Chapter 17

"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." – Ferdinand Foch


GoGo accepted her decision to stay with Hiro on the small, red couch, and eventually fell asleep with him curled up beside her, in her arms. In all honesty, being that way was more comforting than it was comfortable. She stirred awake a few times during the night, more to help him ride through his troubled sleep. Hiro's slurred, panicked words and tightening of his fists pulling at her shirt would alert her. His attack must've traumatized him after all, and started to surface in this way. She did wonder as well if he had been affected by that one Fujita's Demon Eye. His actions since then had seemed more anxious and unsure of himself.

She pushed back his sweat-damp hair and whispered soothing words to calm him back to sleep. Hiro repositioned his head on her chest, keeping his eyes shut despite his clenched teeth. Her arms continued to hold him, even though sometimes he resisted, to remind him he was safe. GoGo pulled up on the blanket to cover both of them and stroked his tousled hair until they dozed off again.

The mechanical engineer woke up again when Aunt Cass touched her shoulder. She could only tell it was sometime either really late at night, or very early in the morning, as his aunt still had on an oversized, fleece robe covering her pajamas. Her expression was of surprise that GoGo was still there, but she had offered a better place for them to sleep upstairs.

GoGo declined as politely as possible, despite her groggy state. Partly because that meant fully waking enough to get up, and then later neither one if them would be able to go back to sleep afterwards. Hiro hadn't bothered to wake up this time despite their talking. Aunt Cass sighed, not sounding happy about leaving them there in the chilly garage. But hey, they were warm, had all their clothes on, and otherwise not doing anything else that should worry her. The older woman returned shortly after with another blanket and pillow in an effort to make their situation possibly more comfortable.

Hiro looked so blithely innocent when he had been able to sleep in peace. His face was relaxed, and his free left hand was tucked close to his face. That gesture made her wonder if he used to be a thumb-sucker, and she suddenly felt for him and his trying childhood. Her heart ached briefly with guilt. Hiro was still so young and yet she had fallen for him so hard.

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When Hiro woke up, 'fully aware of his surroundings' kind of 'wake up', he was just.. amazed. The reality that GoGo actually stayed and slept in the cramped little couch with him, for the entire night, was still hard to believe. But it happened, it really happened. He couldn't think of the last time he slept that long, without much interruption either.

The feint, cold blue-hue of the winter morning light came through the little windows up high in the garage. GoGo's arms held him in place, and the warmth of the blankets around them guarded him from the chill of the cool air in the garage. Hiro yawned quietly, unable to go back to sleep, and wondered what time it was. He had noticed then he had his own comforter from his bed around them too.

Hiro glanced up, seeing that GoGo was still sound asleep. Her heartbeat was steady, and her breathing even as she slept. Even though his cheek had practically been against her left breast, he had been mindful of where his free left hand rested on her body. Right now it was tucked against himself, under his chin, but then he had a partial, fuzzy recollection of her taking his hand into hers a few times during the night. Maybe his hand was wandering, or maybe she really was trying to comfort him during his dreams. He started to remember fragments of how she ran her fingers over his face and through his hair too, and smiled slightly.

The younger Hamada closed his eyes again. Despite the reassuring feelings, he was becoming more aware of his aches. His broken arm still felt weird. His cast was tucked between GoGo's armpit and the crack of the couch cushion. A part of him wanted to move, to stretch it out, but he knew doing that would not make the dull ache go away. His arm was broken, as well as asleep.

At least his thoughts came to him more easily. Already he had gotten a great idea about what to do with Ronin. The idea was so obvious, and yet not something he had done with his bot-fight robots before. What he thought of was to equip Ronin with all the weapon techniques and fighting skills his teammates possessed. It was their combined strengths together as a team that made them so much stronger as Big Hero 6.

Because one chopstick alone could easily be broken, like himself.

Hiro sighed, again wishing he could stretch out his curled up, stiff body. He also felt that ever increasingly, hard-to-ignore need to pee. That just started to worry him because her leg was sandwiched in between his legs. As a result, Hiro became afraid that Gogo would feel his morning wood, and assume that for 'something else'. Well, he had gotten like that sometimes when he thought about her body, naked. But at other times. Just not now.

Hiro's heart started to beat a little faster, and he realized it must have been 'those thoughts'. He drew in another shallow breath, trying to think how he could get out without waking up GoGo.

