welp, college kicked my ass, but here's another chapter

disclaimer: I don't own the copyrighted material within. Song lyrics are from "Immortals" by "Fall Out Child"/Fall Out Boy

Fred is not the smartest person around, he knows that. He enjoys it really, how he can count on his friends to be science genius heroes while he can kick back and enjoy the ride. Still though, sometimes he looks at Hiro collaborating on kick-ass inventions with Marys over smoothies, and Honey juggling chemical awesomeness with fashion awesomeness, and just

well, he's the best mascot ever, he has that.

And he also has height, which is convenient when most of his friends are rocking the Asian shortness genes. Nene in particular is rather small when she curls up over her Italian homework, and when he passes by he can see all of her angry scribbles from a mile away. Hmm, vision goggles that can focus from across the city, how cool would that be to catch a football game near the docks while you're sitting comfy in the manor—

Nene looks ready to kill someone and Fred leans in, "Not to be a know-it-all, but you're kinda off."

Gogo snorts from her pile of electromagnetic papers, "Coming from the guy who can't tell "buenas noches" from "bon appetit"."

His friends all laugh but Nene asks, "Help please? I have to pass my foreign language requirement with at least a B+ to keep my grant and they wouldn't let me take Chinese or Japanese," her voice lowers to an angrier monotone than usual and ooh, that's like Asagiku Hoshimoto, the enigmatic Star Queen of the Seven Skies who takes down Dr. Hatefist in issue 17—

Back to this, and Fred reads her assignment out loud, "Tradurrele seguenti frasi in italiano. Quindi modificare le frasi in passato, presente perfetti frasi test e volitive." He hums while everyone else goes silent, "Ok, so did they give you a grammar sheet? Cool, so break down the sentences into subject-verbs, then change them into Italian, and just change stuff around for the new verb kinds."

Nene pulls Fred down into an empty chair and oww, he forgot that she's sorta buff under her nondescript sweater. But she's stressed out and it's not like he has physics homework to attend to, and even Asagiku had help from the Intergalatic League of Justice on her mission to El-Niram 33. He helps her through the homework, correcting her grammar and pronunciation. "It's sing-songy, like that chef guy in Sesame Street—"

"He was Swedish," Honey's voice is soft and kinda distracted, she must be deep in Dizzy Kei stuff.

"—so bring out your inner "Yueliang daibiao wo de xin" groove, kay?"

Nene nods very seriously, Fred wonders if she has other expressions than "slightly bored bartender" and "super awesome but super scary Fujita" but then remembers how much she laughed at the roller rink. Maybe if they empty out the pool they can skate around in there, ooh and practice their team stuff since now Gogo and Nene are speedsters and Hiro's working on new stuff for Fred's suit. Fred put in an idea for an amappo, but with more fire, cuz fire arrow spring traps are cool and his nana always talked about awesome Ainu warriors taking down giant mutant bears in epic yukar, or wait was it mutant bears or alien bears—

"Thank you," Nene smiles a bit when her homework passes his inspection, "I definitely don't want to retake this class next quarter."

"Nessun problema," Fred grins, and that grin fades when he sees everyone looking at him like he's Ultraniko and has three extra faces. "Umm, hey?"

"How many languages do you know?" Hiro asks like Fred's been keeping a dirty secret, which is weird and slightly confrontational. "Obviously English and Italian, and Ainu too?"

"I'm better at conversational Ainu since not too many things are published in pure Ainu, but ya."

Abigail blinks, "And Chinese?"

Yes, Chinese too, not to mention Japanese, Thai, German, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Mongolian. "I'm working on Basque and Arabic this quarter, hopefully they're up to shape by summer so I can move onto fixing my issues with Catalan and Iberian vs Latin Spanish."

The group is silent and still, save Nene who's texting, and Wasabi finally mutters, "But "mi casa" is definitely not French."

Fred's grin is edged with a smirk, "Gotta keep my favorite science heroes on their toes." And sure, the wrestling match that Gogo throws him into proves that he's not the best at physical strength either—she's rocking her low center of gravity, she'd be perfect for a live action Yumi Youngblood remake—but everyone's looking at him like he's got a whole new super power, and Fred figures he's at least good at surprises.

