"Whatever, I did that was so wrong, I am so sorry! Just tell me what it was and I'll make it up to you."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Hiro."
"Then why am I being punished so cruelly?" Hiro moaned, struggling not to move an inch. From the neck down anyway, he needed his face for whining and begging.
"Because you refuse to so much as touch a football, apparently 'volleyball's too sandy', even when it's played in a park, and the last time I let you on any of my wheels, you almost broke your leg just trying to push off the ground. I'm running out options here."
"You're not even close. There's plenty of other things left-"
"Oh, don't even try it!" Jamie retorted, finally looking up from his easel with an unimpressed, raised eyebrow. "Everything you're about to suggest involves a roof over your head, a heap of electronics, or both. The whole point of this is to get you outside and experiencing the real world more often. If it weren't for your schooling, you could almost pass for a full time shut-in."
"That's not true and you know it! I go out all the time." Hiro exclaimed.
"Heading into a comic book worthy battle, flaunting your tech, doesn't count." Jamie said flatly. "The whole point is for you to take time away from screens and wires. Let the sun actually touch your skin, which is not happening in your suit. Now, stop making me sound like my mother and hold still. I'm almost done. Enjoy that tingling feeling on your skin. It's called a slight breeze."
That just unleashed a wave of irritated muttering, but Jamie didn't pay it any mind as he turned back to his work, finally letting an amused smile cross his lips at the theatrics. It only grew funnier as the boy realised just how much attention he was drawing to himself, immediately shutting him up as he blushed. He did look kinda ridiculous, holding a branch up over his head in one hand and a piece of cardboard in the other. Combine it with the battle cry expression he was supposed to be wearing and he looked like either a barbarian or the town fool. Jamie only managed to convince the actually easily embarrassed boy into the pose because the area was a bit secluded, but if he was going to keep turning heads…
'I better hurry this up.' Rubbing his wrist, he took just enough time to release a frustrated breath before getting back to work. Fortunately, he wouldn't need too much longer. It wasn't like he was trying to finish a masterpiece, merely a template to work with later. Still in a brace, his wrist wouldn't be quite ready for his usual level of effort for a few more weeks yet and Hiro's patience would never hold out that long.
"You know, the twin devils skyed me last night." Jamie mentioned, delicately adding a few more details to Hiro's hair before peaking up just long enough to give his model a teasing grin. "They wanted to know if you'd invented insulating, self-heating underwear yet."
"…I still can't believe you told your friends about the incident." Hiro glared, trying to hide his embarrassment as his face turned red. "I mean, seriously! You sent them the video!"
"They would have found it quickly enough anyway. That thing actually rivalled the slow clap cat video." He shrugged, leaning against the easel as he laughed. He'd never get over the 'snow in the pants dance', he was sure of it, and neither would his friends. Within two minutes of sending them that video, it had already been placed in their group's playlist of 'Jack's Greatest Hits'. The look of utter betrayal Hiro had pointed at him that day was softened only because said playlist was full of Jamie and his friends in plenty of compromising positions themselves that they all happily shared with him. They were all a lot better at laughing at themselves than Hiro.
"Still, to do that to your own boyfriend!" Hiro cried, his blush darkening as that last word crossed his lips. Neither of them had used it much yet, especially so loudly in public. It still brought the butterflies to the both of them. "Now they never stop! What's worse, they're as stuck on that little fantasy world you bring up as Fred! I swear, every week I get messages from one of them or Monty telling me to get ready for frozen lips or to be buried in snow! You'd think they'd get over it, but the longer it's been, the more persistent they get that 'Jack Frost will back any time now'." He exclaimed, rolling his eyes.
"Well, he never stays away for long." Jamie shrugged, keeping his voice light and struggling to keep his mirth from shaking his hand as he looked pointedly down at his work. Getting Hiro so riled up was always entertaining and it did wonders for his sketch. It gave him just the right expressions to get the eyes one paper just right. Making a few more careful tweaks, Jamie took a step back and beamed at the result. The rest of the picture would require a lot of work later, but he really had wanted to get the head perfect right here and now and he was very pleased with the result. The shape of his face, the way the wind blew through the hair, the sharpness and intensity of the eyes, it was exactly how he'd envisioned it. "Alright, Hiro the Barbarian, you can put the club down now. I'm done here."
"Oh, thank God!" Hiro moaned, immediately dropping everything and rubbing his shoulder. "If I had to hold that thing up any longer-"
"I'm very sure you would survive." Jamie butted in, shifting his own, still healing wrist, only to immediately regret it as Hiro immediately shut his mouth, his pouty expression shifting to one of guilt and regret in the blink of an eye. "Sorry. Maybe that was too soon."