Then some noises echoed from the hall of his house through the Baymax-sized 'door' into the garage. It sounded like Aunt Cass was up too.

He really needed to get up from all this. Like now.

Except he realized that trying to get out meant touching GoGo in all those places he shouldn't, otherwise meriting a swift kick to the head. Maybe it would be better if she got up first. Most definitely.

"GoGo, hey..." Hiro finally whispered, then reached up with his left hand to pat her cheek. Risky move, but possibly more effective that shaking her shoulder.

She scrunched up her face, coming to. "Mhh.. s' kay…"

"It's morning," Hiro tried to shift himself up a little just so he could see her better.

"Yeah…" she was half-lidded while looking down to him, but sounded more awake. "Feeling better?"

"Kind of—"

"Hey, good morning!" Aunt Cass had then came in to greet them brightly. "Did you two manage to sleep okay?"

The reaction that himself and GoGo returned was not nearly as chipper, and certainly more startled. Hiro still kept the comforter pulled up around both of them as he peered out.

"I'll make some breakfast for you two, okay?" she nodded, turning on the radiant space heater near them. She must have turned it off earlier for safety reasons, or something. Which could explain why it was so cold.

"Oh, when's your first class, GoGo? It's a quarter past seven in the morning," Aunt Cass asked next, before locating a large Rubbermaid container that he knew held some small Christmas trees in it.

"Ah, I'm okay. I don't need to be there until eleven… thank you, Ms. Cass," GoGo sat up more so, just to show her respects to Hiro's oddly cheerful aunt.

Yes, it was also Wednesday. Hiro froze for a moment just to remember that much. His early morning English Lit class wasn't until tomorrow.

"I'll get some extra towels out if you need a shower too," she mentioned to GoGo, on her way back out. Hiro also became more aware of Christmas music wafting in from the Café's radio system.

Christmas stuff already? Yey… not.

"I think that was a hint," GoGo poked at Hiro, who was still wedged in between her and the back of the couch.

He just frowned, trying to peel away the tangle blankets as he processed everything that just happened. Frag, it was still too cold for him to want to get up.

"When was the last time you took a shower, nerd?"

"Uhm.. Thanksgiving..?" he guessed, only to suddenly find himself dumped on the floor in a heap with the blankets, otherwise barely missing the crate there. It still amazed him how quickly she could move sometimes.

"My god, Hiro! You've gotten as bad as Fred! No wonder you reek!" GoGo stood up and yelled at him in disgust.

"But.. the nurses told me I couldn't get my stitches wet," he yelled back at her, as weak as that reason was. It had been over twenty-four hours now, plus his cast was the type that could get wet.

"Please… just suck it up and ask your aunt to help you take a bath. I'm sure she's used to seeing you naked in the tub," she shouted, pointing in the direction of the house where his aunt went.

"S-sorry, yeah.. okay.. m' going," Hiro tried to not let his embarrassment show as he wrapped his bed comforter around himself and scuttled through the door to go upstairs. To him, it sounded like that if she didn't mind seeing him naked, she would be dragging him to the shower herself.

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"Oh.. you're looking much better already, sweetie," Aunt Cass gave Hiro a quick hug after he came over to the table in their upstairs kitchen for breakfast. Her statement was just to help him feel better about himself, even though his black eye had changed to a whole different shade of green and grey. At least the scrapes on his cheek and forehead were less inflamed looking.

Despite Aunt Cass's offers to help, he managed to shower himself in her bathroom. She also gave him a stool and showed him how to use the hand-held sprayer. That way, GoGo was free to use the main bathroom to freshen up.

"Because the walking dead was so last month," GoGo further teased him, sitting on the opposite side of the table from Hiro.

He just sighed, glowering at them from under his damp, floral-scented bangs. Hiro sat heavily in his chair and scrutinized a bowl-shaped mound of sticky rice, a banana muffin, and fruit on his plate. He finally picked up a strawberry and nibbled at it.

"Here, eat some of this too, sweetie," Aunt Cass set a white porcelain bowl of hot, fermented bean paste broth with some cubed potato and seaweed in front of him as she sat down. She made sure he took all of his medicine earlier, so she felt he really should eat something too so his stomach didn't feel so queasy. "It's made with ingredients that'll help you feel better."

