Chapter Text
Sometime after Hiro’s friends have left for the day, Cass walks upstairs to check on him. She finds Hiro sitting with and leaning against Baymax on the couch.
Hiro looks over. “Hey, Aunt Cass.”
“Hi, sweetheart,” Cass sits on Hiro’s other side, “What are you thinking about?”
“Just stuff,” Hiro straightens up on the couch, “About the future, I guess…”
“What about the future?”
Hiro takes a breath. “I used to think that all these doors would open for me after SFIT. My friends all had interviews after they graduated, and they found jobs not that long after. And I just fell behind, you know?”
“It’s normal to feel discouraged.”
“It’s not just that… Even if I finish my portfolio and apply to a bunch of jobs and do a bunch of interviews, I have nowhere I want to go... and nothing that I want to do anymore. I… I don’t know what to do, Aunt Cass. When I graduated, it felt like my life was over.”
“You don’t have to figure everything out now,” Cass tells him, “You’re so young, Hiro.”
“But if I can’t do something brilliant, I’m basically nothing. A genius who’s just wasting his life— which is exactly what Tadashi didn’t want to happen. It’s why he got me to apply to SFIT in the first place… I… I’m letting him down every day.”
“Do you think Tadashi would say that if he were here today? That you’re letting him down?”
“... Maybe not,” Hiro looks away, “But Tadashi knew exactly what he wanted to do. He should’ve been the one to see all of it through.”
“He faced many failures to get where he was, too.”
“I know that. He failed eighty-four times with Baymax.”
“Eighty-three,” Baymax corrects.
Cass chuckles.
“How did you do it?” Hiro then asks Cass.
Cass isn’t sure what he means. “... How did I do what?”
“You… lost your parents and your sibling… just like me, didn’t you? Wasn’t it hard to go through all of that? And then to take care of me and Tadashi… and then to lose Tadashi, and then I almost—… left you too.”
“It was hard,” Cass holds Hiro’s shoulder, “Life is hard. And we can’t be expected to get through it in a pretty way. I know I haven’t always shown you my uglier sides… but some of my friends sure have.”
“Like Sayaka?”
“Yeah. Like Sayaka. And a few kind customers here and there would be so patient with me if I was having a rough day. I wouldn’t have made it without the kindness and compassion of other people.”
“… I wish I was one of those compassionate people.”
“Oh, sweetie, you were. You are.”
“Not always. I know you think I'm a caring person… that I look out for other people. But, the truth is, I’ve been in my own head so much that I didn’t think a lot about what other people were feeling… And realizing that made me feel even worse.”
“It's okay to look after yourself before taking care of someone else. Sometimes, I have to keep learning that lesson.”
“Yeah, don’t work too hard, Aunt Cass.”
Cass smiles. “I’ll try not to.”
“I’m, uh,” Hiro moves to stand up, “gonna go to my room for a bit.”
“Alright, hun... I’ll call you downstairs for dinner.”
Hiro moves slowly up the stairs into his bedroom as Baymax follows behind him. When Baymax steps into his charging station, Hiro sits on his bed and glances around the room. He sees the empty page still sitting on his desk.
Then, his eyes move toward his chair. “Damn.”
“What seems to be the trouble?” Baymax asks him.
“I forgot to give Megan’s sweater back.”
As if the universe was listening, Hiro’s phone starts to buzz in his pocket. He pulls it out to check it.
INCOMING CALL
MEGAN
“Why’re you calling?” The question slips out of Hiro's mouth when he answers the call.
“Wow, hello to you too,” Megan has a sarcastic tone, “I’m making up for the calls I should’ve made before. You can call me whenever you want, too.”
“Okay…” Hiro nearly smiles, “Oh, so I uh… forgot to give you your sweater while you were here.”
“You have my sweater?”
“Your dad let me wear it the other day when… uh… after…”
“... Ah.”
The mood darkens, at least for Hiro. Shit, maybe he shouldn’t have said that–
“Can you clean it, first?”
“What?”
