hello friends! sorry i haven't posted in so long!

I decided to do a cute Megan/Hiro oneshot...this was spontaneously planned with my sis Helena one night and found its way onto my word doc. I hope y'all enjoy it!

don't worry...I'll post mine and Helena's collab soon! i know you're probably all waiting for that...

also the edge of night! I'll do that too :)

thanks everyone! please read and review!

peace out!

—HIRO—

I button my white shirt and study myself in the mirror, wondering if the bow tie is over the top. I don't think so, but what if Megan does? That would be bad. And this suit jacket is killing me—it's too big and super itchy. I can't believe Aunt Cass let me get away with cargo pants.

"You look adorable!" Aunt Cass gushes when I come downstairs. My aunt wraps me in a hug, exclaiming, "Your first prom! I can't believe it!"

"Don't die," Tadashi adds, ruffling my hair. "Just avoid the mosh pit and cliquey girls and you should be fine. Also bring deodorant—dancing can get really hot."

"Will do," I tell my brother, hoisting my backpack higher on my shoulders. "I've got everything I might need—deodorant, two shirts, snack, water—"

"It's the prom, Hiro, not a survival show," Aunt Cass laughs. "Why do you have all that?"

"Because it's basically a survival show," I reply. "Anything could happen."

A knock sounds from the door, and I immediately start sweating, suddenly needing to loosen my bow tie so I can breathe. It's Megan—she's here. Was this a terrible idea? Am I about to die?

Tadashi hurries over to the door and opens it, and I stand there in my too-big suit jacket, staring, as Megan steps into the room.

My best friend looks positively radiant in her dark blue, ankle-length dress. A golden necklace sets off her shining dark eyes, and her umber-toned hair is sleek and shiny, cascading down onto her shoulders.

"Wow, Meg," I stutter, suddenly feeling like roadkill dragged off the street. "You look—you look incredible."

"Thanks," she says, smiling. "So do you."

I muster a nervous smile in return, and then Aunt Cass swoops down on us, wanting to take pictures. As soon as she appears to be done, I usher Megan out the door, and we walk down to San Fransokyo High. Baymax accompanies us, just in case something really weird happens and supervillains storm the dance. It's happened before, so one can never be too careful.

"You want my advice on dances?" Megan offers as we walk into the gathering dusk. I nod, and she says, "Lose the suit jacket. It's too big and it doesn't look good on you. I'm not insulting you—I'm insulting the suit jacket."

"I don't like it either," I admit, shrugging out of the jacket to reveal my short-sleeved, button-down white shirt. "How's this?"

We stop in front of the school as Megan studies me. "Better. A lot better. The bow tie is a nice touch. I would say you should be wearing dress pants, but the cargos are a lot more you."

I smile, handing the suit jacket to Baymax. "Here, big guy. Go drop the suit in a river or something—I don't care, actually, just get rid of it. Then come back—we don't want anyone attacking the prom."

"I will dispose of your suit," Baymax replies, waddling away. Figuring he'll be back before long, I offer Megan my arm, and we walk into the prom together.

Immediately, the lights and sound explode, and I struggle not to clap my hands over my ears. School dances can be really loud. I'm glad I didn't go to any when I was in high school—I might have died.

"Snack table," Megan says briskly. "Over there. It's a bit quieter."

She grabs my wrist and pulls me through the crowd, and I'm very conscious of how much taller than me everyone is. High school kids are huge—and some of them are my age. Why haven't I had my growth spurt yet?

We end up by the snacks, and I nervously grab a few chips, eating them as I watch students dance past. Everyone is talking loudly and dancing wildly, and I can already tell it's gonna smell like crap when the night is over.

"You don't like it here," Megan observes after several minutes.

"What? No, it's—it's fine—"

"It's okay if you don't like it," Megan assures me, smiling. "We can leave early, go do something else." The music changes, and her face lights up. "But first we have to slow dance."

"I don't know how—" I start, but Megan cuts me off.

"It's easy. You just put your hands on my waist, I put my hands on your shoulders, and then we revolve in a circle. It's not hard, I promise."