"She's right... especially since it's my recipe." GoGo glanced at his soup once, then agreed with her openly. The sensible college student had shared a couple recipes with Aunt Cass earlier, after wondering what kind of soups she could make with her family's handmade dumplings.

The younger Hamada scowled in response, but just as quickly became more neutral in appearance when he noticed another wary look from GoGo. She then motioned to mix some rice from his plate into the soup, thinking that would make it better. Aunt Cass wondered how tha would go, because she knew he didn't like eating rice porridge that much.

Hiro actually followed through by mixing more rice into the soup, and ate a spoonful.

Aunt Cass brought a hand over her smile, just to hide how much she was amused by the interactions between these two. Despite their charming responses, she also appreciated the encouraging effect this older girl had on her wayward nephew. He needed the role model, and GoGo helped him cope. Aunt Cass admitted she also needed and appreciated GoGo's perspective, because there were days she really had no idea how to get through to Hiro.

The last thing she wanted was another bout of depression from the subway attack. After Tadashi's funeral, her younger nephew had refused to leave his room for weeks. She couldn't tell if he actually slept or just stared at the walls, but he certainly didn't make any effort to eat.

Finding Hiro sleeping with GoGo on the couch downstairs, however, did come as a surprise; even if it appeared that they hadn't done anything risqué. Aunt Cass could fathom how that might have happened, but it still struck her as unexpected.

Were they already becoming that close?

She would have to talk to Hiro about that kind of thing again later. Tadashi had warned her a couple times about this, considering the peer pressure from the older age group that Hiro would be subjected to. Except Hiro had been so reserved and anti-social before… this did come sooner than she anticipated.

Aunt Cass watched the two eat, before taking a bite of pineapple. GoGo had not said much, but she usually doesn't. Honey Lemon was more of the chatty sort in comparison. Yet she noticed GoGo seemed to be more mindful of her manners in Aunt Cass's presence. Their behavior still didn't feel at ease, like they were still hiding something. Or was it just the residual effect from her finding out that they had slept together.

Yet, there was also something else she needed to address while she had both of them there. "Where is Baymax, Hiro? Can you tell me?"

The way Hiro's face went blank for a second before saying anything already told her it was something that was bothering him.

"Uhm," Hiro's eyes stole another glance from GoGo from across the table as he set his spoon down. Since they told Aunt Cass yesterday, it was very likely GoGo had told him he should fess up too. There was no getting out of this now.

"He's... Baymax was stolen.. too."

Aunt Cass softened, seeing how nervous and guilty her nephew had become after he made his confession. She put a hand on his shoulder, then gripped his left hand. "Hiro.. I'm not going to get upset. This really wasn't your fault ."

Hiro looked down at his plate, pressing his lips together.

"I'm glad you finally told me. But .. I am more worried that you don't feel comfortable about telling me something this important," she continued, keeping her focus on his face as he processed her concern. This time she wanted to make that clear to him. That she really wanted him to talk to her about these troubles too.

Her nephew looked back up to her, finally with something to say. "It's…that I- I don't want you to be disappointed in me. Or to just be worried all the time."

"Hiro, sweetie, you mean so much to me! It's because I care about you, that I worry. I just want to help you.. that I want you to talk to me about this," she reached up to sweep his dark hair back, to reassure him. The thought crossed her mind that having GoGo there during this conversation was probably not helping him much, emotionally.

"Sorry…" he mouthed the word, but his apprehensive demeanor had not relaxed.

"Hiro," Aunt Cass finally was able to hold eye contact with him. "I told you before, I will try to not get angry with you when you get into this kind of trouble."

"I know... but.." Hiro breathed. "Did you tell the police?"

He said 'did', indicating that he knew that she must have known before this conversation. "Not yet. I wanted to talk to you about it first."

Hiro nodded, furrowing his brows. He looked away for a second in thought, setting his jaw as he seemed to calculate his next words. The younger Hamada made eye contact with his Aunt and GoGo, only to hesitate again.

"There's something else… you should know, for why I didn't want you to get the police involved," Hiro explained softly, rolling a chopstick in between his fingers.

"Yes?" Aunt Cass gently prodded him verbally. GoGo had sat up more, also appearing a little more concerned.

