**A.N.: Nope, not dead yet. I was crazy busy at the beginning of summer and then my motivation took a vacation, but I'm here again and hopefully it will stay this time. Telling you now that the second part is already more than half written, so someone come yell at me if it isn't up by the end of tomorrow. Thank you to those who sparked my motivation again. Special thanks to Letstellstories014 for their recent encouragement and to those who've pushed me along the way and their nice reviews.

Now, onto the part you're all here for: The 26th chapter. Finally.**

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, without a single cloud to prevent the sun's rays from quickly thawing the frost-dusted ground. Hiro smirked as he glanced out the window, knowing the perfect weather made Tadashi's go-to excuse to avoid trying out his new wings null and void. Rubbing the remnants of the sleep he'd barely been able to get out of his eyes, Hiro made his way over to Tadashi's side of the room and shook his shoulder gently.

"Teddy, wake up. The gang'll be here soon."

"They'll wait." Tadashi mumbled, rolling over to his other side so he faced away from Hiro. Hiro sighed in exasperation, feeling the itch in his throat worsen for a second before dying away. There were only so many 'fun' ways to wake someone up before it became a bit annoying, and Hiro wondered if Tadashi was doing it intentionally to get back at him for his own terrible sleeping habits.

Hiro took a firm grip on the covers and tugged, removing them in one pull and earning a noise of extreme dissatisfaction from his brother.

"Up. If you aren't in the kitchen when I'm done with breakfast, I'll eat your share too."

"...someone's a sourpuss this morning."

Tadashi blindly reached for the covers to pull them back over his head, but quickly found that they were missing. Hiro had taken them over to his own bed, meaning Tadashi would have to walk across the cold wood floor to retrieve them. He quickly decided that that would be too much trouble, as he wouldn't even be able to lift them once he got to them.

Shrugging on the bumblebee hoodie and pulling a pair of jeans over his pseudo-pajamas, Tadashi made his way to the kitchen area. After pulling himself up onto one of the stools, he leaned against the counter, picking at the sleeve of his hoodie, trying to figure out if the emotion churning in his stomach was excitement, dread, or some unholy offspring of the two.

Hiro, meanwhile, was staring blankly into the fridge. Tadashi was about to ask what he was doing when Hiro shut the door with a sense of finality, cringing slightly at the sound of glass moving inside as he reached for the cabinet instead.

"I'm feeling lazy. It's a cereal morning."

"Hmm." Tadashi accepted the box of solid sugar bites mixed with cardboard, otherwise known as Lucky Charms, and managed to make a minimal mess while pouring himself a bowl from the nearly empty box. His hands were too small to wrap around even the small side of the box, so he had to sort of hug it in order to move it properly. Hiro hid a grin while Tadashi stared him down, daring him to say anything.

"So, what time are we going to visit Aunt Cass?" Tadashi asked as he settled back into his seat. "You promised, remember?"

"I remember." Hiro emptied out the remainder of the box, tossing it in the recycle bin from where he sat. "It'll be sometime after you've flown or at least attempted to fly, and before you remaster riding a bike."

Tadashi looked up in alarm. "We're doing that today, too?"

Hiro nodded as he took a large bite of his own cereal, but upon attempting to swallow, coughed harshly, rubbing his throat with a wince.

"Been eating long?" Tadashi teased, until he realized his brother was actually in pain. "You okay?"

Hiro nodded again, taking a gulp of milk from his glass and clearing his throat a couple of times. "Yeah, it just got caught for a sec. I'm fine."

"Maybe we should get Baymax to ch-"

"I said I'm fine, Teddy." Hiro rolled his eyes, but was careful to take more measured bites of his breakfast. "You worry too much, I can take care of myself... and you for that matter." Hiro poked Tadashi's arm with the handle of the spoon.

Upon hearing a knock on the front door, Hiro left his dishes by the sink and went to let his friends in. Tadashi trailed behind slowly, hoping to prolong the time before he had to test out his new ability. Honey Lemon gushed over Tadashi wearing the bumblebee hoodie, snapping a picture with the camera she had been sure to bring along, and Gogo made a comment on the little fabric wings sewn on the back that Tadashi hadn't noticed were there.