I gingerly put my hands on Megan's waist, trying not to squeeze her too tightly, and she puts her hands on my shoulders. I try desperately not to overbalance or step on Meg's toes, wondering if there is any way I can not mess this up.

We turn in a small circle for the whole song, my face flaming bright red every time Megan's grip shifts slightly. When it's finally over, I stumble back to the snack table, and Meg follow me.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" she asks, smiling.

"Yeah," I agree, panting slightly as I grab a cup of water and down it. But my hand is shaking so much that I spill part of it down my front, soaking my shirt.

"Oh, great," I moan. "Hang on, I'll go get Baymax to dry it off—he's probably just outside."

Megan follows me back through the crush of people, probably not wanting to be left alone. We step outside, and I inhale a deep breath of fresh air, not having realized how stuffy it was until now. I look around for Baymax, suddenly realizing that he is nowhere to be found.

"Where's Baymax?" Megan asks, voicing my concern.

"I have no idea," I admit, walking over to the corner of the school and peering around it. Baymax isn't there. Crap.

Rather worried, I pull out my phone and tap on the GPS app that lets me track Baymax. The red dot that indicates his location is moving across the bridge, heading right for Muirahara Woods.

Megan, leaning over my shoulder, asks, "Muirahara Woods? Why would he go there?"

"No clue," I mumble, zooming in on the dot. It passes into the woods, and I gasp as I realize why.

"I told Baymax to drop my suit in a river," I groan, clapping a hand to my forehead. "Jokingly, yeah, but he's a robot—he took that literally. He actually went to drop it in the river. How stupid am I?"

Putting my phone in my pocket, I turn to face Megan. "I'm really sorry, Meg—I don't wanna ditch you, but it's kind of important to go get Baymax. He…doesn't really work properly in the woods, and he won't come back out if I don't drag him."

"You're not ditching me," Megan says dismissively. "I'll come with you—this sounds like a lot more fun than a dance. I wish I could change out of this dress, though. I've got leggings under it, but I didn't bring a shirt."

"Actually, I did," I tell her. "I brought two in case I got really sweaty. Do you—I mean, it'd be weird, but—"

"I'll take one," Megan decides. "Let's go get changed, and then we can go find Baymax."

I grab my white shirt and hand Meg the green one, and we go back inside to change. I pull off my dress shirt and bow tie, stowing them in my backpack, and then meet Megan out front. She stuffs her dress into my backpack, and then we set off for Muirahara Woods.

It takes about half an hour to get over to the bridge, and the sky is darkening by the time we reach Muirahara. I peer nervously into the woods, hoping there aren't as many bugs as there were last time.

"You don't like it here, either," Megan observes again. "What's so bad about the woods?"

"There's kind of a giant meteorite bear monster named Bessie in them," I tell her. "She can disrupt technological function, and now she has cubs that can probably do the same thing. She's affected Baymax before, and it's…not good. He goes on low battery and acts like he's drunk. It'd be funny if it wasn't so annoying."

"Well, then, we should go," Megan declares. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"I forgot to mention the bugs," I shudder. "And the mud. And the river."

"We can probably avoid those if we're careful. Come on, let's go."

She starts off into the woods, and I follow her nervously. This place is awful on a number of levels.

I tiptoe around patches of mud and duck under low-hanging branches, fully aware of everything that could kill me. Megan is a lot more adventurous, leading the way through thickets and streams. We call out for Baymax the whole way, but there's no answer, low-battery or otherwise.

"This isn't working," I pant as I shove my way through a thornbush, the sharp points scratching my face and arms. "Ow!"

"We'll find him," Megan says determinedly, shoving a thorny branch aside as we emerge from the thicket. "Careful, there's a lot of spiderwebs up ahead."

"So there are spiders?" I ask in a small voice.

"Well, if there's spiderwebs, it's kind of a given that there would be spiders."

I try desperately to avoid the spiderwebs, but it's not easy. I walk directly through one and then yelp, raking my hands through my hair to make sure the web's owner hasn't come with it. I don't feel a spider, but anything could be in my hair. It's practically a nest.