"It's about Tadashi," Hiro spoke carefully, making an effort to keep his eyes on theirs. "He's not dead. He's actually... not, he's.. someplace else."

"What?" GoGo narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of his information.

"How do you know? Where is he?" Aunt Cass felt her emotions welling up again. Really, why was Hiro coming up with a far-fetched story like this now?

"There was never a body found, so they falsely assumed he was…" Hiro's sentence faded. He started again, trying harder to sound more sure of himself. "I mean, yeah.. Tadashi's not here, here anymore. But.. I can hear him talk to me sometimes. And sometimes… I see him as fire—"

"So in your dreams…?" GoGo asked him, looking very much dubious.

"Mostly, but—"

"If he's a ghost.. how does that not mean he's..?" the mechanical engineer was not afraid to ask the questions that began to also bother Aunt Cass. She wasn't ready to believe him yet either.

"From what T'dashi's trying to tell me," Hiro appeared anxious again, because he must have felt that they weren't believing him. That GoGo was not prepared to hear this theory, now, despite the fragile state of his adolescent emotions. "He has to be trapped in another place, another reality!"

"How?"

"That's what I don't know.. but he.. I think he went through that mini portal at the convention, to escape the explosion!" Hiro slammed the chopstick down on the table.

Aunt Cass and GoGo both stared at Hiro after his outburst. The younger woman sighed, and then held out her hand as if she was going to ask the question again. But she didn't, and turned sideways in her seat while muttering something under her breath in Korean.

The brunette turned to Hiro, touching his shoulder. He did sound very serious, and his expression didn't look like he was making that story up. She felt for him and wanted to believe him, if just briefly, but she was also worried that her nephew was still in denial, and this was his wishful delusion to cope. "Sweetie, please.. are you sure?"

"Yes," Hiro held his eyes on hers, and did not waiver. "It's like he's.. he had bonded with Baymax."

Aunt Cass closed her eyes, her heart suddenly beating faster. She had felt Tadashi's presence from Baymax so many times now, that much was not made up. She really wasn't just imagining it.

"Tadashi's with him…" Hiro whispered.

She drew in a breath and held it. Hiro sounded sincere enough. This wasn't another one of his mind games, or a delusional fantasy. The worried brunette exhaled, then got up from her chair to give Hiro hug. "That must have been really hard to say, but.. thank you," Aunt Cass pulled her nephew close. He followed suit a beat later, bringing his arms up around her.

"He needs help though," Hiro added, when she released him. "And I.. I know where Baymax is."

"Hiro," GoGo started, sounding cautionary.

Aunt Cass exchanged glances between the two. She noticed Hiro touching his thumb to fingertips together in a sequence on his right hand, but she wasn't sure if that was more fidgeting, or if he was telling GoGo something.

"It's just that this isn't your typical kind of crime for the police.. anymore," Hiro began explaining his reasoning to Aunt Cass.

Then GoGo sighed, picking up the lead. "Yes, this isn't. Are you familiar with who Fred's father was?" she asked Aunt Cass.

"Apart from being the CEO of a multimillion dollar entertainment agency... not entirely," the older woman shook her head 'no'.

"Before he retired, he was also involved with SHIELD, which is a government agency that investigates supernatural, even extraterrestrial activity," GoGo broke it down for her.

"So that means..?"

"That I had asked Fred if his dad could help us with this, and they are," Hiro explained further. "You could say that the SHIELD are like the superhero police."

"So what you are telling me is that these gangsters aren't normal?" Aunt Cass was trying to understand this new revelation.

"Yup."

"Then.. would the SHIELD be able to find Tadashi too?"

The expression on Hiro's face looked like he was caught off guard for a moment, but it disappeared just as quickly. "Y-yeah. Maybe."

"Makes sense why you didn't want to talk about Baymax before, I guess," Aunt Cass pursed her lips in further consideration. Fred was the first one he had called, and this helped explain why.

Hiro nodded, looking down at his plate. His eyes trailed to the floor when Mochi came by, rubbing up against his leg.

"This way, we are involved, but still keeping a safe distance.. as you wished," GoGo smiled to Aunt Cass reassuringly.

"Yes, I see that. Thank you," Aunt Cass nodded. "How soon will you know the results?"

"Not sure..." GoGo frowned.

"It's hard to say, since they have to infiltrate their ranks," Hiro explained.