It was too late to change, as Fred was rushing them all out the door, far past ready to see the real wings for the first time. Remembering to at the last minute, Hiro had to run back inside to grab Baymax's charging station, mentally thanking himself for finding a way to make it even more portable years earlier as he strapped it to his back. Sometimes transportation by wheels wasn't the best option.

When the team had finally piled into the van, Wasabi carefully drove to Fred's mansion, having gotten over his refusal to drive. He wasn't perfectly comfortable yet, and spent the majority of the trip double and triple checking his mirrors and refusing to take part in the various conversations that Gogo and Honey Lemon made a game of trying to drag him into.

They had just broached the topic of whether rollerblades could function on synthetic ice, regardless of the wheels being unable to turn, when they finally arrived. Honey Lemon passed Tadashi a better fitting flame-retardant suit to wear that she'd pulled together, and Tadashi went to change into it immediately, as one of the sleeves was coming loose on the original. It had only been meant to last overnight, and had held together better than Tadashi had thought it would.

Once Tadashi returned, the group transferred to Fred's helicopter, Honey Lemon perching next to a window with her camera to get photos of the view they'd be treated to on the way over. The last to enter was Wasabi, who had finally psyched himself up and took the seat kindly left empty for him, as it was farthest from the door. As soon as everyone was settled, they began the journey to the island.

"There it is." Hiro pointed out the window to the overgrown quarantined area that was growing steadily larger as they descended.

One could easily make out the outline of the landing bay, and off to the side was the small introductory building that the team had sliced their way into five years prior, which would lead down into the vast underground lab that, assumedly, had gone untouched for as many years.

"Can we go exploring for a bit?" Tadashi turned towards Hiro, preferring the idea of searching through an abandoned science facility to trying something that would likely never have practical use in his life. And if he could distract him, then perhaps...

But Hiro was quite familiar with the diversion tactic, and saw right through Tadashi.

"Maybe after we've finished our other project," Hiro smirked, but remained vague, well aware of the presence of the pilot. "We'll have to see how long this takes."

The helicopter landed, and Wasabi was the first one out when the doors opened, visibly relaxing when his feet touched solid ground. Once everyone had disembarked, the pilot leaned back in her seat, pulling out a gaming device to occupy her time while the crazy group went and did who knows what. She was paid to be a glorified taxi driver, and could not be held responsible for what they did in the interim, especially if she didn't know the details.

Looking around, the team was surprised to note that even though no one had visited in years, the paths were still remarkably clear. They were able to make their way further inland without any issues. There was plenty to be said for the efficiency of wildlife.

"Dude, we totally should have worn our suits, for old time's sake." Fred grinned as he sped ahead then lagged behind and decided the path was too boring, making his way through the overgrowth along the side, swinging around tree trunks and getting his feet caught a marshy spot once or twice.

Wasabi rolled his eyes at Fred's antics, adjusting the laser-producing glove on his wrist that he'd brought in order to help clear space for Tadashi's practice. "Your original one is somewhere at the bottom of San Fransokyo Bay, probably next to my car and Hiro's wouldn't even fit anymore."

"I upgraded it." Hiro pointed out. At the curious glances from his friends, he decided to elaborate. "Even if it's not necessarily needed, I got bored. It was an easy enough project." He shrugged.

"Does it have shin-guards this time?" Gogo asked Hiro, smirking slightly.

"Does it have shin-guards this time?" Hiro did a frankly terrible imitation of Gogo, and had to dodge quickly to avoid being cuffed on the back of the head. "It wouldn't have been a problem except for that one time."

"What time?" Tadashi looked up at Hiro, crossing his arms as he tried to avoid tripping over the various vines that had covered the path. Hiro looked down at the ground, muttering to himself as he adjusted the pack that contained Baymax on his back.

"Woah. Dudes, come look at this!"

Wasabi helped clear the way through the thick underbrush, and the group paused when they saw what Fred had been so excited about. At first glance, Hiro would have thought that Fred had finally gone off the deep end, but upon further inspection, the rock and growth only partially concealed the camouflaged door. Though the metal door was locked upon his attempts to open it, Hiro noticed that should it be unlocked, nothing had grown so that its movement would be obstructed. Nothing had grown... or plants had been removed.