Megan sighs, reaching into my hair and deftly pulling out a massive spider by the leg. I try not to yelp again as she tosses it into the brush, muttering, "You big baby. It's okay."

I grin sheepishly, and she smiles back as we continue on. Thankfully, I run into no more spiderwebs, but I'm pretty sure the one I walked through is stuck to my hair. That probably looks awesome.

"I think I hear something," Megan whispers suddenly, stopping me at the top of a short slope. "Listen—do you hear that stomping noise?"

I listen as closely as I can, and I realize that I can indeed hear the sound of something large pushing through the undergrowth—and it's getting louder. Whatever it is, it's coming here.

"Bessie," I breathe. "Or it could be a real bear. But I don't think real bears are that loud."

My fears are confirmed when a faint green glow lights up the trees in the distance, and I drop to my knees, scrabbling at the ground for mud.

"Um…what are you doing?" Megan asks, looking down at me confusedly.

"Masking my scent," I explain hurriedly, smearing mud over my cheeks and nose. "I know it's kinda gross, but it actually works—Krei taught me on our camping trip. Long story. You should try it, though, because Bessie's nearby, and I don't think she's all that friendly."

To her credit, Megan doesn't question me any further, instead kneeling down next to me and scooping up mud, then rubbing it over her face and arms. By the time she's done, she looks like she's in a survival movie. I probably do too.

"We've gotta find Baymax fast," I breathe. "But the tracker isn't working anymore—Bessie's messing with it. Last I checked, though, he was about a mile from the waterfall."

"Which way is the waterfall?" Megan asks, and I realize I don't know. I don't recognize this part of the woods at all.

"So we might be lost," I mumble, staring at the floor. "I've never been to this part of Muirahara before. But if we can find the river, we can follow it. I think I know where to go from there."

"Sounds good," Megan says. "We'll need to climb a tree."

A few minutes later, she's climbing an oak tree, hoisting herself up into the branches with the grace and ease of a cat. I discover that I'm terrible at tree climbing, and it takes me at least five minutes just to make it to the first branch. By the time I pull myself up to Megan's level, panting, she's been sitting there for several minutes.

"Took you long enough," she complains, but she's smiling. "I think I might see the river—it's about a quarter mile away."

I squint through the dark trees, trying to glimpse the rushing water. I don't see the river, but what I do see is a flash of bright white among the tree trunks.

"Baymax!" I gasp. "There he is!"

"We've gotta go get him!" Megan exclaims, climbing down out of the tree so fast that she's down before I've even made it to the next branch. "Come on!"

I scramble down the tree and fall out of it on the last branch, tumbling to the ground with a loud thump. Winded, I gasp for air as I leap up and follow Megan through the trees, branches whipping at my face.

We skid to a halt next to the river, and I double over, panting and clutching at my chest. I've just barely gotten my breath back, and my asthma isn't helping.

"Good doggie," says a voice, and I look up to see Baymax, evidently on low battery, patting Megan on the head. He waddles over to me and starts petting me, running his hand through my hair and declaring, "Nice kitty."

"So I'm a dog now?" Megan demands.

"And I'm a cat," I sigh. "Good to see you, big guy."

"I dropped your suit in a river!" Baymax exclaims, thwacking me on the head with his hand. I wince and rub the sore spot, watching as the robot stumbles toward the bank of the river, announcing, "I threw it! Gummy bears! Would you like gummy bears? I cannot deactivate until you say you are mortified with your care!"

Megan is laughing so hard she can't breathe, and I allow myself a small smile. I guess if I was seeing this kind of thing for the first time, I'd probably laugh, too.

"Is he always like this when he's out of battery?" Megan asks, wiping tears of mirth out of her eyes. "Because I want to watch this all the time."

"Yeah," I tell her. "I guess it's pretty funny when you're not actually trying to get something done."

"Kitty!" Baymax exclaims, scooping me up into a tight hug and nearly smothering me as he squeezes me against his chest. "Nice kitty! Hairy baby!"

"Baymax!" I gasp, struggling frantically. "Put me down!"

"But the kitty," Baymax complains, but he does put me down, dropping me on the muddy ground. "Are there more kitties?"