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GoGo nodded in kind.

Wow. That was just.. wow. Sometimes Hiro was flat out dense about most social situations, but the way he worked his aunt to keep her from calling the police about Baymax was slick. Not only was he being truthful for the most part, Hiro still remained careful about certain details. Of course, this was his aunt and it could be that he was already familiar with how to win her over.

But the part about his brother… GoGo still had trouble in believing that as true. Saying that Tadashi was Baymax was conceivable, if it was suggested that the robot was possessed with his ghostly spirit. But to suggest that his older brother was on a different plane of existence, and still could reach into this one? How?

GoGo picked up her chopsticks again to take another bite of the now cold sticky rice, since the others started back to eating. Hiro left the conversation so that she could continue with the request for him to come to their dinner party later. Hopefully that plan would still work, all things considering.

She watched Hiro struggle his way through eating the rice and soup mixture. At least he was actually able to eat now, and that most of his complaints were just him being a big baby. Hopefully Aunt Cass would notice that he was getting better, and would be more lenient in letting him go out later.

"So.. later, a bunch of us from our lab had planned a special study-slash-dinner outing together to celebrate the semester end," GoGo started, hoping she would sound as smooth as Hiro had.

"Tonight?" Aunt Cass already begun with the questions.

"Yes, we had planned it earlier, before the earthquake, but then things happened. So.. we were on the line about it earlier," GoGo continued.

"You decided to keep it for tonight?"

"Yes. No choice now," GoGo nodded her head, and made a clear effort to look Aunt Cass in the eye while sounding as sincere as possible. She didn't like stretching the truth like this, but it was a plan she and Hiro had to adhere too. "Wasabi is tied up tomorrow, Honey and I have our presentations to get ready for on Friday, and Fred was only able to get reservations at the Osaka Orange tonight."

"But next week isn't better?" the brunette wondered.

"No. Wasabi's going back to New York for winter break after his last exam on Tuesday."

Aunt Cass sighed.

"So.. can I still go, oba?" Hiro took that moment to plead with her.

Aunt Cass looked at both of them, clearly considering what could be the pros and cons. "Do you feel well enough to go out for this?"

"I'll be okay," Hiro tried to reassure her.

She pursed her lips, still apparently thinking this over.

"We won't let him out of our sight either," GoGo decided to add, in case she was worrying about other things.

"You can't go to any over-21 areas," Aunt Cass also warned him.

"Like I want too?" Hiro curled up his lip in distaste. GoGo could only imagine why. The nerd clearly did not like getting sick, so him going overboard with any alcoholic drinks was highly unlikely.

"Fred and I aren't twenty-one yet either," GoGo was quick to add. "But we aren't planning to party like that."

"That's good then," Aunt Cass sat back. She didn't sound sold though.

"Honey Lemon said it's also a formal affair," Hiro supplied. "So I have to get dressed up."

"Really?"

"Honey's going to get me a rental tux."

"She knows your size? Wouldn't you need to be there to make sure it fits?" Aunt Cass sat up more, apparently not liking the fact she wasn't there to help with this. Ah, if only she knew the whole truth behind that question.

"It's not like it's prom…" Hiro muttered dryly under his breath. GoGo raised an eyebrow, surprised that he was being so salty now.

"Which you did not go to. But I still have the right to worry about this," his aunt had the right to be sharp with him in response. "More importantly, your face is a mess and I doubt your cast will fit through the sleeves."

Hiro looked a little more downcast as he looked at the uneaten food still on his plate.

"I have Steve coming later to help me with the finishing touches downstairs. I can take Hiro to find something so Honey doesn't have to," she told the two.

The younger Hamada curled his lip up in further disdain. The poor kid must not like clothes shopping with his 'parental figure', from the looks of it. But at least it's not like they're dressing him up as a girl again.

"It's okay," GoGo told him, both openly and otherwise, to let him know they can work with this. Then she looked to Aunt Cass, with more information. "I'll have to check with Honey to see if she already got it."

"Hmm, I see," Aunt Cass nodded.

"We'll use makeup to cover up his bruises too," GoGo suddenly realized she sounded too confident with that fact when Hiro shot her a Look.

"Makeup?"