Regularly. And recently.

"How strange..." Honey Lemon leaned closer to get a picture of the lock and handle, having already gotten one of the door itself.

"Yeah..." Hiro got the feeling that maybe they shouldn't be there, but quickly pushed it to the side. It wouldn't be difficult to convince someone they were ignorant of any trespassing, and with their private helicopter, they could play up the arrogant rich kid facade if they had to. They'd be fine. "We'll find a place a bit further, it's probably just a back exit for the old lab. Maybe they're finally cleaning it up."

Tadashi didn't look so sure.

"Hiro, maybe we should go somewhere else..."

"You're not getting out of it that easily." Hiro rolled his eyes, ruffling his brother's hair, and already heading back towards the path. He could take care of him, and this was still the best option. Otherwise, they'd have to go inland a few hours to get somewhere even close to as secluded as this place was.

"But-" Tadashi couldn't shake the unease the place gave him.

"It'll be fine, Teddy." Hiro's voice had an edge to it as he cleared his throat again, shifting the pack on his back again. Light as he'd managed to make it, Baymax was still heavy, but the wheels wouldn't manage well in the current terrain.

Giving the door a final look, Tadashi rejoined the group as they continued along the path. He was beginning to think it'd be safer to abandon the clear route, but then again, that would carve their own and leave undeniable evidence that they'd been there.

Twenty minutes more of Gogo, Hiro, and Wasabi's banter, Honey Lemon stopping every five steps to take a photo, and Fred disappearing for moments, only to reappear ahead of or behind them, and Tadashi was ready to just sit down. He didn't have the stamina to keep up with them as easily anymore, something they had conveniently forgotten. He was also busy trying to swallow down the knot of anticipation that bloomed from his stomach.

Did they even know where they were going?

"Guys." Tadashi had fallen slightly behind the group. "Guys."

"We're almost there." Wasabi looked back with a reassuring smile, before noticing how far back Tadashi had strayed. "Dude, do you need me to carry you?"

"No, I can make it." Wherever 'it' is...

"You sure? You weigh next to nothing, and you'd easily fit on my shoulders."

At this point Gogo and Honey Lemon had stalled, glancing back and waiting for him to catch up. Tadashi huffed, realizing that he'd only cause more issues if he refused for long.

"Maybe on the way back. We're almost there, right?"

"Alright, man. And yeah, if I'm right, we're right around the flat area you can see from the air. We'll just need to pick a spot facing away from the mainland."

Hiro called from just out of sight. "We're there!"

The rest of the group rounded the bend to find a clearing that spanned the size of a couple of football fields, with only a sapling here and there. Hiro looked over at Wasabi, and received a shake of the head in response.

"We don't need to clear anything. Those trees would give before they'd do any harm." Wasabi disengaged the laser glove, tucking it into his pack. "No need to unnecessarily kill them."

Fred laughed giddily, crouching down in front of Tadashi as Hiro unpacked Baymax's station.

"This is it, dude!" Fred's grin nearly split his face. "Ah, this is so cool!"

Fred's excitement was contagious, and Tadashi grinned as well, even as his anxiety simmered in the pit of his stomach. He adjusted the silver sleeve of his shirt, hoping it would do the job.

"We'll see. I may not even be able to get off the ground." He shrugged and the cool patch at his back tingled a little, making him wonder how long between patches he'd have before he had to change them out.

"Just having wings is awesome enough! And I haven't even gotten to see them yet." Fred pouted, looking over at Hiro. "You could have at least sent a pic or something."

"I've been a little busy." Hiro jabbed the manual activation for Baymax a little harsher than he meant to. He was well aware of the many things he simply hadn't gotten to. "Besides, you get to see them now."

"Yeah, I guess so." Fred smiled, standing up. "Still, I like good news. Like Aunt Cass waking up. I know you were busy, but I heard it through Gogo, while she was complaining about having to hear it from Honey. I would have been okay with just a text." He laughed to lighten his words, as he wasn't really upset about it, and held up four fingers. "Four little words, dude."

