Author's Note: So sorry for being two days late. I didn't have much time to write this week because of driving school. Don't forget to review!
Jettmanas: I was thinking the same thing regarding the patrol. I'm still trying to figure out Tadashi's own little bit, as most fics tend to handwave or outright ignore how he survived. Most of the time, he somehow suffers amnesia from falling debris – instead of, you know, suffering from a concussion that should have meant he needed to go to a hospital for treatment – and becomes Yokai. I'd love to do that kind of plotline because I have an idea that is a little more original and because I think Yokai!Tadashi is a pretty interesting concept if done in the right hands. Also deleted the other announcement chapter, so you might want to review as guest since your review is still listed under Chapter 8.
Superavenger212: AW, thanks! Action scenes are still tricky for me to do, especially if I don't plan it out ahead of time. Is the Disney Now app free? I've seen up to Failure Mode in the season, so far. I liked it because it gave Globby more development as a villain and allowed him to become more than a Joke Villain like I'd thought he would become. Marvel and Disney's version of Clayface right there, ladies and gents!
(0-0)
Aunt Cass had contacted the school to let them know that Hiro was just getting out of the hospital and was staying home for a few days' recovery. For three days, he tried to calm himself, tried control over himself, tried to continue with everything now that the metaphorical bomb had been dropped on his life. But he couldn't.
The night at the hospital was lonely, even with Baymax on standby-mode. When Aunt Cass pulled Shiro out of his backpack, he wasn't able to speak, staring at the old toy like it was a ghost. The only thing he was able to say was,
"I thought you threw him away…"
By the time morning had come and he had woken up, Shiro was still in his arms, smelling of fresh laundry detergent.
Doctor Hoffman had performed that little check-up with him the day he left the hospital – removing most of his clothes and having the EKG set up, much to Hiro's embarrassment – and declared he was mostly good to go. Mostly.
The only thing left for Hoffman to do was talk to Aunt Cass about what kind of medicine he would be needing and to start that night before going to bed. Hiro put the prescription in his pocket. Aunt Cass thanked Hoffman. Baymax gave an explanation of what the prescribed medicine, Lorazepam, would do, much to the tired frustration of Hoffman – "I already gave an explanation, Baymax!" – and they all piled into the truck and went back to the café…until Hiro remembered to deactivate Baymax and let him rest in his station.
Instead of opening up shop, Aunt Cass had spent the rest of the day looking over Hiro, making sure that he was alright, making sure he was eating and drinking properly. She had called the school and let them know that he wouldn't be attending class that day, which meant Hiro didn't have much of an escape. He didn't start seeing the phone call as that in the beginning, quite the contrary. Hiro honestly thought that he wasn't going to be able to handle classes on top of learning that Tadas –
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Don't think about it, Hiro thought.
– well, on top of what had just happened. Hiro only took a step into his bedroom when thoughts began flooding his mind.
This is our room. He was here.
He had looked by his bedside, during nights when Hiro was younger and suffered from colds. Slowly, but surely being sung to sleep.
And there.
He looked at his bed. The covers weren't touched, nothing to indicate that anything was out of the ordinary. Aunt Cass couldn't bring herself to remove anything from that side of the room.
And there.
The bean bag chair. All those times playing co-op games.
And there.
A strong whiff of chemicals close to where he was standing. Hopefully something that wouldn't damage the wood.
And just yesterday –
He came pelting down the stairs a moment later, shaking and curled up in a ball, clinging tightly to Shiro, trying to get the feeling back into his hands. Aunt Cass was by his side a moment later, rubbing small circles into his back until his heart stopped racing.
"I don't think I can sleep upstairs for a while," he said weakly. No arguments about it. By nightfall, his bedding and a pillow were propped up on the couch, neatly folded. Shiro sat on top on the blankets, arms permanently outstretched for a hug.
And when it was time to sleep, Aunt Cass had one tablet of the prescription medicine and a cup of water waiting for him. Hiro barely felt the pill, washing it down a moment later. He was barely able to get the empty glass onto the table in front of him before he started feeling drowsy…
And now?
One week.
It was already one week after…things changed. Hiro tried to focus in on what Professor Granville was talking about during her lecture. Beside him, Karmi kept shifting between notetaking and looking at him with narrow eyes. Other than that, however, she had left him alone. He appreciated that. The last thing he needed was more…more drama. And no matter how much he wanted to try being friends with Karmi, he didn't want to deal with her snippy attitude.