Wasabi looked between Hiro and Marys, at her red-cheeked pout and his sullen side-eye, and sighed, "This is exactly what Gogo was talking about freshman year."

The Big Heroes were suited up to leave, but their coordinator was fighting with their strategist because the strategist is a stupid fourteen year old kid who can't talk about his feelings constructively and their coordinator is sensitive for her age. The manor shakes from the earthquake machine's shockwaves and Marys flinches, "This has nothing to do with you or Gogo, Wasabi."

Arg, Abigail's already down there doing damage control but she can't do this alone, and Hiro mumbles, "Might have everything to do with it, though."

"Oh, so just because I said a joke that you already laughed at with Gogo—"

"It's different coming from you, you can't just say—"

"I'm sorry, I thought you were past that—"

"I am, I just—"

"No, you said you'd tell me about these things but you don't ever talk to me like I need you to and—"

"I'm trying to, but you're not—"

"Enough!" Wasabi shakes them both until their heads are bobbling and has to contain his voice from a squeaky panic attack. "Marys, get coordinating with police and traffic control to minimize civilian casualties! Hiro, get Baymax down there and help shut down the machine!"

The manor shakes again and they both hiss, "Don't tell me what to do" and Wasabi cries inside at having two emotionally compromised teenagers on his team. Oh no, his momma always told him about dating between friends and how it always ended in third wheels and break ups at the worst time. It darn near killed her on the force when her fellow policemen got in a horrible fight in the middle of a gang raid and let Lakeisha get shanked, Wasabi remembers visiting her in the hospital and listening to her tear her teammates a new rear end.

And San Fransokyo is used to jishinko hijinks but not an actual machine manipulating the tectonic plates, who knows how many people could end up in the hospital if Marys decides to disconnect Hiro and if Hiro decides to ignore Marys and

They're saving civilians and dodging breaking glass and Marys's voice is cool on Wasabi's headset. Locate trapped people, help police and emergency workers, and punch the earthquake machine's creator in the crotch for wanting revenge on his ex-geologist girlfriend. See? Dating on teams was such a bad idea, the entire city is going to turn to rubble over one man's broken heart!

Ooooh, he was going to have to talk to Hiro and Marys, not before—Wasabi froze when he saw the rumbling sea at the docks suck in upon itself. No no no oh no everyone needed to get out and get out now

"Hiro!" Marys commands, "You and Gailstorm clear the beaches! That tsunami might be bigger than the sea walls can contain, and there's an elementary school outing by the danger zone."

Wasabi has his own duties and he can't help when he's busy slicing through broken rubble and guiding people up the hills. It's chaos, but then Nene and Gogo double team the earthquake machine's creator and break apart his lovely box of horrors. The earth stops shaking but the sea's piling higher and run, they're running, Fred's jumping the injured to safety while Abigail helps ferry people along and Honey's creating blockades from the inevitable waves and

Marys is guiding Hiro, Hiro and Baymax are still in the danger zone with all those kids. Wasabi's on a hill and can see the froth of white roll in, and they can rebuild Baymax but they can't rebuild Hiro and Marys's voice is so calm, so cool, everything they need to hear.

Abigail shrieks as the sea walls are breached and Marys yells, "Pull up now!" just as Honey unloads her purse and Fred jumps Gogo, Nene and the criminal away from the danger. Wasabi runs, chin raised and core clenched just like his momma showed him, and he spots her carrying an old man to safety, Wasabi can't be more proud to have Lakeisha Newman as a parent

There's static on the line, someone's been disconnected. Honey gasps and Gogo swears and Hiro oh no Hiro!

"He's alright," Marys smiles through the line, "He made it."

Hiro and Baymax land with all the kids crying for their parents and squealing about being saved by the Big Heroes, and the waters crash against Honey's walls but can't crest over into the crowd. Lakeisha drags the bad guy away and they all wave to the cameras and cheering people before returning to the manor.