"Yeah… never underestimate Honey Lemon's knowledge of makeup. Remember her experiment from last spring?" GoGo chased her thought with that knowledge, and smiled slightly for further emphasis. That last project where the ambitious chemist tried to come up with a good-looking, hypoallergenic, make-up 'mask' that could be applied in a flash was anything short of 'interesting'.

Hiro seemed to become suddenly fascinated with a spot in on the far wall, just to show his indifference to this topic.

"Ah, that's right," Aunt Cass smiled in kind, then glanced to Hiro.

"Whatever," he sighed, only to remember the stakes that were on the line. The younger Hamada brightened up, smiling very sweetly. "So, can I go?"

His aunt hesitated again. GoGo could not really blame her, after considering the wide range of unsettling topics discussed in the last half hour.

"What time are you meeting?" she finally asked.

"At 7 pm, but is it okay if we come by earlier so we can help him get him ready?" GoGo wondered.

"Well, can you do that here?"

"I'll see," GoGo responded in kind. She was trying to not sound annoyed at how all these details were getting tricky.

Hiro still looked at his aunt, his eyes softly pleading for a positive answer.

"Okay… try to have some fun, sweetie," Aunt Cass sighed. "But I want you back no later than 10 pm."

"Domo arigato, oba-san!"

GoGo groaned, rolling her eyes a bit from the nerd's over-the-top reaction with the Japanese he's been learning more of.

"Thank you for breakfast also. You always make delicious food," GoGo gathered her dishes, while standing up. "Do you need help with cleaning up?"

"Oh, thank you for the offer GoGo, but I should be okay. I imagine the two of you have a lot of work yet to do," Aunt Cass patted her shoulder warmly.

"Yeah, there is. Thank you..." Hiro agreed, and roughly scooted back his chair from the table.

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Hiro set his dishes on the counter by the sink, and turned with the intent to follow GoGo down the stairs to the garage. His aunt stopped him by gently holding him back, her hand taking hold of his arm.

"Hiro, sweetie, are you serious about Tadashi?" Aunt Cass whispered as she searched his eyes again for this confirmation.

"Yeah, I am," he responded just, as quietly, just to keep her calm.

"How long did you know..?"

"Um.. s-sometime before the earthquake," his gaze fell downward. Her searching eyes were making him feel uncomfortable again, for not saying anything to her sooner about this. He had been too scared to tell her, honestly. Too afraid of how she would react, and the questions she would ask. He did learn most of this from hacking into police records, after all.

"He really is.. just... trapped somewhere?"

"Y-yeah, Tada-nii is. He just isn't sure where he is and how he can get back," Hiro sighed, trying to think. "If he went through an experimental portal that got destroyed in the fire, there's no conclusive way to figure out where it sent him."

"How does he.. talk to you?" Aunt Cass twisted her mouth, doing her best to understand this.

"I realized not all of my dreams are PTSD related.. and sometimes, Baymax says stuff I know can't be from his programming," Hiro swallowed down his emotions, before continuing. He was doing so well keeping them in check earlier. "When I got knocked out, T'dashi was talking to me, telling me to get up and find help."

"Oh," Aunt Cass bit her lip, feeling the longing in his words.

"I was actually able to see him there with me… until he wasn't," Hiro said, gritting his teeth. His eyes were starting to well up, when that memory of waking up alone in the subway hit him. He didn't want to start crying, but when his aunt pulled him into a hug, he couldn't hold it back anymore.

"He really misses us…" Hiro strained to add.

"Just.. we'll figure something out, okay?" she reassured him, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Yeah.." Hiro sniffled, forcing his quelling emotions back down. He needed to keep it together, lest she worry more about his mental state. He stepped away and quickly wiped his eyes with his hands. He really wanted to leave now.

"Hiro.. wait," Aunt Cass stopped him again.

He did, sighing lightly, but didn't turn around yet.

"It's about tonight.. and GoGo," she started quietly, but with a hint of sternness this time.

Hiro shoulders drooped, fearing that she's caught on to something suspicious. He turned to look at her now.

"I really want you to be much older.. like over sixteen, no seventeen, until you start dating, okay?" she put both hands on his shoulders, most likely to keep him from edging away, as she looked Hiro in the eyes.

"Uh.. y-yeah, right," he smiled, suddenly feeling very trapped and embarrassed. It might have been a relief that this wasn't suspicion.. but to be given the Talk about GoGo? He should have seen this coming, especially after last night. "I'm not- we're not going on a date. As a couple. No."

