It's a Globby, Globby Holiday!
"Ooo! It's almost time! It's almost time! Do you think they'll all show up at once or just a couple at a time? Eh, it doesn't matter. Oh, I better get the eggnog and ginger ale out so it's ready to serve," Globby rapidly and excitedly spoke to Felony Carl as he now rushed off to the kitchen.
The husky biker followed his boyfriend with his eyes and smiled fondly as he put the finishing touches on the ginger bread house he made. It was Christmas Eve and the two reformed criminals were hosting a party for their Big Hero 6 friends, and although Globby was a little worried his friends wouldn't have time to come over, he was surprised and touched to hear they were planning to attend.
For the past week, the couple had worked on decorations, picking food out and getting a few presents to give to their guests. The shapeshifter had already taken care of getting their faux tree covered in ornaments and tinsel as well as got the presents wrapped while Felony Carl was in charge of most of the meal prep; his boyfriend helped out too with decorating cookies, making a fruit salad, chopping veggies, getting all the dishware ready, and setting up the TV trays and extra chairs in the living room. Now, everything for their guests was prepared as the couple waited for them to arrive.
"Okay Felony Carl, I got the drinks out and set them on the counter next to the cups, so we should be good to go. It all smells delicious by the way," Globby informed the other as he walked over to him.
"And I have just now completed this delightfully sweet house," the motorcyclist replied before taking a step back to admire his work. The two of them gazed at decorated dessert, complete with iced doors, windows, roof, and snowflakes patterned along the outside as well as some gumdrops and peppermints attached for added color.
The gelatinous mutant rested his arm on Felony Carl's shoulder, grinned widely and complimented him with, "Dang Carl. That is a work of beauty. You truly are an artist."
Blushing a little from the praise, the goateed man replied, "Thank you for your kind words and validation, for although it should be based on my satisfaction, I value your opinion."
"Aww," Globby remarked before him and his boyfriend briefly nuzzled.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
"Yay! They're here," the superhero exclaimed as he surged around Felony Carl and over the couch to go to the front door, involuntarily waking up their cat Jasmine in the process.
While the white cat's other owner came over to offer some pets, Globby made it to the door and opened it to find all six of his hero friends standing there, carrying presents or food. "Hi guys, we're glad you could come! Aww, you didn't need to bring us anything," the shapeshifter cheerfully said as he ushered them in. As they entered the apartment, Globby was greeted to a "Hey" from most of his guests, with the exceptions being Honey Lemon, who gave him a hug, and Baymax who simply stated, "Hello." Once they all shuffled in, they followed the corridor until they hit the living room, where they were met by Felony Carl.
"Good evening hero teen stars. Hope you find everything festive and the atmosphere cozy," the husky biker told the Big Hero 6 members as they said the same greetings as they did Globby and stood behind the couch. The humans and robot gazed around the decorated room, admiring the beautiful tree, the brightly wrapped gifts, the strung snowflake lights, and the newly finished gingerbread house left on Felony Carl's workbench.
"Wow! It's so pretty you guys! Do you always do this for the holidays?" Honey Lemon inquired as Globby entered the room now, heading directly for his boyfriend.
The gelatinous mutant gave a shrug before he answered with a smile, "More or less, but Carl here is the one who's more in tuned to his inner artist/interior decorator and can make this place look more festive than the Santa station at the mall if he wanted to."
Felony Carl appeared flattered by the remark as he pulled Globby in for a one-arm hug and told everyone, "I am no Lenore Shimamoto or Victor Rothland, but I can get by; besides, Globs here helped out too, so do not let him fool you into thinking this was all my idea."
"Aww," Globby fondly uttered as a red-pink glow came to his cheeks and he wrapped an arm around his boyfriend too; the sweet moment was interrupted however by Wasabi holding up a circular glass dish and asking, "So uh, where do you want us to set these?"
"Oh, sorry. You can just follow me," the resident slime monster said before he gestured for Wasabi, Go Go and Fred to come with him to the kitchen.
For the other three heroes, Honey Lemon and Hiro went for the Christmas tree and placed their presents next to the dozen various colored ones already there while Baymax still stood by the couch.