"Baymax, we've gotta go home!" I insist, getting up and grabbing the robot's arm. Megan comes over to help me, and we start to drag Baymax upriver to where I think the road is. The sooner we get out of these woods, the better.

"I wanna go swimming!" Baymax announces. "Can we go swimming?"

"No, Baymax," I growl. "We have to go before Aunt Cass and Chief Cruz start to worry—they'll send the whole police force after us."

"I see a pool!" Baymax exclaims, and before Megan or I can do anything, he's shoved his way past me. The robot's arm smacks into the side of my head, and while it doesn't hurt all that much, since it's so soft, the force is enough to knock me down the bank and into the river.

"Hiro!" Megan yells as I splash into the water and then pop back up, gasping for air. I try desperately to grab the bank, but the river sucks me in, carrying me downstream as Megan breaks into a run, sprinting along the bank.

I can swim, but I'm not good at it—and in a raging river, the best I can do is flail around as Baymax sails past me, yelling, "Wheeeeeeee!"

"I'm coming, Hiro!" Megan shouts, and then I hear a loud splash as she jumps into the water.

"Meg, no!" I splutter, cutting myself off as the river shoves me under the surface. When I come back up, Megan is trying valiantly to swim toward me, and Baymax is warning me repeatedly about the radishes we're about to hit. It takes me several seconds to realize that he means rocks.

"Radishes!" Baymax yells as we enter the rapids. Megan and I both scream as we're thrown into the swirling vortex of rocks and white water, and I go under again as I slam into rock after rock.

I let out an underwater gasp as my head knocks against a stone, dazing me and causing me to go limp for a second. When I've shaken off the stars swimming through my vision, I struggle to orient myself under the water, trying to get back to the surface.

When I finally get my head back above water, gasping for air, I'm met with a yell of "Certain death!" The voice is clearly Baymax's, and I realize with a jolt of horror that we're nearing the waterfall.

"Grab onto a rock or something!" Megan yells, and I try. I really do try. But my wet hands slip off every stone in my path, and I can't keep back a screech of "Meg! Help!" as I'm swept closer and closer to the waterfall.

And then I'm aware of nothing but air beneath me, air and falling water and jagged rocks. I must have gone over—I'm falling.

"Hiro!" Megan screams, clinging to a rock, as Baymax and I plummet to what I know is certain death.

"Farewell!" Baymax yells dramatically, and I scream as we fall, the blood rushing to my head. Before we hit the rocks at the bottom, all I can think of is Megan and how much I wish this date could've turned out better.

The rocks come up far too quickly for my liking, and my scream cuts through the still night air as Baymax and I hit them—but I don't ever actually hit the rocks. Not the jagged ones, at least—Baymax hits first, and I bounce off of him. But the force flings me into the river below the falls, and my skull cracks against a rock in the midst of the rapids.

This is a stupid way to die is the last thought that flashes through my head as the world goes black.

—MEGAN—

Hiro and Baymax vanish over the falls, and all I can hear is the pounding of my heart. I try to look over the waterfall, but I can't see without letting go of my rock—and if I let go, I'll be swept over the falls too. I'll be no help if I'm dashed to pieces on the rocks down there.

I pull myself fully onto my rock and manage to leap to the bank, scrambling for a handhold in the soft, muddy earth. Finding one, I collapse onto the ground, panting heavily and hurting all over. My whole body feels bruised, and sticks and leaves are tangled in my hair. I'm just glad I wasn't wearing my dress—Dad would kill me if that got ruined.

After a couple minutes of lying on the ground, trying to get my breath back, I struggle to my feet and check for injuries. I don't feel anything more painful than bruises and scrapes, and I deem myself lucky.

"Hiro?" I call, my voice hoarse. "Hiro, are you alive? Because if you're not, I'm gonna kill you as soon as I find you!"

No response comes, and I sigh, cautiously making my way towards the edge of the waterfall. I peer over the side, and I think I can make out a white shape at the bottom of the falls, but the spray is too thick—I can't be sure what's down there. In any case, I'm gonna have to go down and look.