"No. I just should have gotten to you sooner." Hiro sighed, taking the injured limb and rubbing circles into it the moment it was within reach. "Instead, I just added to the weight it had to hold. I'm sorry."
"Dude, that was so long ago that I'm not even wearing the sling anymore. And a few scratches did not mean I was in any real danger beforehand." Jamie stated, struggling to keep his voice firm. Why did his misplaced guilt over this and responding actions have to be so endearing? "There was no way you could have known what was going to happen, so how could you possibly keep me out of it? Besides, it all worked out fine."
"You almost died!" Hiro shouted, stunning the brunette as he whipped his head up. The fear in his eyes was as prevalent and strong as the day at the museum. It never failed to rip the words right out of Jamie's mouth. "I messed up and put you in even more danger. Not only did I risk real damage to your arm, that whole mess left you literally half a second away from a piercing straight through your skull! That can't happen again. I can't…I can't lose you too! Not at all and definitely not because of my own mistake."
"Hiro…" What could he possibly say to that? He hadn't even thought about that. Of course, he was going to take this hard. Tadashi ran straight into an explosion right in front of him. It was only natural that Jamie, another significant person in his life, being seen so close to death, right before his eyes, would be triggering for him.
"You didn't lose me." He said softly, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist and pulling him in, kissing his cheek before shifting his head to his own chest, letting him listen to Jamie's heartbeat as he rested his own head in Hiro's hair. "And you won't lose me. I promise."
"That's not a promise you can make." Hiro muttered, holding back a sob as his arms tightened around Jamie's neck.
"Sure, I can. I'm not the one looking for trouble. And when it does find me, well, I'm pretty good at scampering out of it." Jamie kissed him again, this time on the top of his head. "And if I can't, I have all the faith in the world that others will help me. After all, I've got all of Big Hero 6 ready to drop everything to help me whenever I need it. And you know, a winter spirit, a seven-foot, Australian rabbit, a few others."
"Yeah, because nothing saves the day like a fairy tale. Are you really trying to use fantasies to reassure me?"
"Well, it does seem to be working." Jamie grinned, noting the poorly hidden amusement in his voice behind the growing exasperation. Reassuring might not be the right word, but at least he was calming down.
"Sometimes, I worry about your sanity" Hiro sighed, shifting his head into the crook of Jamie's neck. "If you commit any more to your stories, you'll be dragging me to look for trolls under every bridge in the city."
"I do that already." Jamie couldn't stop the laughter as Hiro's one wide eye looked up at him with an expression that could only be scream 'crazy person'. "Hey, it's worth a shot."
"You go playing in traffic for a 'shot' at finding a make-believe creature?"
"No, I observe the areas from the safety of footpaths, grass fields and pedestrian crossings, because I have healthy levels of common sense and self-preservation." If a little bit of irritation slipped into his voice at that, Jamie didn't think anyone could blame him. "It's not like I go looking for easy ways to die. That's more your thing."
"I don't-"
"Finish that sentence. I dare you. I've got a list of things you've done without any consideration or care of consequence as long as your arm."
"I don't…I haven't…not lately?" The high-pitched squeak as he fumbled over that said it all for the strength of his argument.
"If by lately, you mean since this morning." Jamie rolled his eyes. "And yet, for all you say about my 'fantasies' the biggest sign that I'm crazy would be the fact that I have never once, despite all the reckless things you do, lost my faith that you would be there waiting for me at the Lucky Cat the next morning. So…I realise that I am asking a lot of you with this right now, but please try to trust that I will always be there too. Trust me to keep my promise."
"Jamie, I…I guess, when you put it that way…" Hiro started, the tension in his body finally relaxing, if only a little.
Sadly, that ended almost as fast as it began, for it was that moment that Hiro's phone started beeping almost deafeningly, the unmistakeable tune of the HALP button ringing in the air. Hiro had never ripped away from Jamie like he did at that moment, his hand diving for his pocket. Jamie hoped that split second sting to his feelings went unnoticed.
"Honey Lemon, what's going on? Are you ok?" Hiro cried the moment the pink clad hero appeared on his screen. Both boys visibly flinched as she narrowly avoided a fall car, the screen spinning as she rolled away. If you listened closely, you could hear Wasabi screaming in the background.
"Hiro, El Fuego's at it again. Looks like he's trying to upgrade his gear by stealing construction equipment. We could really use some help."