"I hope your trip over here was not met with much hinderance as surely there are many a last-minute shopper out there," Felony Carl suddenly spoke up, making the trio turn towards him.
Hiro was first to answer as he replied, "A few people were out, but we wound up walking over from Honey Lemon and Go Go's place since it was only a couple blocks away, and this way we got to avoid all the traffic."
The unibrowed man nodded as the other three came over to where he stood by the couch, followed by the chemist eagerly asking, "Can I pet Jasmine?"
"Of course, provided that she is in the mood to receive affection from strangers," Felony Carl told her as he took a step back to let Honey Lemon get closer. The tall woman proceeded to gingerly stick her left hand out next to the white cat's face. Jasmine tentatively sniffed her for a moment, then let out a contented meow before lifting her head into the other's palm and accepting the pet.
"Aww," Hiro and Honey Lemon remarked, only to have Baymax echo them a couple seconds later.
Felony Carl smiled at the sight, knowing their cat wasn't used to so many people all at once, but still was behaving like the good kitty she was.
They were all so focused on Jasmine now that the four of them almost missed the others coming back into the living room, where Globby promptly announced, "Okay everyone, I think we're ready to eat. Come and get it." And just like that, the attention was off the cat, who didn't seem particularly bothered as she laid herself back down while everyone else shuffled to form a line into the kitchen; the gang (excluding Baymax) had smelled the yummy food upon entering the apartment, but they had yet to remarked on it.
"Wow you two, it all looks delicious, and that's coming from someone whose aunt runs a café," Hiro complimented as he surveyed the options.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Fred chimed in, prompting Wasabi in back to lay a hand on Baymax before he went on to explain how starvation works.
Globby scratched the back of his neck as he blushed and said, "Well, Carl gets most of the credit here, but I did what I could with prep." He then smiled enthusiastically and added, "Anyway, I can't wait to try what you guys brought."
For their dinner tonight, it was spread across the kitchen table, countertop and stovetop, with some of the dessert options set on the far end for when everyone got their main course. There were meat dishes of chicken and ham next to a bag of rolls for those that wanted sandwiches or to use them for dipping into the brown gravy, which rested on the stove next to the pot of mashed potatoes; there was also a large bowl filled with salad as well as bottles of ranch, Italian and Caesar dressing placed to the side of it; on a plate next to the fridge, they had sliced canned cranberry sauce that was countered by the cranberry salad Wasabi brought, which had cranberries, apples, oranges, walnuts, and black cherry gelatin coarsely chopped and blended together. In addition to the mashed potatoes on the stove, there was a green bean casserole laid next to it that was still piping hot; a dozen and a half-deviled eggs had also been made and placed on the other side of the oven, as was the fruit salad Globby had whipped up and the pistachio salad Go Go and Honey Lemon made. To round everything up, the big desserts were the decorated sugar cookies, a chocolate peanut butter pie and an apple pie Fred had bought from Aunt Cass at the Lucky Cat Café to give her some last-minute holiday revenue.
All the plates, bowls, utensils, cups, and napkins were near the kitchen entrance on the dining room table, so the reformed criminals' guests proceeded to switch between getting their food first or going for the drinks. Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Hiro were in the latter as they got ginger ale or eggnog, although the physicist and chemist also filled up a cup with tap water too; as for the other two, Fred and Go Go each grabbed a plate and bowl along with their forks and spoons, then getting some of each item (except dessert) with the comic book fan piling in on noticeably more. While those two left the kitchen to find a seat and the other three reentered, Baymax, Felony Carl and Globby stood waiting patiently until those five were done for now, at which point the robot went to be by Hiro's side and the couple finally got their food.
"Well, it looks like we chose wisely for tonight's menu options," Felony Carl remarked as he got himself some rolls to make some sliders.
Globby nodded as he scooped mashed potatoes onto his plate and made a well for the gravy. "I'll say. Maybe we won't actually have leftovers tonight," he replied.
"And if we do, I am sure it will still just be as delicious as it is now," the motorcyclist added with a cheeky grin, making his boyfriend smile too.
Fabricating an extra pair of arms, Globby poured himself a glass of ginger all and another with eggnog, followed by holding them up and flirtatiously telling Felony Carl, "I've got you covered on drinks Guapo."