"Well, Tadashi could have told you just as easily." Hiro huffed, keeping his back to them as he watched Baymax inflate. "Why not take it up with him?"

"Hiro?" Tadashi walked over to him, taking a hold of his sleeve. He'd been more on edge than was normal, and while there had been a lot going on, he hadn't known him to get aggravated so easily. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Hiro glanced down at Tadashi, before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. "Just tired is all. Don't mind me."

Tadashi frowned, opening his mouth to protest, when-

"Hello, Hiro. Hello, Tadashi. How may I be of service?" Baymax blinked at them, before looking around at the rest of the group. Gogo had taken a seat on a nearby stump, resting her arms on her knees and popping her gum as she waited for the show. Honey Lemon was busy adjusting her camera to account for the light, and Wasabi was leaning up against one of the thicker trees, arms folded. Fred looked like he was about to take flight himself as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Just a precaution." Hiro placed a hand on Tadashi's head. "This one'll possibly be airborne soon, so keep an eye on him, airbag style, understood?"

"Yes, Hiro." Baymax nodded. "Might I also suggest a helmet?"

Hiro's eyes widened, having completely forgotten to grab one, or that one would even be needed. But... Tadashi wouldn't be going very far, likely, and who knows the effect that the fire from his wings would have on a regular helmet. He'd have to look into designing a good one as soon as he had a spare moment, which would probably be... mid January. Hiro sighed, annoyed additionally at the itch in the back of his throat that wouldn't. go. away. He'd make time... as for right now...

"Not an option right now." He turned to Tadashi. "Okay, buddy. Can you get the patch off yourself?"

Tadashi reached for the edge, only able to pull a little before the angle simply wouldn't cooperate. He shook his head. Hiro stepped forward to assist, but Tadashi backed away rapidly.

"No, wait!" Tadashi looked nearly panicked. "They could come out while you're back there..."

Hiro suppressed a sigh, turning again to Baymax. "Can you get that for us?"

Baymax easily removed the patch, and Tadashi immediately felt the temperature difference, though, despite his fears, the marks stayed inactive. He took a deep breath and walked further into the clearing, trying to keep a cool head until he was absolutely ready. Turning to face the group, he saw that all of their eyes were on him, and the bubble of anxiety grew. He closed his eyes, feeding the emotion and wishing for the wings to form. There was a moment of silence, before-

"Ohhhh!" Fred squealed, "Look! Look! Lookit! Look at them!"

"We're looking, Fred." Gogo grinned in amusement as Honey Lemon began snapping pictures.

"Way cool, man." Wasabi nodded in approval.

Extended out behind Tadashi were two large plumes of fire, fed by the slight breeze and tapering off near the tips. They fluttered softly as Tadashi instinctively tucked them in closer to his body, but given room and allowance to spread, they dwarfed his small frame. They were much larger than they had manifested in his room, and rather than weigh him down, the golden orange flames lifted from the middle of his back, giving him the sensation of barely placing any weight on his feet, as if he could raise them and remain in place, or at least fall very slowly.

"So, uh." Tadashi looked down, feeling the warmth of his wings at his back. "Now what?"

"Well," Hiro considered it for a second. "You moved them easily enough when I picked you up earlier. Do you remember how that felt?"

"Not really?" Tadashi hadn't exactly been focused on moving them, it had just... happened. "I-I can try, though."

He was hyperaware of the presence of the wings, but it was strange, as there were not muscles and bones so much as simply a feeling of warmth stretching out from the center of his back. Out of curiosity, he reached backwards, drawing his hand close to one of the tucked wings. Baymax had previously determined that they were nearly solid, and when his hand finally touched, there was a feeling of resistance, but with a bit of pressure his hand passed through with no sensation echoing through the wing. A second later he realized he had just stuck his hand in fire and jerked it back, but there was no noticeable effect. The wing closed up behind his hand, as if it hadn't just been breached.

"Hiro. Breathe." Gogo's voice startled Tadashi, and he looked over to see his brother's expression morph into relief from fear. Oh. He probably really shouldn't have stuck his hand into a fire without warning. Well, at least now he knew he could.