“My sweater. Unless you don’t know how to do laundry.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m kidding,” Megan’s laugh lightens the mood.
Although, Hiro doesn’t want to confess that he actually doesn’t know. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Sure… I had a question, actually. So, about the Karmi thing–”
Hiro groans a bit. “If you’re going to tell me to text her–”
“Does she know about Big Hero 6?”
Hiro sighs. “She… doesn’t know I was a part of Big Hero 6.”
“What about the last time you met her? You didn’t tell her then?”
“No... fuck, I feel like an ass.”
“Wait, why?”
“Karmi, that was, uh, well, genius,” Hiro tells Karmi, still in his disguise after the battle.
Karmi smiles. “I got the idea from episode one of my series.”
“The one where we use Steamer’s own creation against him?”
“You watched it?”
“Yes. It– It was impressive.”
Then, it’s quiet.
“Sorry–” Karmi finally speaks again, “I was totally in love with you once, but… after I left SFIT, I realized I like someone else now. He doesn’t know.”
“I think she meant the actual you, dude,” Megan says after listening to Hiro's retelling.
“I think so too… But, after that day, I realized I… I shouldn’t have heard it.”
“Why? Don’t you feel the same way?”
“I don’t know. But, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t supposed to hear her tell me— not like that. She didn’t know Hiro was listening. If she ever found out– I… feel like she’d hate me for it.”
“Okay, I get that. So, that’s why you haven’t been in touch with her?”
“It’s not like she’s texted me either, so… yeah.”
“... Do you want to tell her? I mean, I’ve got your back, whatever you do, you know that right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
…
Cass considers it a win when Hiro joins her at the dinner table that night. She’ll take a silent dinner with her nephew over a night alone.
When she is sorting the laundry after dinner, Hiro comes in with a few clothes in hand.
Honestly, Cass is a bit surprised that he tidied his room at all. “Leave your clothes here and I’ll wash them for you.
“Want me to do the laundry?” Hiro offers.
Cass raises an eyebrow. “Do you know how ?”
“... Not really.”
“I’ll show you right now if you’d like.”
With that, Cass has Hiro separate each load into whites and colors first. Then, they work their way up to fabric types – jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts in one pile, delicates in another.
But Mochi gets in the way of Hiro’s hands, causing him to drop a couple of clothes. “Not now, Mochi.”
Cass chuckles, picking up the clothes for him. She pauses at the sweater.
Hiro looks at her. “Aunt Cass?”
“Is this Megan’s? The one Diego lent you?”
“Oh… Yeah…”
“Well, let’s give it a nice wash before you give it back to Megan,” Cass then says, “Is she coming back tomorrow?”
“I’m… going to her house the day after.”
“Are Fred, Gogo, Honey Lemon, and Wasabi coming back tomorrow?”
“Yeah, they are… They’ll head back out of the city after that. Before then, Fred wants to take all of us to the arcade, and then karaoke.”
“You don’t sound thrilled.”
“It’s just… What if I don’t have fun?… I might disappoint them.”
“Sweetheart… No one will be disappointed if you don’t enjoy something.”
“I don’t know about that…”
“Well, we certainly won’t be disappointed in you for being you.”
…
“Man, I love you guys,” Fred tries to wrap his arms around everyone the next day as they walk together toward the arcade.
“It sure doesn’t take much to impress you,” Gogo comments, “We’re just talking normally.”
“I think that’s what Fred means,” Wasabi tells Gogo.
“It’s nice though,” Honey Lemon smiles, “for all of us to be together like this again. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest.”
No one will be disappointed if you don’t enjoy something.
Hiro still isn’t sure how much he’ll enjoy today. Sure, his friends may not be disappointed, but he might be. Also, he didn’t think he and his friends would have to walk this far to the arcade from where Wasabi parked his car.
The voices of his friends fade into the background as the sounds of the passing vehicles seem to get louder. Hiro’s gaze moves toward the street, wondering what it would feel like if one of the cars–
He counts the cars.
One.
Two.
Three–
“Did you see something?” Fred asks, putting a hand on Hiro’s shoulder.