"Thanks Globs," the other man sincerely said before placing a quick peck on the other's cheek causing him to blush again.
"You're lucky you're so wonderful and sweet or I'd start to think you like seeing me like this," Globby sassily told Felony Carl as he now poured some fruit salad into a bowl.
"Maybe I do," his love slyly retorted, resulting in them both giggling as they quickly finished up.
Once they returned to the living room, they could very well see everyone enjoying their meal, although Honey Lemon had scooted her chair and TV tray closer to the couch so she'd be able to pet Jasmine more as well as it put her next to Go Go.
"Taste great guys," Fred complimented as the duo walked by, briefly stopping his eating to take a sip of his drink.
"Yeah, nice job," Go Go chimed in next, leading to a round of them going "Thanks" and "Yeah" in appreciation.
Feeling flattered again, Globby did his best to give a dismissive shrug and told them, "We're just glad you like it. The stuff you guys brought looks yummy too."
It was when the reformed criminals went to sit down that the pink and purple one spotted the TV remote and said with a touch of guilt, "Oh, shame on us for not putting something on while you ate. Here." He proceeded to reach for the small device and turned the TV on, followed by clicking down the list of options. "Well, there's a lot of options. We could put on a simple fireplace background, or there's a classic Christmas songs channel, umm…oh, they're playing some of those old stop-motion specials. Those might be good. What do you guys want?"
Go Go was first to voice her opinion as she answered with, "Not the Christmas songs. I have been hit with "Fa-La-La-La" this past week alone enough times to last a lifetime."
Her friend only blinked before giving a short "Okay" and continued scrolling. "Let's see…uh…Oh, there's the always debated Christmas movie 'Unkillable.' We could watch that," Globby said as he looked around to gauge everyone's reaction.
"Works for me," came Wasabi's response first, which was soon followed by Fred going "Awesome" and a mixture of "Okay" and "Sounds good" from the others.
"Sweet," the gelatinous hero swiftly remarked as he made the selection and finally got to start eating. The idle conversation proceeded to die down in favor of paying attention to the movie, although Globby did ask his boyfriend how he liked the food and received a thumbs up in response before being given the same question; he simply answered by saying it was absolutely delicious, followed by both of them continuing to savor their holiday meals.
As for the film itself, the action-packed and violent nature of it left everyone feeling overall entertained, especially Fred who let out the occasional squeal and would nudge Wasabi to say, "Ooo, I love this scene."
At a certain point, Baymax felt the need to speak up and voice his worries with, "I am not sure if this level of graphic violence is considered to be in the spirit of the season as well as I have concerns on the effect it may have on someone of Hiro's age."
The teen genius playfully rolled his eyes and said, "It's okay buddy. First off, I've already seen it before because I am after all a teenager who can find a way to see an R-rated movie, and secondly, it takes place during Christmas so I say it counts as an appropriate movie."
"I'm with Hiro on this," Fred weighed in with his opinion, making everyone face him.
Wasabi proceeded to shrug and added, "I'm on the fence about it, but it sounded more appealing than those stop-motion specials." He then appeared slightly more disturbed as he admitted, "Those figurines they use can just look so creepy."
"Fair," Go Go unexpectedly said before she took a sip of water.
Getting everyone back on track, Honey Lemon smiled and looked around as she cheerfully said, "Well, whatever kind of movie it is, let's just be glad it's got something for everyone." There was a mumble of consensus as they resumed eating and watching the film, remarking or gasping at key moments and all but Baymax venturing into the kitchen at one point or another to get a little more of the festive feast.
It was around 30minutes later that the group seemed satisfied and was ready to move on to dessert, with Globby and Felony Carl being gracious enough to take the dirty dishes off their guests' hands.
"You good?"
"Yeah."
"I will take that then."
"Thanks."
"I've got that for ya."
"Need any help you two?"
"We're good," came the general responses as all the utensils, plates and bowls clanged as they contacted each other. The couple then took their loads back to the kitchen and set everything in the sink to be handled later.
"Well, I'd say it's going good so far. How about you?" the pink and purple man inquired to his boyfriend, brandishing a small, happy smile.