No matter how hard he tried, Hiro couldn't rid himself of the icy pit in his stomach. He needed a fire, heat, something to banish that icy feeling away forever. He didn't want to go numb again, like he did during the First Month. He wanted to move on and get on with things.
But things weren't back to normal…or were they?
He was back to his classes and trying to write down the calculations that Granville was scribbling onto the board. He was still Hiro Hamada, ex-Bot Fighter and Superhero – or SuperHiro, as Honey Lemon once said, being rewarding with snorts and chuckles – and College Student on top of that. He was fine.
The only thing that was out of the ordinary was when Granville asked him to stay behind the first day he came back and asked how he was doing. And if there was anything wrong that he wanted to talk about. Hiro had shaken his head, reassured her and ended the conversation as politely as he could with the mention of not wanting to be late for his next class. Things were fine.
Sure, Globby was still out and about – and Hiro could have sworn that he saw traces of slime near the café, which he told Honey Lemon about – and there was…him, but things were fine.
Soon enough, Granville had paused to look up at the clock and declared that everyone ought to be heading to their next class by now. Hiro was one of the first people up and close to the door when Granville continued,
"Mister Hamada, would you please stay here for a moment? I wanted to have a word with you."
Hiro sighed and stepped aside to let the crowd pass before him. He caught a glimpse of Karmi in the back, looking at him for a moment with something along the lines of curiosity before she was lost in the sea of people. He walked back towards the center of the room and looked at Granville nervously.
"Is there a problem, Professor?" He asked.
"When your Aunt called me several days ago to inform me that you were taken to the hospital a few days ago, she had informed me that you had suffered from a panic attack," there was a glint in her eye that Hiro couldn't recall seeing before. Concern, maybe? "And I just wanted to be sure that the cause isn't related to school?"
"Nope, nothing school related," Hiro said quickly, trying to keep his voice from squeaking, "Just something we're working on right now."
"Is it a family issue?"
"Nope," Hiro repeated quickly, "Nothing wrong. Could we finish up? I can't be late for my next lesson and…"
"I simply want to make sure you're alright, Mister Hamada," Granville said with a friendly smile, "Are you certain there isn't anything you need to discuss?"
Hiro bit his lip and shook his head.
"Very well," Granville sighed, "Don't let me hold you up. My door is always open if you need me."
(0-0)
"I'm back," Hiro called out as he entered the café. He blinked, noticing that the area was completely empty. Odd, the café usually closes around 7:30 in the evening.
"Hold on, sweetie!" Aunt Cass called from upstairs. Hiro blinked. Curiouser and curiouser.
"So, I take it business was slow today?" Hiro asked when Aunt Cass finally emerged.
"I closed shop early today," Aunt Cass replied as she walked to the door, "There's no one here to watch the shop, remember?"
"Right," Hiro rubbed the back of his neck and followed her, "Completely slipped my mind."
"I also wanted to see this therapist in person, too," Aunt Cass added as they walked to the truck, "Since…you know, this is important."
"I could have gotten a ride." Hiro muttered as they stepped in the truck and watched Aunt Cass start the engine, "You didn't have to close shop for this."
"Didn't you tell me Wasabi lost his van?" Aunt Cass asked without missing a beat.
"Oh," Hiro looked down, blushing, "Right."
"Besides, family comes first," they had just begun to drive down the street, the first intersection coming up.
"This is the guy Doctor Hoffman recommended? You checked with him about the therapist?"
"And I also checked online, too, just to see what other people thought of him. Plenty of parents have recommended him. He's very nice."
"Uh-huh."
Hiro looked out the window, scowling. He heard Aunt Cass sigh,
"Sweetie…I…I know you aren't comfortable with this. And I know that we both could have needed this when…you know…it happened."
"You had the café to run," Hiro mumbled quietly, "You had to keep a roof over our heads."
"I could have done more," Aunt Cass said, "I could have…maybe ask one to come see us instead of going halfway across town when you were holing yourself in your room. Or, or maybe I could have tried hiring some workers so I could have been there for you. Or –"
"Aunt Cas!" Hiro turned and faced her with wide eyes, "You did nothing wrong!"