Hiro shakes his head. “No, sorry. Let’s go.”
…
Everyone takes turns playing against each other. And, at first, Hiro’s playing every game on autopilot. He can beat everyone at Street Wars. He can beat everyone at Alien Raiders.
So Hiro takes a break from playing. He becomes a bit more present when watching Fred face Wasabi in a Wormhole arcade game.
“Booyah!” Wasabi cheers for himself, “I’m getting the hang of this!”
“Shit!” Fred yells at the screen, “I didn’t mean to do that!”
“Then don’t do that,” Gogo comments.
“Wow, thanks, Gogo, that’s really helpful! Now try to beat Hiro with that same attitude!”
A small laugh surprisingly comes out of Hiro.
“Having fun?” Honey Lemon asks him.
Huh. Okay. Maybe Hiro is enjoying himself a little.
…
But Hiro’s too embarrassed to try singing any karaoke.
“One song?” Honey Lemon urges him, “I’ll sing with you.”
“You guys go ahead,” Hiro insists, “It’s more fun to watch you guys anyway.”
“You didn’t sing at Krei-oke either,” Wasabi realizes.
“Oh man,” Hiro remembers that time, “Still can’t believe Krei called it that. And I’m not the only one who didn’t sing. Fred didn’t.”
“I was recording!” Fred reminds them, “And, hey, Gogo didn’t sing either!”
“Of course, I didn’t,” Gogo thinks back to the memory, “Did you guys forget that Hiro, Baymax, and I dealt with the mascot robots behind the scenes that night?”
Everyone is quiet for a moment.
“That night…” Honey Lemon’s voice is soft, “And then the time after that, when we reformed all the mascot robots, was… probably the last thing we all did together as Big Hero 6.”
“Yeah,” Wasabi nods, “After that, there were just a few isolated incidents where only one or two of us at a time was really needed…”
“And then we weren’t needed at all,” Fred finishes.
“What happened to those robots?” Gogo looks at Hiro, “Weren’t they living with you and Cass? I just realized we didn’t see them yesterday.”
“They disappeared one day,” Hiro explains, “Left a note just to say thank you and goodbye. Nothing else. No explanation.”
“Which meant his aunt Cass lost her new staff,” Fred adds, “and she’s back to being a busybody.”
“That’s surprising,” Gogo then says, “that those robots left.”
“All they wanted was to be a family,” Honey Lemon follows, “Why would they leave when they could finally be one?”
“Guess everyone likes to leave me,” Hiro slips out, but quickly retracts it, “Sorry. That wasn’t supposed to sound sad.”
“You’re allowed to be sad if you are,” Honey Lemon holds his hand, “Come on, sing a sad song with me.”
Hiro almost laughs again. “No way.”
“Okay, then pick the next song for Gogo.
“How did I get pulled into this?” Gogo sighs.
“Please, Gogo?”
After Hiro actually picks something from the song selection screen, Gogo gives in and sings a ballad next. In contrast, Honey Lemon sings heavy metal music with Fred. Then, Wasabi sings some sort of funk song.
Hiro doesn’t sing. But, at least he’s smiling again.
When the rest of the gang is all sung out, they sit in the room together and just chat.
“Does anyone else besides me miss being a superhero?” Fred finally asks, “I know it’s a good thing if the city is safe, but…”
Honey Lemon lets out a breath. “Sometimes, I miss it, too. It’s not that I want more crimes to happen, I just miss the feeling of the way we overcame challenges together.”
“I do miss the adrenaline,” Wasabi confesses, “Even though I definitely don’t miss worrying about what danger San Fransokyo would face next.”
“It was the one thing we all could do together where we seriously had each other’s backs,” Gogo says, “Maybe when we lost it, we forgot for a while just how to be with each other.”
Hiro fiddles with his sleeves. “I used to feel more motivated to invent tech when we had more to do as Big Hero 6… Now that we’re practically retired, I guess I… don’t feel motivated to do it anymore. And I feel like crap about it.”