"I think they are having a nice time, as am I. We probably can serve dessert so we can get presents underway in case they need to depart early," Felony Carl replied.
Globby nodded and told him, "Yeah, you're right. We'll have them get theirs while we take care of the leftovers. Don't want you to wind up getting sick from some bacteria or whatever from dinner sitting out too long."
His boyfriend quirked his unibrow with intrigue as he inquired with an amused grin, "Care to tell me how that bit of trivia-esque knowledge was brought to your attention as it wasn't a concern of yours at one point?"
With a shrug, Globby honestly answered, "Hang around with Baymax and the others long enough, you pick up on things here and there, even basic ones that I really wished I had known about sooner." He then leaned in closer as whispered, "Fred must have some kind of iron stomach or something with his devil may care attitude with the things I've seen him eat."
The two proceeded to share a quick chuckle before the gelatinous mutant headed back to the entrance of the living room and told the group, "Hey, if you guys want to grab dessert, you can go right on ahead. We'll just be a minute or so."
"Alright," came Honey Lemon, who stood up first along with Go Go and Hiro, followed by walking over to where he stood. Once they reentered the kitchen, each superhero got a plate and fork before browsing the options, where they all wound up sampling a little of each, except for Hiro who had to skip the chocolate peanut butter pie thanks to his allergy. While the trio was cutting their slices of pie out, the reformed criminals were getting everything put away as planned with a surprisingly small number of leftovers to deal with, having the biggest offender be the green bean casserole. They put the lids back on the cranberry and pistachio salads their friend had brought and put them in the fridge too to help keep them from spoiling. After Hiro, Go Go and Honey Lemon got all they wanted, Fred and Wasabi ventured into the area a few seconds later and grabbed their cutlery just as Felony Carl was finishing putting away the small amount of chicken.
From the living room, the couple then soon heard the voice of Hiro callout, "Tastes awesome guys!"
"Yeah, I love your cookies! They're so cute," Honey Lemon complimented right after.
There was a slight pause in between for when Go Go finally decided to speak up with, "Great work with the pie."
Felony Carl and Globby looked at each other and blinked before they smiled at the flattering remarks, followed by the latter shouting, "Glad you like it. You're welcome to have more."
Not a minute later after receiving those praises, the couple was done with their tasks and proceeded to treat themselves to some sweets too. Both of them got a little of each with the superhero grabbing a Christmas tree cookie while the other snagged a snowman, then heading back into the living to rejoin their guests.
"Everything still tasing good?" Globby asked as his eyes wandered to his friends and receiving various head nods and "Uh-huhs" in return. He gave a large grin as he promptly sat down next to Felony Carl and resumed watching the movie while eating.
Dessert lasted only around 15minutes this time as everyone but Baymax was more or less feeling full by this point, so seconds weren't really on anyone's mind at the moment. Although they both noticed this, the husky biker spoke first as he offered, "Hey, since we have a bountiful amount of confectionary goods still to share, feel free to take some cookies or pie home with you."
Globby nodded in confirmation and added, "Yeah, we're good on goodies because as you guys know, I am a living sweets factory." With a wink, he then turned his hand into chocolate chip cookie dough for a moment as he always like to demonstrate that fact about himself, followed by changing it back to its normal gelatinous form.
After getting a couple giggles out of that, Fred excitedly said, "Ooo ooo, in that case, I'll get me more of that chocolate peanut butter pie! Heathcliff makes amazing cookies too, but I don't think I've ever seen him make this; guess I know what I'm asking for after dinner this week."
Gazing around at his friends once again and seeing they were basically finished, Globby then put his hands together and stood up, getting all the heroes' attention and even waking up Jasmine for a couple seconds. "Well, if we're all ready, I can take your plates and we can get started on presents," the shapeshifter announced as he gauged everyone's responses.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Sweet!"
"Cool."
"Works for me."