Marys runs out to meet them halfway and hugs Hiro before he's got two feet on the ground, and they make up just like that. Honey coos and Fred teases and Gogo and Abigail give each other looks that make Wasabi very afraid

but they're alive, and their team is still intact, kind of like San Fransokyo. And maybe…well, maybe Wasabi brushes against Gogo just enough so that she and Abigail bump into each other. He has to finish up an assignment and wait for his momma to come home and rant about her day, he's had enough jishinko hijinks for a while.

And at least he doesn't have to give either of these two the Talk, oh boy, Wasabi wonders if he can push that responsibility off onto Baymax.

Abigail grins when Hiro raves on and on about how his nanobot project is reaching a critical stage in development, how he can taste the future. She wasn't there for his microbots but these sound cooler anyway, less chances for angry old men to come and ruin the day, and Hiro deserves his name in robotics history.

They're going to go see Nene and let Hiro ask as many questions as she can manage to answer, and Abigail hopes that Nene's kinesiology knowledge can keep up with Hiro's ambitions for perfect prostheses. But outside the bar Abigail spots a kid who is younger than Hiro and therefore very unlikely to be an SFIT student, and asks, "Looking for someone?"

He turns to her and those are Junko Degawa's eyes, Abigail can't forget their color after Junko's widened and then rolled up after Abigail rammed her through a wall. Junko's lucky though, her spine didn't actually break; Beatrice Nguyen may never wake up after what Nene did to her brain, not that it's a loss in any meaning of the word. The kid flinches just a bit, then says, "Looking for Ms. Nene, I have…a favor to ask."

"Favor?" Nene walks up behind them, nonchalant as ever, and unlocks the door. Kanon used to man the bar when Nene was at class and now everyone's going to have to deal with the new schedule, since half of Kanon's ashes are in an old perfume bottle in Nene's room, right next to Nana.

Hiro's giving the kid his "I'm assessing your threat levels and picking you apart" look and good, Abigail's glad her little brother's not ignorant. But the boy doesn't seem too dangerous, aside from his mother's eyes, and Nene isn't concerned. Then again, Nene rarely looks like anything, so Hiro whispers when they're let inside, "Wearing your undersuit?"

"Always," and they sit in a corner, watching the kid and Nene at the bar.

They're silent for a long time, enough for Hiro to fidget and Abigail to consider calling for backup, but then Nene half shrugs, "Rule number one was to not ask questions, but I'm not on my best behavior. How can I help you, Junichi?"

Junichi bowed his head and there's pain in his eyes along with resignation, before standing up straight, "I'd like to have a job here, please."

"You're 13," Nene's voice is as flat as ever but Abigail imagines it to be kind, "A bit early to be concerned about money more serious than mowing lawns and babysitting."

"I don't have any money," Junichi glances at Abigail and Hiro, flushing an unhappy red, "Okaasan is…gone, and there's no one else. Please, you're the only one who understands, and I don't really have other options."

Junichi's asking Nene, the girl who Junko helped abuse, carve "Anzu" into and kill her best friend, for a job because his criminal mother's reputation has left him with nothing else, and Abigail kinda wants to cry. Hiro frowns and plays with his hands, and Nene sighs long and soft, wind carrying across multidimensional urns.

"Do you go to school?"

"I take classes online, my last school had too many bullies." Junichi rubs his shoulder, "Something about not matching your birth certificate can still set people off in conservative districts."

"…I have an empty room," Nene checks her nails, "And Vainavi is always willing to talk, did your mother speak about her? No? Well, after work orientation I'll give you her number." Junichi lights up and Abigail can hear Nene smile, "Bring your stuff over tonight, and you know anyone else who needs a job? I imagine things are…difficult, all around, but there's no use in crying over it when we can do something about it, that's what my neesan always said."

Junichi starts crying anyway and Abigail murmurs, "Let's come back later," and escapes with Hiro outside. Hiro's still frowning, and Abigail pokes his forehead, "What's going on in that big brain of yours, Mr. Hamada?"

