Life is like Tetris, my time's precious
Will I ever figure out?
Tired brown eyes blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blurriness from their owners vision. Hiro sat on his bed, groaning quietly as the streaming service website he had up on his laptop asked him if he was still watching NCIS. He took a quick moment to look at the alarm clock sitting on his desk. Bright red LED lights stung as he read the time.
3:27 AM
Shit.
Rolling his eyes, the teen genius huffed, cursing his brain. It was only a few weeks prior that he had found out from his doctor (with a little help from Baymax's constant scans) that he's been living with ADHD. It was a little bit of a shock at first, but it definitely explained how he felt for so long.
Doesn't always feel like I deserve the good life
This is what I'm all about
He hated how he was constantly chasing some sort of stimulation. Be it from watching TV, building robots, school work or playing video games; he always needed to do something, keep his brain active. If he failed, his mood would crash, hard and fast, and he would revert back into hiding in his room in a depressive low. Something he was doing right now.
He had done it again, getting so low that the only way to pick himself up was to hyperfixate on some sort of mindless show or game. Something that could give his overactive mind the stimulation it needed to finally shut up for a moment. If only Tadashi were here right now. He'd be going off about how it was the middle of the night and that he was gonna mess up his entire sleep schedule. As if he hadn't done it several times before.
Sleepin' on a Sunday makes 'em into fun days
Thought that everybody knew
There were nights on the weekends and the summer where he would stay up until the sun started rising. The light pouring through his bedroom windows would break him out of his trance, and only then would he be able to tell just how exhausted his body and, surprisingly, his mind were. At that point, he would basically crash, falling asleep wherever he found comfortable, and not waking until the early evening. Tadashi was never amused with this, but being the older brother he is, he would let Hiro be. Letting the kid stay up until he crashed and rest as long as he needed to.
If only Baymax was this lenient.
Depression on a Tuesday, a little bit cliché
I'm irrelevant, how do you do?
Hiro took a deep breath and stretched. He had been sitting cross-legged, back hunched, staring at a screen for hours, a little movement should do him some good. His muscles ached as he did so, letting out his breath with an almost silent "Ow."
"Hiro."
He sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was activate Baymax.
"Hiro, are you alright?" The robot blinked and tilted his head. Baymax stood in his charger, looking at the teen in front of him.
"I'm fine, Baymax." Hiro muttered, "Go back to sleep, buddy." He quickly shut his laptop. He already knew he was about to be lectured about excessive blue light before bed.
The robot turned his head to look at the clock on the desk. "It is currently 3:32 AM. 14 year olds require an average of 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night to function normally and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Blue light can negatively affect-"
" 'The brain's ability to create melatonin. A naturally occurring chemical that promotes sleep.' I know, Baymax!" Hiro huffed, standing up and putting his laptop on the desk. "This isn't the first time this week you've told me this."
Squeaking sounds came from across the room. He knew Baymax had stepped out of his charger, and was now coming to him.
"Hiro, insomnia is a common symptom of depression. Depression can also be linked to an abnormal sleep cycle."
He let out a small, sad chuckle. "Damn. There's really no winning with this, is there?"
Soft, squishy arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a warm hug. He felt gentle pats on his head as the robot quietly repeated "There, there." The warmth was comforting. He let out a yawn, a small tear pricking his left eye from the intensity. He placed his hands on the robot's arm, and gently pried it away from him.
If you need me, I'll be gone
I'm looking for a good time on my own, I'm all alone
"Thanks, bud." He let out another deep sigh. "But, I just kinda want to be left alone right now. You can go back to your charger."
A slight whirring noise indicated that Baymax was doing what he does best: ignoring Hiro's wants for the sake of his health.
"You better not be scanning me again."
"Scan complete."
"Oh, screw you!"
Baymax continued on, ignoring Hiro's agitated muttering, "You are currently experiencing mood swings, and are easily agitated. You are also showing signs of restlessness. These could possibly be linked to your recent ADHD diagnosis."
Hiro crossed his arms over his chest and gave the robot an over exaggerated look of surprise. "Oh, wow! I didn't know that!"