"Okay then," Globby chirped as he stretched his arms over to each of his friends' trays and stacked the dishware on top of one another, expertly keeping it in place thanks to his powers. He proceeded to head towards the kitchen and drop the new set of dirty dishes into the sink while he could hear the sound of shuffling and metal popping. Must be taking apart the TV trays, the reformed mutant deduced as he turned around to return to the living room and saw he was right. The others were then placing the trays off to the side of the entryway to be fully put up later. After he helped his guests, Felony Carl lowered the volume of the TV so as to provide ambient background noise for their final activity.
Baymax shuffled himself out of the way while the apartment residents ventured over to the Christmas tree to start divvying out gifts; meanwhile, the others rotated sits as Honey Lemon, Hiro and Fred moved to the couch, Wasabi went to the chemist's former seat and Go Go remained in place.
Reaching behind some of the boxes and bags on the floor, Globby picked up a rectangular box that was wrapped in sparkling red paper and loudly said, "Okay, looks like the first one's for Hiro."
Hearing his name, the teen genius stood and took a few steps over to grab his gift and told them, "Thanks."
Globby shrugged and replied, "Eh, it's no big deal, but you're welcome. Hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will." With that exchange finished, Hiro sat back down and ripped the paper off in a matter of seconds, followed by pulling the tape off of it and reaching inside. "Whoa, a whole box gummy bears!" he exclaimed as he practically lit up in excitement, pulling out some of the contents to show the others.
The couple shared a smile before Felony Carl informed Hiro, "Honey Lemon over there told us about your preference for these delightful sweets, so it seemed like a safe gift. I do not recommend eating them in one sitting however."
Upon hearing that advice, Baymax raised a hand and announced, "I will ensure he does not ingest an unsafe amount that will result in gastrointestinal distress or elevated blood sugar levels."
Everyone smiled, smirked or chuckled at the robot's statement, but Hiro went ahead and assured his friend, "Don't worry Baymax. I'll pace myself so they last a while."
The robotic companion then lowered his hand, satisfied with the answer and prompting Felony Carl to fish out the next gift. He grabbed a silver-wrapped one, saw the name on the tag and read aloud, "Looks like this one is for you Go Go. Hopefully you will find it acceptable."
The speedster nodded and stood up before taking a couple steps towards the other and retrieved the small box. "Thanks," she simply told the pair as she then effortlessly removed the paper and flipped the tabs open. "Huh," Go Go remarked as she peered inside and pulled out the curious item they had given her: a painted model motorcycle that resembled her own.
Globby smiled as his friend inspected the object and wrapped an arm around Felony Carl, followed by proudly stating, "That's Carl's handiwork. He's really great and creative like I already said. He made those too!" He proceeded to point over towards the shelf with more tiny motorcycles while his boyfriend blushed slightly from the comments.
The others turned and admired Felony Carl's crafts before Go Go spoke up again with, "Cool. Always appreciate someone who values such elegant machines. Lots of great models you've got there too."
"Thank you for your kind words and I am pleased to hear the gift was well received," the bandana-clad man replied as he gave a small nod. He then was freed from the shapeshifter's grip so he could reach for one of the presents. "It looks like we have one here for you Globs," Felony Carl announced with a sly look, making his partner go "Oh" as he accepted the snowman-patterned gift bag.
He quickly read the tag and saw it was from Honey Lemon and Go Go, making him smile widely and give a heartfelt, "Thanks."
"No problem." Go Go replied with a small grin of her own.
"You're welcome, and really it's sort of a gift for the both of you," Honey Lemon quickly added.
Globby nodded and proceeded to reach inside and carefully removed the red tissue paper inside to reveal his present: a miniature Christmas tree with a specially designed base that made it hover and spin in midair; it was as if their own tree had been shrunk down and placed on this electromagnetic device with how much detail was painted onto it.
"Oh my gosh! This looks amazing! Thank you so much! I really think we're going to have to have it out all year with how crazy cool and pretty it is," the shapeshifter complimented as he handed it to Felony Carl for him to look at it. Without even bothering to stand up, Globby then stretched his upper half over to the two women and gave them both a hug, being sure to not leave any slime as he did so. Honey Lemon was of course more enthusiastic about the embrace than Go Go, but the latter accepted it nonetheless (or at the very least was used to these hugs by now).