"They deserve better," Hiro looks down, "Nene's too kind and it sounds like Junichi's life sucks, and all of those ex-Fujitas and their families, and even…" Hiro sighs, "I have to talk to Tadashi's shrine again, get some of these bad feelings out. Want to join me?"

Abigail jolts because that's personal, like Nene and Junichi back in the bar or whatever happened with Gogo and Hyun-woo at the funeral, and it's been a while since she's been in that kind of moment. So she nods, and wraps her arm around Hiro's too thin too strong shoulders, and listens to him get back to raving about his nanobots, how they're going to fix so many problems, how maybe they can even reconstruct and support damaged tissues like hearts and legs and brains

she always knew he was going to change the world, from the very start. She bows to the shrine and listens to Hiro vent his sadness and frustration, only crying when his voice cracks too many times, and helps dry his tears. Then Hiro rubs his eyes, gripes at Tadashi for being an idiot, and goes downstairs to bug Aunt Cass for macarons, and Abigail can already see the weight lifting from his frame.

Abigail shakes her head and smiles at Tadashi's picture, "The world doesn't deserve him, not one bit."

Honey's a bit surprised at the request, then agrees since she used to be a barista back in the day, and designing uniforms is always a fun pastime. There's six new faces in Nene's bar but Honey already knows who three are and Nene's filled her in on the others, and her heart swells a bit at how much better their lives are going to be.

"Listen to Honey," Nene's voice is perfect for instructions, she'll be a great leader, "if she asks you to handstand and pedal I expect you to do so."

"Nothing so drastic," Honey takes out her measuring tape and ah, she bet Carol can find a perfect binder for Junichi and Bethrari can find thick enough thigh highs to cover the scar on Yue's leg. "But do you have requests in mind? Each of you should have your own twist on things, it'll match the place."

"Mine needs a straight collar and frog clasps," Xiaolan Chen's older sister Yingrui aged peacefully out of the Fujitas and she's just as bubbly and as coy as a roller geisha, but Honey can only see Xiaolan in qipao and rests easier because of this.

"Can I have red stripes? Red racing stripes, that sounds cool," Sonu Wallis talks a lot more than his cousin Rohini and obviously has a flail for the bold, which Honey appreciates and hopes can be contained.

"Ms. Nene said no khakis because that's a bit too formal, but can I have light colored shorts?" Ai Kurosawa recognizes Honey but doesn't ask questions and she'll be right in Nene's league, Honey wonders if she'll like yukata print.

"No lace, it's itchy," Yue Magubat does want thigh highs though, and she looks much healthier without garish white makeup on her perfect brown skin; Honey wonders if Yue knows that, and smiles at Yue's guilty gaze.

"Can you make me look less short? Okinawan girls come in sizes petite to petite," Chiyo Yokota would look good in heels, Honey startles a bit at her pink hair because of a tale Hiro once said, but then remembers that all of the Fujitas had family and hopes Nene will keep Chiyo clean for her little brother Koji.

"…umm…I don't really mind," And Junichi Degawa is going to be as tall as his mother, Honey can tell that now, and maybe he'll be a better person than her as well, only the spirits may know.

"I know exactly what to do," Honey smiles and watches Nene send them off to do chores, then asks when they're alone, "And anything you want? You're getting a discount, so feel free to go wild."

Nene shrugs, "I only dress up for fun stuff and meetings with board members…but maybe if you could add pastels," her voice isn't monotone enough to cover the slight longing, "maybe a traditional pattern? I know that pink is a bit much and I look terrible in it, but I always appreciated—"

Honey hugs Nene, "Whatever you want." Honey knows exactly what kind of apron and dress would go perfectly, the exact shades of coral and peach to bring out the technicolor in Nene's monochrome, and her friend deserves nothing less.

Nene blushes and denies this, but Honey's rather good at reading people, what they'll look good in and how they'll be good in the first place, and she's imagining all the lovely things Nene and her new helpers will become.

Marys never though it would end like this.