Baymax paused, "Are you using sarcasm?"
Hiro groaned. He forgot that Baymax had a hard time distinguishing sarcastic quips and expressions. "Yes, I'm being sarcastic. Now can you please go back to your charger? I'll be fine! I promise, I'll go to sleep once you do!"
No use. The robot stood stubbornly in his spot. There was no sign of him moving anytime soon.
Quit holding me down, quit holding me down
Shit, I don't want you holding me down'Cause I'll break
"Hiro, it seems like you're still troubled. Do you want to talk about it?"
The teen shook his head. Truth be told, he wanted to vent. He wanted to yell about how his mind was never quiet, how it constantly tries to sabotage him, how he hated his own brain for being so…. defective. But he knew that when he opened up, it would just be another mess for him to clean up.
"No, I don't want to talk, Baymax." He sat down on his bed again, hoping that ignoring the bot would get his point across. He knew that it wouldn't work, but there was really no harm in trying, right?
Everyday I'm restless, constantly aggressive
Overthinking what I do
"It will be harder to sleep if you have something troubling your mind." Baymax said. His voice never changed from the calm, soothing tone he was originally programmed with. Well, unless he was inflated with helium, or hacked by Rishi.
Hiro still ignored him, bouncing his leg. For some reason, his brain wanted him to move, but with a giant marshmallow bot blocking the way, bouncing his leg was the best he could do to appease it's command.
"Do you not want to speak to me about it?"
He wrapped his arms around himself, digging his nails into his shoulders. He couldn't help but think of how… childish he was behaving.
"Would you feel more comfortable if you talked to one of your friends?"
He bit his lip. He didn't want to talk to anyone, and he definitely didn't want to wake up any of his friends for something as stupid as this. They'd probably hate him for it.
Ping.
He looked up at the robot; confusion and panic written all over his face. "Please don't tell me you've-"
"Your friends have been contacted." Baymax stated, lifting a finger in emphasis. "One person has opened the message."
"What the-?!"
I'm trying to be thankful, maybe even grateful
Good to try something new
He stared at Baymax's screen for a moment. His brain went into panic mode, thinking of everything that could go wrong. Worried about who saw the message, what they thought of him for having Baymax send them a message at almost 4 in the morning, how mad they were gonna be for waking up to something this stupid.
Though, a small part of him was relieved that someone cared enough about him to go out of their way to help.
"Oh my God, Baymax." He murmured, placing his head in his hands. "Why?"
"You are my friend. I want to help you, and so do the rest of your friends."
He smiled a little. "Thanks. Now, who would even be up this late at night to read your message?"
Suddenly, his phone began to ring. In a small state of panic, Hiro grabbed the device, fumbling with it for a moment until the ringing had stopped. He looked at the screen for a second, confused. He knew someone was just calling him.
"Did I accidentally hit decline?"
"Hiro?" A voice made him jump. He quickly turned around to see that Baymax had picked up the call. Displayed on his screen, right above the "end call" button, was the caller's name typed in black.
"Karmi"
Shit.
Unfortunately anxious, self-absorbed headcase
Thought that everybody knew
"Hiro? Are you there? Baymax sent me a message. Are you okay?"
Hiro shook his head quickly, trying to collect his thoughts. Of all the people who could've called to check up on him, Karmi was the most unexpected.
"Yeah. I'm here, Karmi. I'm okay." He finally said after an uncomfortably awkward silence.
"Okay. Good." She replied. She sounded tired, like she had just been woken up, which she had. Hiro couldn't help but feel guilty for interrupting her sleep.
"Anyway, Baymax sent me a text saying that you needed to talk to someone. What's up, genius boy?"
Hiro signed a little, guilt gnawing at his stomach. "It's nothing, really. Baymax just overreacted. That's all."
Baymax quickly interjected, "Hiro has been experiencing insomnia, depressive lows, mood swings, agitation and restlessness. These are characteristic symptoms linked to his recent diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly referred to as: ADHD."
"Baymax! Shut up! She doesn't need to know my entire medical history!"