The reformed mutant pulled himself back to his normal self a few seconds later as his boyfriend handed him the tree back and remarked, "This is truly a beautiful meshing of artistic and engineering prowess. Thank you for creating this for us."
"Anytime," Honey Lemon chirped back as Globby extended his arms over to the coffee table and placed the festive statue on top of it, giving it a little spin before reeling them back in.
"Okay, let's seeee…and it seems it's Wasabi's turn," the pink and purple man informed everyone as he pulled up a rectangular emerald-green present with a big red bow on top.
"Sweet," the physicist said as he got up and was handed his gift. He promptly returned to his seat and began to carefully remove the wrapping paper, slicing along the tape so it could unfold as neat as possible without tearing. Everyone else politely watched while he did so, although for Fred the anticipation was obviously killing him as he wiggled in his seat. Wasabi got the cardboard box inside freed about a minute later, where he proceeded to peel the last bit of tape off and opened it.
"Wow, is this what I think it is?" the sweater-clad man wondered out loud in excitement as he pulled out a handheld vacuum. It was mostly white with green and electric-blue accents on it and even had his name written on the handle.
"Yep, that's the Vortex800 vacuum. It's the same model we use for Jasmine, so we know it's a good product. Felony Carl and I didn't know how long you've had your old one, but we figured if we at least made it customizable, then it would mean you'd have the other around should anything happen to this one or vice versa," Globby explained with a bright smile. He then looked a bit sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck and added, "Honestly it was a tough decision whether to do this or a handmade sweater since we know you make them too as well as we didn't want to give you something you felt like you had to use, soooo…"
Wasabi smiled warmly at the other's reaction and kindly told him, "I get it. You're all good and if anything, maybe that can be next year's gift." He then inspected the device before he asked, "So, I'm guessing that means you bought this then?"
"Yep. We bought it, then decorated it later. I might be able to replicate anything, but I was not going to gamble on making a complicated machine from scratch," the shapeshifter answered with a confirming nod from his boyfriend.
"That's fair, but anyway thanks. I'm sure I'll use it soon," Wasabi responded with sincerity and a smile before he said, "Now open up the other one from us."
At his urging, the couple picked the other gift their friends had brought, a medium-sized gold wrapped box that was from Hiro. "You do it this time Carl," Globby eagerly insisted as he placed the item on his roommate's lap.
"As you wish," Felony Carl cheekily replied, ripping the paper off with ease a few seconds later.
When he got to the cardboard underneath, he peeled the tape off and lifted the tabs up to find the gift inside wasn't really something for them, but for Jasmine. The husky biker proceeded to pull out something that resembled a thick, black and purple disc, but it had a red light on top and wheels on the bottom.
"It's a free-roaming laser pointer," the teen genius proceeded to explain, prompting Felony Carl and Globby to look at him. "I designed something just like it for our cat Mochi and my aunt loves it almost as much as he does. You can program how often you want it to go off and has sensors to keep it from bumping into stuff. It'll also always point it on the floor so you shouldn't have to worry about Jasmine jumping onto the TV or something crazy like that."
"Ooo," the gelatinous mutant remarked, followed by his boyfriend giving a thoughtful hum as he examined the device.
He then gave an approving smirk and said with an amused smile, "I do hope our little angel decides to take this mobile feline entertainment machine for a ride too as that would undoubtedly be adorable and funny."
That notion made Honey Lemon give a small squeal of joy and asked, "If she does, can you get a video of it for me? I just love cat videos!"
"As do I, so I am more than happy to oblige," Felony Carl eloquently answered her.
"And since you just spoke up, here you go Honey Lemon," Globby chimed in as he grabbed a bright, sparkly pink box with a white ribbon around it and stretched his arms on over to the chemist.
"Oh! Thanks you! Ooo! I can't wait to see what's inside," the peppy young woman said as everyone watched in anticipation. She proceeded to pull the ribbon keeping it all together off, leaving the pretty, thick string to the side of her in case Jasmine wanted to play with it later. She then looked inside and let out another excited sound as she reached in and pulled out a plastic case filled with thirty different paint tubes; beneath that, there were also ten small, thin canvases for the young woman to use.