But here she was, backed in a corner with only Hiro at her back, facing against friends-turned-enemies, and the stakes higher than life for death. The bystanders chanted death jazz to the beat of Abigail's pounding steps and this was it, not a whimper but a bang—

"Next song is…"Immortals"!" Kaori Narita shouts from the microphone, "either solo or doubles!"

Marys can't regret Kaori and Nene reconnecting after the Big Heroes saved Kaori, since this got Kaori that much farther away from the bot fights Marys's father won't let Marys go to, and now Nene's bar is filled with people instead of Kanon's silence. But karaoke battles in front of strangers kills the Marys and Hiro's not going forward after Wasabi dropped the most soulful rendition of "What Does the Kitsune Say" ever heard in San Fransokyo.

Marys turns to Hiro and gulps, "Will you die with me?"

Hiro lifts his chin and entwines their fingers, "We die together," and that's so romantic, Marys is disappointed when she doesn't drop dead on the spot.

No, they're singling "Immortals" together, and Marys supposes that by definition they can't die until the song ends, oh well. Gogo and Abigail cheer them on, and Marys can't tell if they're drunk on laughter or on each other's presence, but she hopes they'll be sober at her funeral.

The screen loads up and the instrumental plays, and it could be worse. Nene and Abigail had to sing "Helena" and everyone pretended not to see each other cry at all the dead elephants in the room, and Fred had to survive "Take On Me" and nearly broke all the windows. But still, Marys does not sing, ok? It's not a Thing that she does and everyone's watching and listening and oh crap noooo

"They say we are what we are,/But we don't have to be," Hiro takes the lead because Marys's throat is sticky, and his voice cracks a bit but is still the lovelist thing Marys knows. She licks her lips and joins in, and aww biscuits they're not in tune at all with the song, it sounds horrible!

Honey giggles with Gigi and Carol when they try to do the "Oooooooh~"s but she encourages "Keep going, you two are amazing!" and here comes the chorus, here comes the death. But then Hiro squeezes her hand; Marys shivers a tiny bit, focuses on only that hand, and lets herself sing.

No one's laughing or shrieking in pain, and that's good, maybe not with a bang but a whimper. And at least the lyrics are worth it, Marys turns to Hiro when she sings, "Sometimes the only pay off for having any faith,/Is when it's tested again and again everyday," and watches all the emotions flicker like electrons and rocket boosters behind his eyes.

They're young and stupid and trying to be heroes, and people have died on their watch while their hearts have shattered. Hiro so so much more than Marys, Marys will never understand how Hiro can have any faith at all and not just want to lay down and die after everything that's happened. But he's here singing with her, pulling the blackout curtains down over their future, and maybe she's got some sutures to all the unhappiness that he doesn't deserve to have. Fred starts singing along with him and that leads everyone on, the song grows louder and the hourglass ticks down "We could be immortals, immortals,/Just not for long, for long,"

No, they can't, not forever because they're young and stupid and trying to save the world, and life doesn't work that way

but hey what do you know, Marys isn't quite dead yet, and the crowd isn't that scary when she's singing for all her worth.

They get a high score and are shuffled off into the cheering crowd so Kaori can call up new victims, yet Marys's heart is still beating to her song. Hiro vibrates the same way at her side, and grins, "Maybe we'll die together some other time."

"Nah, this is more fun," and he still turns bright red when she kisses him, makes her feel alive, and Marys never thought karaoke night would go like this, how wonderful.

Here you go, five nice drabbles to tide you over until I have free time again.

Just to clarify: Chiyo is Koji (the boy Hiro saved in drabble #22)'s pink haired older sister and the Fujita that Hiro saved. The poor girl owes Hiro quite a bit, ne? But she'll be part of a support team beyond working at the dessert bar WHICH STILL NEEDS A NAME ARGH, so no worries

And yes, Kaori is definitely the bot fight ringleader from the movie, idk how many times I've said this out loud since I keep getting distracted by my WRITHING HORDE OF OCS and Hiro being a cutie. This chapter revolved around Nene without Nene's POV, which was interesting lol

Anyway, I hope you liked this