baymax behind."
The pulling sensation increased. Gogo felt a hollow of guilt open up in her chest. "Hiro–"
"I said it's fine!" The teen bellowed, turning away and fiddling with something on Baymax's back. "An old shell of a robot isn't worth your lives!"
"HIRO!"
"Oh, no."
Baymax understood. Gogo hadn't been trying to warn Hiro about the robot. She'd been trying to warn them about the gaping, frothing black hole that had just come into view. That was what was pulling them in. Hiro's mouth fell open.
"Holy mother of Megazon." Fred muttered.
"Can you see Wasabi?" Gogo shouted, mind whirling.
"Nope! What will we–"
"Doesn't matter!" Hiro shouted, spinning Baymax so his thrusters were going against the current. "Grab on! We're going in!"
With no time to spare, the group each fastened themselves to Baymax, Fred and Gogo finding an extra hold in each of Hiro's gloved hands. "Here we go!" He yelled, glazing back one last time at the looming monster before them, spinning and twirling, wind blowing past them, the pressure threatening to crack their suits–
And then they were through. Baymax fell a foot or so to the ground, leaving them all to tumble off of him onto the wet grass. Blue sky shone above them. Trees dotted the edge of the field they'd crashed in.
At length, Hiro pulled himself free of the magnets and dropped off Baymax, collapsing on the ground next to his friends. Everything was spinning violently. Nausea whirled in his stomach. His lungs felt tight. This place, wherever they were, was wrong.
But they were alive.
When he'd managed to get his limbs under control, he crawled around to each of his teammates, checking them each for injury. Fred had been partially pinned under one of Baymax's arms, and so Hiro groaned with the effort it took, pulling the red armor-plated robot away from his friend. They all looked around blearily, some sitting up, others staring at nowhere in particular. Gogo reached over and tapped Hiro on the arm. She seemed dazed, breathing hard. "Look." She rasped.
Hiro's mouth fell open. The portal was still open, spinning, whirling, twisting in its constraints, but in the opposite direction it usually did. Almost as if it were trying to throw something out.
And throw something out it did. Or more accurately, someone. A flash of green was all Hiro saw before he was being shoved backwards, a new weight hitting him square in the chest. Pain exploded in his limbs. He heard the portal close behind him.
"Wasabi?" Came the muffled grunt. "Can somebody get 'im offa me? Can't… breathe…"
Gogo groaned, stumbling over to the two men and heaving Wasabi back by the arm. She tumbled to the ground. Hiro then reached forward and picked up one of the magnetic balls surrounding the portal, the rest zipping forward to connect with their brother. "Well, at least we know we can get back." He muttered.
"Is this… is this still planet Earth?" Fred mumbled, staring at the clouds.
"I think so…?" Honey replied.
Gogo froze. "Maybe not our planet Earth…"
Everyone who was able followed her gaze, stiffening instantly. Hiro stumbled to his feet, powering his last remaining gauntlet. Gogo followed suit. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, driving some of the exhaustion away.
"Who are they?" Hiro whispered. Gogo shook her head. The group of six headed toward them from across the field, laughing and joking, were dressed in clothes they'd only ever read about in books. The leader wore a buckled leather scale chestplate, with a red tunic underneath and leather trousers. He was carrying a bag of some sort. The woman next to him had only iron spiked spalders and a tipped skirt, with a battle axe draped under her long braid. The other four, Hiro realized, were wearing helmets. Not the actually useful ones like his team wore, but small, metal ones that covered nothing but the top of their head. The brother and sister (both blonde and currently in the middle of a wrestling match) had matching helmets with long, fearsome horns. The stockier, shorter man with a cloth scaled tunic and brass belt had a smaller helmet. But the smallest belonged to the largest man of the group. He sported a teacup size helmet with small wings on either side and a leather jerking with hundreds of small pockets.
All of this Hiro saw in a moment. But a moment, apparently, was long enough for the leader to turn away from his conversation, and, seeing Hiro glaring at him, freeze in his tracks. He turned to the others, an after a few urgently hushed words, they all turned to stare at Hiro. He cowered. What was going on?
"The heck is this?" Fred whispered, drawing himself up onto his knees. His voice was modulated by the suit. "Cosplay? 'Cuz… I'd totally… join in…"
The group made their way forward now, weapons drawn. The twins each held maces, the three men a sword (although the leader's had no blade for some reason), and the girl her battle axe. No words were spoken. In this time, Hiro noticed three things.
One- they all had the same color of skin, pale and freckled with long days in the sun.
Two- They couldn't be any older than he was. Maybe by a year or two.
Three- the leader was missing a leg.
The leader grated to a halt not ten feet from Hiro's group, eyeing them with a mix of curiosity, awe, and wariness. "Hvem er du?" His voice was sharp, high pitched, but not unkind, with a distinctive sound to it. Hiro froze. What was he supposed to do now? They didn't speak English?"
By then, Hiro realized, some of that wrong feeling had faded. As he struggled to stay standing, the rest of it seeped away and he was met by a new layer of clarity.
"Who are you?" The boy asked again. The others had the sense to remain silent.
Hiro gestured around awkwardly. "Well… my name's Hiro Hamada, and that's Gogo, Fred, Honey Lemon, and Wasabi." Then he paused, licking his lips. What else should he say? Thank you? Hello? What are you doing here? Where are we?
As it turned out, all of those questions would be answered.
"I'm Hiccup." The leader replied. "This is Astrid, Ruff and Tuff, Snotlout, and Fishlegs. Welcome to the Edge!"
A/N: If you want to call this a crack fic, I certainly wouldn't mind. What the heck am I doing with my life? This is where tumblr prompts get you. Well-
I'm sorry about me.
God Bless!
-Grace