"Sorry! I'm fine!" Tadashi called over to them, before focusing again on trying to at least move one of the wings. It was a strange thing to attempt, but maybe...

"There!"

The voice broke his concentration, and Tadashi opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them.

"Fred!" The collective voices chastised him, in varying tones of annoyance.

Fred looked around at the others. "What?"

"C'mon, he almost had it." Wasabi shook his head disappointedly.

"But did he know he had it?" Fred ducked his head after receiving a glare from Gogo. "Sorry."

Honey Lemon patted his arm consolingly. "It's alright, Freddie, you're just excited. Just... try to hold your enthusiasm for a little while longer."

Tadashi chuckled as Fred perked up, zipping his lips and watching intently once again. Fred had actually been helpful, as he could place exactly what he'd been doing when he'd succeeded. He'd have to remember to tell him later. For now, though...

Tadashi reached for that feeling again, this time watching one of his wings and seeing it extend, the other side doing the same. So, that was out, which meant this-

He tensed as his feet unexpected lost the sensation of the ground underneath them.

-was down.

Looking down, Tadashi saw that he hadn't gone more than a couple feet off the ground and was slowly sinking back towards it. He faintly heard applause as his senses kicked back in.

"Wooo, yeah!" Fred was jumping in place, rapidly looking between Honey and Tadashi. "You got that, right? Please tell me you got that on video."

"Of course I did, Freddie!" Honey was grinning from ear to ear, unable to clap with the rest because she had to hold the camera steady. "Auto-backup, too."

Tadashi was already tuning them out, emboldened by the gentle descent to try and push things a little further. He repeated the motion, stronger this time, and shot upwards, extending his wings to keep him aloft. And again. And again, until he could see over the tops of the trees, out towards the edges of the island. Excitement and awe filled him, until he felt ready to burst. This was amazing!

He was reminded of the feeling he got on his moped, or used to get, anyway, whenever he'd do something particularly difficult or fast, but a hundred times better. This was all him. Sure he could only go up and down at the moment, but still. He looked down at his brother and friends, who looked no bigger than ants at this height, and laughed.

Hiro was waving up at him, probably yelling as well, but he was out of range. It was fine, he'd lower in just a second. Or two. Was he moving? Tadashi couldn't tell, but nothing seemed to be getting larger or closer.

Well. This could be a problem.

Why wouldn't he be moving down like he had earlier? Tadashi couldn't think of anything, unless... unless the emotional surge of being up so high had lengthened his wings.

He looked out at them, but they didn't seem much different. They were still enormous and flaming, the edges flickering a bit. Maybe if he tucked them a bit...

As soon as he began to pull the wings in closer to his body, a strong gale picked up, tearing away the flame from the sides of the wings bent against the wind. The separated part flickered and dissipated, drastically shortening the wings. For a second he hung suspended, weightless, before he began to plummet.

Hiro looked up at the small, shining speck that was Tadashi, chewing on his lip as he mentally repeated that he'd be fine, he'd be fine, he'd be fine.

"He really got himself up there, huh?" Gogo crossed her arms, keeping her eyes trained on the distant form of her friend.

"Yeah..." Hiro wondered if Tadashi could hear him at that height. "Hey!" Hiro shouted, while waving up at him. He heard no response.

Fred shielded his eyes against the sun. "He's just kinda hanging there."

"Think he's stuck?"

"Gogo!" Wasabi frowned, glancing over at Hiro. He was antsy enough already, without well-meaning jokes.

"What? It's fine." Gogo pointed upwards. "Look, he's bringing in his-"

Hiro's heart stopped when he saw part of the wings disappear. "Kuso-"

Tadashi was falling, the sides of his wings flickering as the air raced past him, destroying them as quickly as they grew back. He was moving too quickly for them to solidify.

"Baymax!" Hiro turned to him, the panic burning inside him. "Catch him!"

**A.N.: If I didn't end it there it probably would have taken me another week to get the rest out, and the chapter would have been super long, so more fun to come. I'm easing back into actually writing and I'd love to hear your feedback. Or just chat, that's cool too. See you tomorrow!

(5)**