"Eee! I can't believe the variety you got here! Carmine red all the way to fuchsia and they all look so vivid! Oh, I'll have to do some portraits with these," she gushed and rapidly spouted to the others as the items were held out.
Seeing Honey Lemon's positive reaction, Globby positively beamed with pride and informed her, "Well, I figured it would be easier to get the right shade if you had more to work with. I know I don't have nearly the knowledge about art like you do, but even I understand that basic concept. Plus, having a boyfriend who has a keen eye for this sort of thing really comes in handy." He let out a small laugh at the end as he looked to Felony Carl for confirmation or a quip, only to be surprised a moment later by Honey Lemon wrapping an arm around each in a hug.
"You guys are too sweet! I'll have to paint something for you both! Oh, your birthday's coming up soon too Globby! I'll have to have it ready by then so I can gift you with the gift you gave me," the energetic chemist relayed to the reformed criminals, who could only smile brightly and chuckle softly at the other's passion and kindness.
"I can't wait to see it and I'm sure it'll be beautiful," the gelatinous mutant replied as he returned the hug.
The long-haired woman eventually let go and returned to her seat, giving the sleepy white cat a few stroked along her back. Once she did that, Felony Carl grabbed a Santa-Claus patterned bag and announced, "We have come at last to your present Fred," followed by lifting his arm up as the young rich man quickly stood up and came over upon his name being heard.
"Ooo! It's not very heavy. Maybe it's a set of new comic books or an ugly Christmas sweater or some candy like Hiro's or-"
"Or you can stop speculating and just find out what it is," Go Go flatly interrupted, making the others face her for a moment.
"Oh, right," Fred slowly stated as he scratched the back of his head. He then sat down and got to work removing the tissue paper until his gift was revealed, letting out a surprised gasp when he saw it.
"Oh my gosh! It's me!" the reptilian hero exclaimed as he pulled out a blue action figure that was in fact his Fredzilla costume. "I can't believe all the detail you got on it. This baby looks just like me but mini; this must be how Baymax felt when he saw Mini-Max," Fred remarked, making Baymax tilt his head and say, "I do not recall being this loud and sporadic during my first interaction with him."
Everyone let out a short, affectionate chuckle at the healthcare bot's response, followed by Globby telling him, "Well, it always feels good to hear such positive feedback when I make something and besides, every hero should have an action figure of themselves at some point, even if it's just for their own enjoyment." He then looked a little more serious as he added, "But seriously, if merchandise ever gets made of you guys, you can count on Felony Carl and I to help find any knockoff stuff that would no doubt be floating around in this city's underground."
His boyfriend proceeded to give a thumbs up in confirmation while BH6 just looked at one another before Hiro spoke up with, "Alright then. Thanks."
With that moment passed and Fred's present given, that left only one more being to receive a gift tonight, but the couple didn't have one that could be packaged in a box or bag to give Baymax. Both of the reformed criminals stood up for a minute as the shapeshifter said, "Hey Baymax, we uh didn't really know what to get you for a gift. I suggested batteries, but Hiro told me you don't even use AAAs or those weird 9V ones, so is there anything you think you'd want before Carl and I do what we had planned?"
The inflatable bot tilted his head again as he pondered the query for a couple seconds and blinked, eventually responding with, "I am unable to determine if there is truly an item I need or want beyond the sustenance my body requires to function and I currently am all stocked up on my healthcare essentials."
It was then that an idea popped into Hiro's head on something he thought his best friend would like, prompting him to stand up and say, "Wait. I think I know something." He stepped over to Globby a moment later and whispered to him, causing the gelatinous mutant to go "Uh-huh. Oh, really?" as he quirked his brow and went "Okay" by the end of it.
After the teen genius sat back down, Globby gave a clearing cough and told the mechanical man, "Well, before we get back to the original plan, according to Hiro just now, he thinks you might want to have one of theses." The mostly transparent superhero proceeded to hold up his pink hands as he began to form a rather peculiar gift, especially for a robot. From his slime, it grew, twisted and changed shape until it became a sipping bird toy, complete with a blue top hat and filled with red liquid. He then gently passed it over to Baymax, who stared at it as the glass bird dipped up and down in its never-ending cycle.