"Yes, but I just want to make sure," she didn't let him go yet.

Hiro was sure she noticed his flushed red cheeks by now too. Of course, he was fully aware of everything behind dating as minors and statutory rape laws. But that was only a problem if someone called them out on it, right?

"GoGo already told me I'm not boyfriend material… just friends. L-like a big sister."

"I see," his aunt smiled at him, with a little more understanding. "I just want you to be careful, responsible… okay, sweetie?"

"Of course," Hiro smiled nervously again. Not like there would be time for hand holding and kissing if they were too busy kicking ass.

His aunt also finally dropped her hands from his shoulders, a little more satisfied after making herself clear. "Yes, that's how I want my grown-up gentleman to be."

He smiled sheepishly at her again, taking a couple steps back before feeling more confident that she was letting him leave. This whole day was going to be anything short of predictable.

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In the few times that she had been in Hamada's garage, GoGo knew at this point there shouldn't be something that resembled a pet door in the big garage door. What had caught her eye was the small square of daylight in the dark garage, that was visible at the bottom right hand corner of the door. Someone had cut through the thick, wood panel there, since the garage had been blocked with the truck parked up against it outside.

For a fleeting moment she wondered if Hiro did that during the night, just because it seemed like something he would do in his desperation. However, GoGo stood corrected when she turned on the lights and saw that the work area looked far more messy than usual. Like it had been tossed.. ransacked. Growing more concerned, she saw that while Ronin was still there, he was lacking both of his arms.

GoGo was sure now that they had been vandalized! Of all the low down, savage…

Swearing, GoGo glanced around, on higher alert now. This had to have just happened, because Hiro robot was intact before they went upstairs. She wondered if the vandal was still there, on the prowl. Hiro was still upstairs, apparently taking with Aunt Cass. The speedster narrowed her eyes, trying to think up something fast. Hiro's going to be so pissed about what they did.

Unfortunately, he was already there behind her, staring woefully at the sight.

"Hiro," GoGo tried to stop to him, but he pushed her aside in disbelief as he continued down the steps into the garage. He already looked flustered from something Aunt Cass needled him about, so this did nothing to help his broken state of mind.

"Wha— why?!"

"I just saw this myself!" GoGo refuted. It really put her on edge that they knew exactly where he lived, and what he was doing. But why they just wrecked his robot and not take it only added to the confusion.

"How come they..?" Hiro was noticing more of the vandalism, swearing the more he saw.

"Apparently they felt the need to fuck with us some more," GoGo muttered grimly under her breath.

"Ronin, attention! Why didn't you fight them?" Hiro shouted at his slumped over robot in anger.

The steel grey frame straightened up as his gold optics glowed brighter. "What is.. my directive?" Ronin spoke slowly.

"If someone is attacking, then you defend!" the young teen yelled at him. "What part of that don't you understand?!"

Hiro's yelling hardly phased the robot, and he asked the same question again. "What is .. my directive?"

"To serve and protect!" Hiro growled.

"What is .. my directive?" the question came again. GoGo deducted something was wrong with him.

"What..?" Hiro stared at the clueless robot, and then gripped his hair in frustration.

"Hiro, c'mere," GoGo approached the seething genius and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No!" he swatted her away. Hiro stormed to the end of the garage by the big garage door, then paced back over to the robot. "I can't let Aunt Cass see that. Dammit!"

"Hiro, hey!" the older engineer tried again. "It's okay."

"How? I can't! There isn't— they know where I live!"

"Just listen to me, genius," she was able to hold him still long enough to make eye contact. For a brief moment, she remembered that Wasabi had to do the same with her yesterday. "We can solve this, okay? Focus!"

Hiro gulped, trying to breathe, but he still looked steamed.


AN: Posting this here for now... not sure when I'll update for this fanfic again.

So Hiro does have a crush on GoGo that he knows is... awkward/complicated. Gogo knows too, and is in a constant fight with it by trying to guard herself against fueling Hiro's 'fascination'. This is part of why she got so angry waaaay back in the first chapter at Fred. But she's deciding if it doesn't become 'erotic', and remains platonic, they might be safe. It's considered statutor rape for a minor over 13 to date someone who is over 18.