As I edge closer to the falls, I discover an insanely steep, winding path down to the bottom, with rocks and roots sticking out of the mud every few feet. It looks really slippery, but it's the only way down. And if I want to find Hiro and Baymax, I've gotta go down.

I start down the path, picking my way carefully around the rocks. When I get about halfway down, I can see the shape at the bottom of the falls more clearly, and upon closer inspection, it is Baymax—punctured and deflated, but hopefully able to be fixed. I don't see Hiro, though—I hope he's okay.

I turn to keep going, but my foot slips out from under me, and I gasp as I fall, my chin striking a rock and my knee banging against a root as I tumble down the rest of the muddy path to the ground. Stars explode in my vision as I land, driving all the air out of my lungs, and I lay there, gasping and struggling to get my breath back.

"Ow," I groan, sitting up and rubbing my bruised chin. "That was not my best idea."

I've definitely acquired several new bruises, but nothing feels broken, so I get to my feet again. But I gasp as a jolt of pain shoots through my leg, causing it to buckle under me.

Sinking to the ground, I pull up my pant leg and scan my calf for swelling or bruising, finding both—great. I've torn something in my leg, something big. I don't what it's called, but I know it's a muscle or a tendon—the pain is in the back of my leg, and the bones are more in the front. If it was a bone, the pain would be in the front of my leg. Since it's not, I've gotta assume something else is torn.

Deciding to ignore it for now, I stand up gingerly, putting almost all my weight on my left side, and limp painfully over to the rocks at the bottom of the falls. Baymax is slumped over them, his eyes closed and his body partially deflated.

I grit my teeth and grab Baymax's head, yanking as hard as I can to pull him off the rocks. A terrible ripping sound comes from the vinyl being dragged over the stone, and I wince. But Hiro can fix the robot later—I just need to get Baymax out of the river.

When I finally pull Baymax free, I drag him under the shelter of the trees and lean against one, sliding down it and rubbing my injured leg. It's swelling up even more now—great. How am I ever gonna find Hiro with this? And what if he's injured, too? I won't be able to help him.

I put my worries aside and stand back up after a few minutes of resting, pulling Baymax upright and looping his limp arm around my shoulders. I've gotta get to Hiro—he can't survive out here by himself, and I have to help him. Not even a torn muscle on my part is going to change that.

Dragging Baymax, I limp off into the woods, my resolve only growing as the suffocating darkness closes around me.

—HIRO—

Something sharp pricks me in the ribs, and I slowly come out of unconsciousness, the dark woods taking shape around me. Water rushes around my legs, and I'm faintly aware that I must still be in the river. What happened? Did I hit my head? How long was I unconscious? If I passed out, shouldn't I have drowned?

I try to shake off the cloudiness in my brain, the memories slowly returning, along with a throbbing in the back of my skull. Baymax knocked me into the river, then we went over the falls—I think I bounced off Baymax and crashed into a rock, and then…then what?

The pricking in my ribs gets worse as I move, letting out a faint groan of pain, and I realize I'm tangled in the branches of a tree, which has fallen over with its branches overhanging the river. Everything from my stomach down is in the water, but I miraculously ended up with my head above the surface.

I grab one of the larger branches of the tree for support and struggle to disentangle myself from the smaller ones, managing it after a few minutes. Once I'm free, I crawl along the largest branch to the trunk and then slide down it onto solid ground, pressing my back against the tree and closing my eyes.

Once I've rested for a few minutes, I sit up a little, my hand drifting to the sore spot on the back of my head. I wince as I discover that it's swollen up into an inch-wide goose egg—it feels tender and bruised and hurts to touch. I check concussion off the list of possible injuries and move on to the rest of my body. Upon further inspection, nothing feels broken or even sprained—the extent of the damage is a considerable amount of cuts and scrapes, along with sore muscles and bruises everywhere. I'm at least in one piece, which in my opinion is saying something after that kind of fall.

Trying to gather my still-confused thoughts, I decide I have to make a plan. I have to a) figure out where I am, b) find Megan and Baymax, and c) get all three of us home before Aunt Cass and Chief Cruz send the whole police force out to find us. It's a big to-do list, but I think I can accomplish it eventually.