The healthcare companion blinked before he replied with, "Thank you for the present. I must ask though, what was it you and Felony Carl wanted to initially give me instead of the toy?"
The couple exchanged a knowing look upon hearing the question, followed by the husky biker suggesting, "You may wish to hand your gift over to your friend there first." Baymax blinked again but obeyed a moment later as he passed the toy over to Hiro and faced the duo.
With a wide smile, Globby then wrapped his arms around the marshmallow robot and gave him a deep hug, to which the other reciprocated. "Ahh, I'll never tire of these," the shapeshifter contently sighed as they continued their embrace for a few more seconds, not caring in the slightest when Honey Lemon took out her phone and took a picture. Eventually, Globby pulled away so Felony Carl could have his turn as he copied his boyfriend's actions.
Once they were hugging, the unibrowed man remarked, "The best part about performing such gestures is when they aren't one-sided."
"Agreed," Baymax said before their comforting motion ended.
Globby proceeded to slyly tell everyone," By the way, our hugs are not limited to Baymax, so feel free to come and get some before you leave."
"Oh, you know I can't refuse one from a friend," Honey Lemon cheerfully said as she put her phone down and took the offered hug, followed by moving to Felony Carl and then Baymax.
With the main presents opened and the chemist getting her warm embraces in, the party goers found there really wasn't much else they needed to do, prompting Go Go to ask, "So, what now guys?" Everyone then looked at one another as no one really had an answer, with even a few like Hiro, Wasabi and Felony Carl checking the time on their phones. After almost 15seconds on uncertainty, Globby gave a clearing cough before scratching the back of his head and sheepishly said, "Well, I'm sure it's getting late for you guys. You don't have to stay if you don't want to and there's probably other stuff you all need to do to get ready for tomorrow."
Instead of being met with agreement at his statement though, the five sitting heroes exchanged knowing expressions until Fred chirped, "I'm actually good to stay a little while longer."
Honey Lemon and Go Go smiled in unison as the latter told them, "Us too."
"Yeah. I think we can at least finish up the rest of the movie. It just wouldn't feel right to start something and not see it completed," Wasabi chimed in with a sly grin, even though they all hadn't really paid attention to the film since they began opening gifts. Upon hearing their friends agree to still stay over, the reformed criminals could then bear nothing but appreciative, warm smiles at their touching gesture.
"Thanks guys," Globby softly said to them, promptly followed by Felony Carl agreeing with, "You are indeed very kind, genuine folks."
Everyone but Baymax smiled once again and with those words of gratitude spoken, Globby reached over and grabbed two chairs for him and his boyfriend to sit in so as to not force Honey Lemon, Hiro or Fred to move. After they got comfortable, he then went for the TV remote and turned the volume back up just as the protagonist took out a couple bad guys with some punches.
"Ouch. That had to hurt," Fred commented with a wince.
"I can confirm that such a hit would result in bruising and would be sore for three to five days," Baymax informed the group, making the rest chuckle at the robot's interjection. They all then returned their focus to the large screen as the movie played with remarks and brief conversations popping up every once in a while, enjoying the merriment that comes from being surrounded by good friends; after all, they didn't need to wait for this particular time of year to show how much they meant to each other, it was just a more celebrated occasion to do so.
NOTES
This came out longer than expected and I needed to get it done before it actually was Christmas, so hopefully it's okay I only had Felony Carl and Globby get two presents, especially since three members of BH6 brought food to share. :) Also, I grew up on those Rankin-Bass stop motion specials, so of course I had to reference them here. ;) In addition, the "Unkillable" movie is obviously "Die Hard" and I'd be up for having that play when at a Christmas party, although usually it was "Home Alone," "Elf" or some other movie when we went over to our relative's home. :)
I also debated on what Wasabi's gift would be because while Globby could very well have made a custom sweater for him, Wasabi knits as well and I've had it come up several times when selling my hats and scarves that they don't buy any because they have family members that give them that stuff, so the custom vacuum would also be valued and certainly be used; then I figured I'd add that debate into the story. ;)
"Cutscenes" should be back in 3 weeks with Globby and Felony Carl going over to Honey Lemon and Go Go's place for dinner. ^_^3