“You liked tech before you met us,” Honey Lemon then says to him, “Right? Tadashi would talk about you all the time and the things you’d come up with that he couldn’t.”
Hiro smiles slightly.
“Try thinking more about what got you interested in the first place,” Wasabi suggests, “Instead of making this something you have to do.”
“You have time to explore other hobbies too,” Gogo follows up, “You don’t just have to be a tech guy. It’s not your entire identity.”
“Should I bird watch like you, Gogo?”
Gogo gives him a stink eye. “Are you making fun of me?”
“It’s a serious question,” Hiro claims.
“Then why are you grinning like that?”
Hiro snickers.
“You definitely are making fun of me.”
“Okay, okay, how about,” Fred stands up with the microphone, “one last song as a group before we head out? Everyone sings – I mean, if they want.”
“Oh, yes!” Honey Lemon stands up with him, “What song does everyone know?”
Once Fred selects a final song that everyone is familiar with, Honey Lemon joins him in singing. Then, Wasabi follows. Even Gogo, with a sigh and a small grin, sings too.
In the end, Hiro tentatively mouths along to the words.
…
“Don’t forget, video call next week,” Honey Lemon states firmly.
Fred maintains a smile. “Definitely won’t forget.”
“Sure you won’t get distracted and miss it?” Gogo teases.
“My focus got a lot better while you were gone!”
“Hey, if it’s important to him, he won’t forget,” Wasabi comments, “I sure won’t forget, either.”
“Me neither,” Hiro says under his breath.
In front of the Lucky Cat Cafe that evening are hugs and goodbyes. Goodbyes for now, anyway. Hiro wonders how his friends will act when he’s not looking. Maybe Honey Lemon will let out the tears she’s been holding back. Maybe Gogo will lose her appetite when she’s home. Maybe Wasabi will lose some sleep when he goes to bed tonight.
Fred and Hiro watch until Gogo, Honey Lemon, and Wasabi are out of sight. After a few minutes, Hiro is ready to head back inside.
“I’ll text you tomorrow,” Fred calls out as he takes his leave and heads home himself.
Hiro just waves him off as he walks through the door and sees his aunt.
“How was your day?” Cass immediately asks, “Did you have fun?”
“It was okay,” Hiro glances around the cafe, “Why is the Lucky Cat so messy?”
“You missed the wave of customers. A wave that clearly didn’t know how to clean up after itself.”
“I’ll help clean. Where’s Baymax?”
“He went out to help some folks in the city. He hasn’t come back yet.
“Wow. He hasn’t done that in a few days.”
“That’s because he stayed home for you.”
Hiro pauses for a moment before picking up a few mugs from the tables. “You think you’ll hire anyone to help out here? If you think you need the help, you should do it.”
“It’s funny that you mention it,” Cass takes the mugs from him to put them in the sink, “A couple of students asked me if I was taking on part-timers. They left me their resumes, and I just might consider having them come in for interviews. I could use the extra set of hands.”
“... You ever miss the mascots?”
Cass almost doesn’t expect Hiro to bring them up so suddenly. “Sometimes, I do. They kept me company in the cafe, and they were a great help with the customers… Why are you thinking about them now?”
“My friends were asking about ‘em.”
“I did look for them for a few nights after they had disappeared. I asked around a lot, too. But no one seemed to have seen them. Eventually, life went on and I had to just do my best without them.”
“Yeah, I guess…” Hiro wonders if his Aunt Cass could still do her best without him.
“Do you miss your friends?”
Hiro puts his hands in his pockets. “It hasn’t even been a few minutes.”
“A few minutes is long enough to miss someone,” Cass holds his arms, “We’ll both do our best, alright? We have each other. And I’m glad that I still have you.”
“... I’m glad I have you too, Aunt Cass.”
As Cass pulls him into a hug, Hiro finds himself reciprocating it. For a moment, he’s glad he’s not dead. But, he’s still not quite sure how to live again.
He starts by continuing to help tidy around the cafe with his aunt. Then, his eyes wander to the television in the cafe that’s still on.