"He is also troubled by his thoughts." The robot continued as the teen slapped a hand over his non-existent mouth in an attempt to quiet him. "Talking about them may help calm him down enough so he could sleep."
"Can it!" He whisper-shouted, trying to climb the bot. "I don't need to talk! I'm fine! Now where is your volume control?!"
"Hiro, why don't you want to talk?"
"BECAUSE NO ONE UNDERSTANDS, OKAY?!"
Some would call me moody, I would call it looney
President of life, how do you do?
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Hiro clung onto Baymax like a koala, hardly moving. His never quiet mind was now racing faster than before. His face grew red with a mix of shock, anger and embarrassment; he quickly buried it into Baymax's vinyl as he felt his eyes welling up with tears.
He was exhausted, but his brain wouldn't quiet down enough for him to rest easy. He was overwhelmed by every thought and sight and sound and smell. But most of all, he was angry at himself for being so stupid, for shouting in the middle of the night, and for needing his own girlfriend to sacrifice her sleep for him.
"Hiro…." Karmi's voice gently ended the silence.
"This is so stupid." He muttered into Baymax's vinyl chest, not moving as the robot once again wrapped him in a hug.
"No, it's not. This isn't stupid."
"Yes it is."
"Hiro, it's not. It's not stupid to ask for help. To talk and get things off your chest. It's okay." She spoke in a soft, calm tone. "I may not understand, but I can listen. That's why I called you."
He gently lifted his head, using his palm to wipe away his tears. "Really?"
"Yes, really. Just go ahead and vent. I'm here to listen."
Hiro gave a soft smile, adjusting himself so he was more comfortable in Baymax's arms. Out of pre-programmed instinct, the robot sat on Hiro's bed and turned on his heater, ensuring that his friend was comfortable.
If you need me, I'll be gone
I'm lookin' for a good time on my own, I'm all alone
They sat like that for a while. Hiro venting all of his frustrations, his anger, his fears; Baymax holding him close with Karmi listening to every word he said. Every so often, she'd say something odd, just to get him to laugh.
As they went on, his body and mind finally began to relax. His yawning became more frequent, and his eyes struggled to stay open. Finally, at 4:37, Hiro dozed off in Baymax's arms. Once the robot knew that he was deep enough asleep, he moved the teen so he was laying in his bed, and gently pulled the covers up to his shoulders. With a couple pats on Hiro's head, Baymax returned to his charger.
"Hiro is now asleep, Karmi." He stated quietly.
There was no response from the girl on the other end.
"Karmi?"
A snore came back in reply. Baymax blinked.
"Goodnight, Karmi." He said before ending the call. He looked up at the boy curled up asleep in front of him. "Goodnight, Hiro."
And with that, the robot once again entered sleep mode.
Me? Coming back from the dead to update my one-shot series after ignoring it for who knows how long? It's more likely than you think. ;)
Anyway, I kinda got back into writing for a little bit. Hopefully I can keep this up and get more content out to you guys! And I would like to answer some things before we continue:
1. Yes, I saw "Big Chibi 6". Yes, my Karmiro loving heart was very happy.
2. I know that Hiro doesn't have ADHD in canon, but this is a bit of a vent work for me. I was diagnosed with ADHD a couple months ago, and I'm still struggling to understand myself, or find someone who will actually let me talk about how messed up my mind is without trying to butt in and make it about them or offer unsolicited asvice.
3. The lyrics in this fic are from the song "Hoodie Up" by MISSIO.
4. I am fully aware of the cursing in this chapter. The rating of this fic may change depending on how I word future chapters.
5. I have also fallen into the world of "No Straight Roads", and I've been a bit more invested in that instead of Big Hero 6. I'm not leaving the BH6 fandom, so don't worry about that. I just want you all to know that I am in other fandoms as well.
6. I'm kinda getting a little tired of people asking me to write specific things (and some of them are weird and make me super uncomfortable) , be it on here or AO3. So, I'm gonna say this now. I am no longer taking any requests. Please respect my decision on this. Okay?
All right. That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you have a great day!
- Mayoi