"You mean it was okay for me to leave you in your room all day and only bring up food during meal times?" Aunt Cass countered, her voice becoming louder and her eyes brimming with tears, "It was okay that I didn't try finding a grief counselor or made sure you were actually breathing? It was okay that I didn't try harder?!"
"No, I mean yes, I mean," Hiro groaned, "I was pushing you away. I ignored everyone! It wasn't your fault!"
"IT WAS BECAUSE IT MEANT I WAS FAILING AS A PARENT!" Aunt Cass shouted.
They were coming up towards a stop sign, now. Hiro tried not to look at Aunt Cass and see the tears in her eyes. How long had she been keeping this in for?
"I…" Aunt Cass shuddered, "I promised your mother I would look after you and Tada –"
She caught herself at the end and corrected herself, "And him, in the event that…she wasn't able to. I almost lost you, too. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't activate Baymax and –"
Aunt Cass stopped when Hiro wrapped his arms around her as best as he could buckled in.
"Stop going over the what ifs," Hiro whispered, "Please."
He almost smiled when he felt a hand gently comb through his hair, "I'll try, sweetie. I'll try."
(0-0)
"Name?"
"Cass Hamada. I'm bringing my nephew to see Magnus Rogers for therapy?"
"Do you have the proper paper work with you?"
"Yes, they're right here."
The lady at the receptionist desk smiled, "Just sit tight, he'll be with you in a moment."
Hiro and Aunt Cass both waited on the plastic chairs in the waiting room – Hiro fidgeted on the seat, trying to get comfortable, but everywhere else was full – trying to busy themselves with the magazines provided. Aunt Cass wouldn't stop tossing the magazines aside until she found one with cooking recipes. Hiro tried finding one that had something other than gossip or kiddie stuff until he gave up and pulled out his phone.
Hey, he texted Go Go, any luck with Globby?
Nothing, Go Go replied back, checked the café. No sign of him.
R u sure I can't help?
Take care of yourself first, Go Go replied. Hiro could hear the tired frustration and worry in her voice speaking into his ear. Your overdue for a break.
It's been a WEEK, Hiro protested, I think I'm all set to get back onto patrol with u guys.
We're taking a little break, too, kid, Hiro blinked. That was news to him. Alright if I swing by later tonight? Got a movie
Comedy or action?
Comedy. Fred's idea.
Hiro chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Aunt Cass was suddenly looking over his shoulder.
Hiro nearly yelped and pulled the phone away from her line of vision, "Aunt Cass! Ask first."
"What?" Aunt Cass blinked, "Oh, sorry."
"Go Go was wondering if she could come over tonight. A comedy film," Hiro smirked as he added, "And it was Fred's idea."
"Oh." Aunt Cass shrugged, "Tell her she can come over for dinner."
Aunt Cass is promising food if you make it to dinner, Hiro texted.
A moment later, Go Go's response was three words, Cool. L8tr, then.
The door near the receptionist's desk opened up a moment later, a dark-skinned man in a blue buttoned-down dress shirt and pants coming out from it.
"Hiro?" The man looked at Hiro with a friendly smile. Hiro tried to return it, but he was currently trying not to think of how many ways this encounter could go wrong – he had already gone up to "Secretly A Villain and Using Therapist as a Front for Kidnapping/Brainwashing Patients for Some Vague Plot of Nephariousness" – and also wishing that he had brought Baymax along in his station.
Instead, he nodded.
The man held out his hand, "Magnus Rogers, are you ready for your first session?"
Author's Note: Granville. Is. Refreshing. Not the sadist teacher that kids' shows love to have, I'm happy with a change in things here. I'd like to have her as a teacher – though the closest I got to her was an acting/screenwrite teacher who was friendly but somehow managed to be intimidating by just being in the room at times XD. I thought he was pretty cool, though. – and hope Hiro will consider her his favorite teacher by the end of the series…and maybe his only teacher if no new characters in the SFIT staff aren't introduced at all.
I was worried how I was writing Aunt Cass. Part of me was thinking that she was making it about how everything going on was affecting her and another part of me was thinking that she felt like she was screwing up in the parenting department for not doing the counseling sooner. I mean, what would she be thinking at a time like this?
Between my own experience with counseling and doctor appointments, I simply winged the part about forms. Let me know in the reviews if I got anything wrong, I'm trying to keep it accurate.