This reporter is starting to get a lot of screen time. “Tourism in San Fransokyo has greatly increased since its crime rate has reached the lowest level in its past two years.”
“It’s nice to have less to worry about in this city, isn’t it?” Cass comments as she listens to the broadcast, “They seem to talk about the falling crime rate every few days.”
Hiro contemplates mentioning something. After all, Karmi isn’t the only one who doesn’t know he was a part of–
Cass watches his expression. “You look like you want to say something.”
“There’s…” Hiro looks at her, “There’s still something you don’t know about me…”
She sits him down at one of the tables with her. “What is it?”
“I used to… um…” Hiro mumbles, “I was a part of Big Hero 6.”
“… I know.
“I…” Hiro then realizes, “Wait, you– What?”
“Did you think Diego wouldn’t have told me once he knew?”
God damn it. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew? Why didn’t you stop me?”
“Diego and I both knew it was important to you. And that Baymax and your friends would keep an eye on you. I had to believe you were being as safe as you could be.”
“You… trusted me that much?”
“Even outside of this superhero business, I know you’re entitled to your secrets. You don’t need to tell me everything about your life. I suppose I also hoped you’d come to me when you really needed me.”
“I know I should’ve told you… Not just about Big Hero 6, but about… just… everything I felt about– … I always just… I worry you all the time…”
“We’re supposed to worry about each other because we’re family,” Cass brings her hand to his cheek, “I know I’ve held back on sharing my own feelings too— in my mind, I had to be the grown-up and be reliable to you. I didn’t want to worry you either. I didn’t mean to teach you to do the same with me.”
“It’s not you…” Hiro’s eyes are glossy, “I’ve always gone to Tadashi instead of you… for a lot of things… When he was gone, I… I sometimes still didn’t go to you. I’m really sorry.”
“I’m here when you need to talk about anything. You hear me? Anything. ”
Hiro knows Cass means it. But, he’s not sure how much more he can open up to her about what really goes on in his mind every day.
The next day, Chief Cruz opens the door when he hears knocking.
“H-Hey,” Hiro stutters and immediately stiffens. He didn’t think Chief Cruz would be home right now.
“Here to see Megan, right? She’s actually run out of the house to cool off.”
“Cool off from what?”
“We… had another argument earlier – before you came.”
“Oh… Wait, another argument? About what?”
Did Chief Cruz already say too much? “A family matter… Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“I don’t. But I do know she has her phone on her… So, this time, I think I’ll have to trust that she’ll be safe. And… that space from me might be the best thing, for now.”
“Are you really the Chief Cruz I know?”
Chief Cruz chuckles. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“You just are usually so… strict and overprotective.”
“And here I thought I was pretty laid back.”
Hiro shrugs before pulling out his phone to read an incoming text.
MEGAN: sorry, i left the house. are u there yet?
HIRO: yup
MEGAN: can u meet me at the old base instead? and can you grab my bag from my room?
HIRO: sure
“That Megan?” Chief Cruz asks.
“Yeah,” Hiro confirms, “She wants me to grab her bag and then meet somewhere else.”
“Well, come on inside.”
Hiro puts his phone back in his pocket as he walks in and finds his way to Megan’s room. Stepping inside, it’s not much different from the last time he visited. He soon spots Megan’s bag on her chair–
Oh, right. Remembering something, Hiro opens up his own backpack for a second and digs inside it. Shortly, he pulls out Megan’s black sweater that he borrowed and places it on the corner of her bed. It was about time he returned it.
Then, he grabs Megan’s bag and steps back out of the bedroom.
“Look after Megan for me,” Chief Cruz tells Hiro at the door.
Hiro pauses, debating in his head before asking. “Can I actually… talk to you for a bit, Chief Cruz?”
“Oh,” Chief Cruz doesn’t expect that, “Of course, you can. Come sit down.”
Hiro sits down at the table with Chief Cruz. “So… You told my aunt Cass about Big Hero 6.”
Chief Cruz had been wondering when this would come up. “I did. You’re capable, Hiro. I’ve always believed that. But–”
“I get it, you couldn’t keep it from her.”