First up: figure out where I've ended up. Grabbing the tree, I pull myself to my feet, letting out a small hiss of pain when my head gives a rather painful throb. I hope I don't have too bad of a concussion—that would really impair my ability to find my way out of here. I should be fine if I just follow the river, though.

I pull out my phone, knowing it won't work but wondering if I can at least check the time. To my relief, it's only nine-thirty—I was unconscious for only about two or three minutes. That would point to a grade two concussion—I probably shouldn't be wandering around the woods with that kind of injury, but it's not as bad as it could be.

As I turn the phone off, I catch a glimpse of my tangled hair and scratched, bloody face in its dark screen, and I wince. I need a first aid kit or something, but Baymax probably isn't working, and I'm a long way from Tadashi. I'll just have to hope nothing gets infected—which will be hard, since I need mud to mask my scent.

Come to think of it, I should probably do that right away. I kneel down and drag my hands across the wet ground, scooping up mud and smearing it over my face. I try to avoid the cuts, mostly rubbing the dirt over my clothes and shoes. Hopefully I don't accidentally infect anything.

Every muscle in my body shrieks in protest as I start walking, but I ignore the pain and limp through the woods, following the river back upstream. It carried me pretty far in a few minutes, I guess—I don't recognize anything, and I can't see the waterfall. But I have to be close—the river was going pretty fast, but I can't be more than half a mile from where I started.

I duck under a low-hanging branch and stumble onto what looks like a narrow hiking trail—people have gone this way before. Taking that as a good sign, I start walking along the path, which twists and turns and comes really close to dumping me back into the river once. I don't like this much, but at least I have something to follow.

The sky is now completely dark, with stars peeking through the shadows of the trees. The moon, close to full, rises above the canopy, and the forest is bathed in silvery light. It's really pretty, but I still don't like the woods.

My opinion is reinforced when I walk through another spiderweb, and I yelp, raking my hands through my hair again. As I back quickly away from the remains of the web, my feet hit a log, and I yelp again as I trip backwards. My tailbone strikes the ground painfully, and my still-aching head protests at the sudden movement.

"Ow!" I gasp, barely keeping it quieter than a wail. "I hate the woods!"

A strand of spiderweb, stuck to my hair, hangs down in front of my face, and I blow it out of my vision with a sigh of exasperation as I sit there, my legs still resting on the log. I really need to get out of here—I can't walk even a hundred feet without tripping on or running into something. Hopefully Megan is nearby—she can definitely help get us both out of here.

I get up again, rubbing my head to try to alleviate the now-dull ache, and get back onto the path. I've gotta get back to Megan—I'm the one with the backpack. Meg has no supplies—she could die out here.

Maybe I should check that the supplies are actually intact. I pull off my backpack, unzipping it and finding that the gummy bears and water bottles are still sealed and safe to consume. Megan's dress doesn't look damaged, only wet, and my dress shirt is the same. The situation is a lot better than it could be.

Resolving to go on until I find Megan, I set off again, hoisting the backpack higher on my shoulders as I start to dry off. After several minutes of walking, I still haven't found the waterfall—but I have to be walking in the right direction, since I'm heading upstream. The river must have carried me farther than I thought.

Ten minutes later, I finally arrive at the falls, and as I start climbing the very steep path above them, I hear a shout. "Hiro! I swear if you don't come out right now—"

"Meg?" I yell, scrambling back down the path. "Is that you?"

"Hiro?" she gasps, and Megan pushes her way out of the brush, her face just as battered as mine. She's limping heavily and dragging a deflated Baymax, and twigs are tangled in her hair. Still, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

As soon as Megan sees me, she drops Baymax and limps forward, throwing her arms around me. I return the embrace, almost falling over as Megan leans against me with almost her whole weight.

"Are you hurt?" I ask, nodding at her leg as she pulls back, leaning to one side as if she doesn't want to put weight on the other. "Did you go over the falls?"