"Honey Lemon, mo-" Gogo cried, a flash of fire and a yellow blur consuming the screen before it went blank.
"Well, there goes our day." Jamie sighed, hugging Hiro a little tighter with a kiss on his temple before letting go. "I never thought I'd experience what it's like dating a cop before I was old enough to drink, but what can you do?" He added, shaking his head in mild amusement.
"Well…I don't have to go." Hiro muttered slowly, his eyes never leaving his screen as Honey Lemon's last known location appeared on the screen. "I could just send Baymax. It'd be fine."
"No, it wouldn't." Jamie frowned, his concern growing again as Hiro slowly tensed up. "Baymax doesn't have the strategic mind or response time to fight on his own and the others are too unused to multitasking orders for his situation and responses to their own. You know that and Baymax needs to be at his best to take on that nut job, otherwise he'll just be a hinderance to the team. That or…" He had to stop himself there. The last thing Hiro needed to hear after that breakdown was the possibility of his precious robot companion becoming collateral damage.
Though the thought definitely made it home anyway, if the dramatic flinch he got in response was any indicator, his finger halting right before it could press the call button.
"Yeah, you're right. Well then, maybe my stand-in would be better? I can control it from anywhere. Or maybe call Globby? He's always keen to help. Or I could-"
"Hiro?" Jamie cut him off, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing Hiro to look up at him. "What's going on? Since when do you want to avoid exactly what you do?"
"They're close." Hiro shakily replied, showing Jamie the screen. "And they could easily head this way."
Well, he wasn't wrong. Honey Lemon's last known location was only about few blocks away. If he strained his ears, Jamie could hear the crashes and screeching metal in the distance and yes, it did seem to be getting louder. The hothead wouldn't bother coming to the park unless a target was known to be there, but that didn't mean that a fight with Big Hero 6 couldn't lead him there unintentionally. But still…
"Hiro, the chances of him finding me are so small, even I don't believe it'll happen. And you claim my imagination can be almost as dramatic as Fred's when I want to be." Jamie grinned, making sure his tone and actions were as reassuring as possible as he slowly backed away. "Besides, if you're going, there's no need for me to stick around anyway. I can go drop my stuff off at home and meet up with you when the fight's over. I'll be fine."
"But he could still…your route home could also end up caught in the battle field." Hiro exclaimed, his breath quickening as his eyes shifted from the direction of the fight and Jamie's path home.
"Hiro, that's even less likely to happen." Jamie responded calmly, raising an arm in each direction. "My house is practically in the opposite direction of the fight. I'll be fine."
"You should have been fine at the museum." Hiro retorted, biting his lip as he frowned, flinching visibly as a particularly large burst of flame appeared above the smaller buildings.
"Yeah, well, there will always be a chance of me and everyone else getting stuck in the middle of something. Big cities have bigger crime rates." Jamie couldn't do anything but concede to that one. "You can't do anything about that. But still, it's such a small chance and already happened to me. How often does lightning strike twice?"
"Can't…" Hiro froze at that, if only for a moment, horror flickering over his face. However, before Jamie could so much as blink, it was replaced by the most stubborn look Jamie had ever seen, a surprising feat considering some of the mythical beings he spent time with at every opportunity. 'We'll see about that."
"Hiro, what are you-" Jamie started, more than a little wary at the speed Hiro worked on his phone.
"Ok, all messages are sent. Fred's already heading into the area, so Minimax can meet up with and guide Baymax through the fight well enough. That leaves me free to accompany you on a leisurely ride to our headquarters." Hiro declared, smacking the screen one more time before turning his head upward, just as the purple Skymax began its landing.
"To your-WHAAH, HIRO!" Before Jamie even had a chance to process any of that, Hiro had grabbed his gloves and helmet from the compartment and pushed him right into the robot's arms. "What do you think are you doing?" He hissed, struggling and failing to release himself.
"Taking you for a fun, little flight around town to our secret hideout." Hiro replied, offering a strained grin as he slipped on his gear and magnetically attached himself to Skymax's back. "What a fun way to leave a problem behind us. Aren't I a great boyfriend?"
"This thing wasn't meant for living passengers!" Jamie retorted, sending a 'get over it' glare at the robot as it stared, seemingly affronted, down at him. "And I don't think-"
"Skymax, let's go!" Hiro cheered over him. All Jamie could do was grab on for dear life and scream as the robot took off like a rocket.
Hiro was so getting an earful when this was over. Assuming Jamie's voice still worked after all the screaming. How the heck did Hiro think flying high at this speed like this was safer?