"I didn't fall—well, not that far, anyway," Megan tells me. "I got out of the river up there and went down the path to find you, but I slipped. I think I might've torn a muscle. What about you—what happened?"

"I bounced off Baymax after we went over," I explain. "I didn't hit the rocks—well, not the rocks I was worried about. Different rock. Hit my head, passed out, woke up like fifteen minutes ago. I guess I hit a tree, and it stopped me from going any farther. I'm okay, though, don't worry. The worst of it is a concussion. It's not bad, I promise."

I don't know if my reassurance is helping—I've gotta look pretty bad, with spiderwebs and sticks tangled in my rat's nest of hair and mud smeared over my scraped-up face. As she scrutinizes me, I offer Megan a timid smile, rubbing the back of my neck.

Megan sighs. "I guess you wouldn't believe me if I told you I was okay either. I'm just glad you're alive."

"What happened to Baymax?" I ask, looking worriedly at the deflated robot.

"He got punctured on the rocks. Can you fix him?"

I hoist Baymax off of Meg's shoulders and examine him, studying the tears on his back. "Probably—but it'll take a while. We have to get out of here first."

Meg suggests that we walk back upstream and try to climb the waterfall, thinking that we'll probably know where to go from there, since I've been to the woods before. I agree with that and slip an arm over her shoulders, supporting Megan on her injured side. To my surprise, she doesn't protest—her leg is either really hurting, or she actually doesn't mind my help. That'd be a first.

The path is treacherous and slippery, and it takes almost half an hour to get to the top of the waterfall. By the time we reach it, my headache is pulsing against the inside of my skull, unhappy with our climb.

Megan, however, is much worse. Her leg is swelling up badly, and I wonder if it's not broken. She says she's okay, but she can't put almost any weight on her leg. If the bones aren't broken, then she must have torn a muscle or a tendon clean through. Tadashi would know what to do, but we're so far away from him—and we don't have service.

I pull out my phone and check the time—ten fifteen. The dance is supposed to be over by now—Aunt Cass, Tadashi, and Chief Cruz will probably give us about half an hour to come home, then send out the police force. And we still don't know where we are—wonderful.

"We're almost there," I tell Megan, trying to be reassuring. "We'll get out of here soon."

"You have no idea what you're doing," Megan grumbles.

"No, I don't," I admit. "But I think we'll be okay, Megan. Everything's gonna be fine."

She sighs. "It'd better be. Maybe someone will find us."

But the hour wears on, the time ticking slowly toward midnight, and we still haven't found anything I recognize. I'm exhausted, scratched, blistered—I don't know if I can go on anymore, especially not while supporting both Megan and Baymax. But I have to—Aunt Cass and Tadashi are probably so worried.

At one in the morning, I can't keep going. Megan is already close to passed out, so I gently set Baymax down and lay Megan on top of him, then ease my aching body down next to her, lying on my back and gazing up at the light of the silvery moon. The glowing, celestial orb is beautiful, almost comforting. Faint stars glitter around it, and I can't help but think how beautiful nature is, the thought obscuring my worries as I drift into sleep.

Rain patters softly on my face, and I come awake, head still aching but not throbbing. I sit up slowly, rubbing the rain out of my eyes and wincing at the discomfort in my muscles—they're sore from the whole ordeal last night. Honestly, everything hurts.

Suddenly, a voice echoes through the woods. "Megan! Hiro! Answer me, please!"

"Chief Cruz?" I call back, my heart lifting as I stumble to my feet. The chief, his eyes wild, bursts into the clearing, asking, "What happened?"

I become suddenly aware of how bad I must look—soaking wet from the rain, streaked with mud, my face scratched and exhausted, bangs plastered to my forehead. And then there's Megan, still asleep on Baymax, her leg visibly swelling and her body covered in scrapes and bruises.

"Hey, Chief Cruz," I mumble. "Long story—how about I tell you on the way back?"

The chief helps me wake up Megan, and he carries his daughter back to his cruiser at the edge of Muirahara Woods, leaving me to drag Baymax through the forest. Megan and I explain the whole story to Chief Cruz on the way to the police station, from leaving the prom to going over the falls to collapsing in the forest. By the time we're done, Chief Cruz's face is stark-white in the rearview mirror.

"I'm just glad you're both alive," he whispers. "We were terrified. But I've called your aunt and told her to come pick you up, Hiro—you'll get medical care and then be sent home."

The cruiser pulls up to the station, where Aunt Cass and Tadashi are waiting. As soon as I step out of the car, pulling the deflated Baymax out behind me, they wrap me in a huge bear hug, nearly lifting me off the ground and refusing to let go for several minutes.

"Let's get you to the hospital," Aunt Cass says breathlessly, pulling back with her hands on my shoulders. "And then home—you need to rest."

"I'm okay, really," I insist. "Nothing's broken. I've just got a headache, that's all."

"Did you hit your head?" Tadashi asks worriedly. "What happened?"

"I already told the whole story to Chief Cruz, Tadashi—"

But I end up retelling it on the way to the hospital, which Chief Cruz is escorting Megan to as well. Tadashi and Aunt Cass both freak out over my description of the waterfall, and a look of physical pain passes over Tadashi's face as I tell him about our trek through the woods. By the time we reach the hospital, both he and Aunt Cass are nearly in tears.

Chief Cruz pulls up behind us, and Megan and I are rushed into the hospital. Dr. Armstrong—who's apparently also Megan's pediatrician—checks Megan out first, and she comes out of his office with a considerable amount of Band-Aids, along with crutches and a brace on her lower leg. Turns out she has a serious tear of her gastrocnemius—thankfully, it doesn't require surgery.

"Hey," Megan says before she leaves the hospital. "Thanks for—for everything, Hiro. I guess I wouldn't have made it out if it wasn't for you."

"You would have," I assure her, pulling Megan's dress out of my backpack and handing it to her. "Sorry our date went wrong—maybe we could try again sometime?"

My face flushes as Megan smiles. "I'd like that, Hiro. Yeah, we can try again—but maybe we could go to the movies or something this time. It'd be a little less…dangerous."

I laugh, abruptly cutting myself off as Megan plants a kiss on my cheek and swings off on her crutches, following Chief Cruz out of the hospital. I sit there, dumbstruck, for several seconds, until Dr. Armstrong calls me back.

"Hey, Hiro!" the doctor says jovially, wheeling his swivel stool over to the examination table I'm sitting on. "Let's get you checked over—what happened? Anything major you can point out?"

"I dunno," I shrug. "I hit my head, but that's about it."

Dr. Armstrong scrutinizes me. "That doesn't look like it, but okay. Let me see your head."

He runs his hands over my scalp, inhaling sharply when he finds the bump on the back of my head. I wince as Dr. Armstrong gently prods the tender goose egg, gauging its severity.

"I've seen worse," he concludes. "It's only a mild concussion, I think—your pupils are dilated, but you're not slurring and you don't seem dizzy. It can't be that bad."

"I was only passed out for a couple minutes," I offer helpfully. "And it hurts a lot less than it did earlier."

Dr. Armstrong gives me ibuprofen for my concussion and tapes Band-Aids over my scrapes, telling me to take it easy for a few days and to not look at screens.

"But then how am I gonna fix Baymax?" I ask. "He's kind of broken."

"I can fix him," Tadashi assures me. "I made him, after all—I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"He's right," Dr. Armstrong says. "Stay in bed for the rest of today, Hiro—get dry and try and get some rest. You're dead on your feet."

Aunt Cass steers me out of the hospital, and the drive home passes in silence. When we get home, I trudge up the stairs, change into pajamas even though it's still morning, and collapse into bed.

"You sure you're okay?" Tadashi asks, sitting on the end of my bed and looking worriedly at me.

"I'm fine, Dashi, I promise," I reply, sitting up and wrapping my arms around my brother's waist. Tadashi plants a good-night kiss on my forehead—something our mother used to do—and goes downstairs, flicking the lights off.

I curl up under my covers, exhausted but happy. Of course I'm okay—I'm over the moon. Megan kissed me, and that was worth everything that happened last night.

Honestly, things couldn't be better.

al fine