“I hope you can forgive me.”
“Thanks for looking out for me,” Hiro stares at his own hands as he starts to fidget, “And thanks for saving me when I… I would’ve drowned.”
“You’re welcome, Hiro.”
“I was really gonna… you know… I thought I wanted to… Sometimes, I wonder if I still do. Like, today, I don’t. But… another day, I might want–... I don’t know.”
Chief Cruz’s expression flickers with sadness, yet understanding. “Do you want to talk more about it?”
“I don’t know how to talk about it.”
“Are you worried someone won’t be able to handle it if you do?”
“I’m not sure if I can handle it.”
“Do you think you’d feel safe talking to a therapist? Seeing one helped me when I was younger.”
That surprises Hiro as he looks up
“When I said I’ve dealt with this before, I meant as a cop, sure. I’ve… also dealt with it personally.”
“As in… you wanted to…?”
Chief Cruz nods. “It was around the time I had lost my own father. I’d think about how I was here, and he wasn’t… And I’d think about it every damn day. I… imagine you had a similar experience when you lost Tadashi.”
“I still think about it–” Hiro feels the lump in his throat, “I feel like I should’ve gotten over it by now.”
“I think we both know that grief isn’t that simple. It doesn’t just end. Feelings can come and go. And moving on looks different for everyone.”
“... What does it look like for you, then?
“For me… it was being able to reach a place where I don’t think about my father every minute of every day. And, when I do think of him, I’m almost comforted by it.”
“Aunt Cass would say thinking about Tadashi makes her happy,” Hiro then shares, “It does for me too when I think about good memories and all… But, when I need him, it hits me that he’s not around, and it… still hurts. I think about what it was like for him to die all of a sudden, what it felt like… what it would feel like if I…”
“If you were to die?”
Hiro swallows the lump. “Before, I’d just keep thinking about how it might happen. Now, all I can think about is the aftermath if I was gone. I know it’d be bad… And it just makes me feel worse about everything because I know I put so much into my life and it’s not enough and I just–”
“Take a breath, son.”
Hiro does, exhaling before continuing. “I just… I know because I have so much potential that I have to keep working harder than anyone else so I don’t waste my life.”
“Is that what someone told you?
Hiro shrugs.
“Want to know something ironic? It’s usually the people who are the very best at what they are doing who end up feeling the most inadequate.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“Maybe. I just wish I… I knew where I was headed,” Hiro looks back down, “At least with school, I had my next assignment to focus on. With Big Hero 6, our next arrest. And it felt like I was moving toward… something . But, when the end came for all of that, I just… lost the motivation to keep going. It was like… I didn’t know what I was working so hard for. It felt sort of pointless, and even now I… don’t really feel like I have an actual purpose right now.”
“... Let me tell you something about my career. I first wanted to become a police officer because of what happened to my father when I was younger.”
“That makes sense…”
“I believe I was able to do some good ever since I made that decision. But, to be frank, as the chief of police in San Fransokyo, the crime rate has fallen drastically. And a thought crossed my mind. What if, one day, we really could live peacefully?
“That probably won’t completely happen,” Hiro says, “Although, it’s peaceful enough that Big Hero 6 isn’t needed anymore. Which was what you wanted.”
“It was what I wanted before. Things change.”
“What would you do if the world didn’t need a police force anymore? Would you, like… lose your purpose?”
“I would find a new career. Of course, it’s easier said than done. But, it’s what I would move forward with. I’d find a new purpose – something else to do with this life.”
Hiro silently takes Chief Cruz’s words in.
“Did talking to me help at all?” Chief Cruz then asks.
“Yeah,” Hiro assures, “It… did help a bit.”
“I’m here to listen anytime. I mean it.”
Slowly, Hiro nods. Then, Hiro’s phone vibrates again in his pocket, prompting him to pull it back out.
MEGAN: u coming?
…
Hiro walks into the Big Hero 6 Headquarters for the first time since–
Shit. When was the last time he was in here?
“There you are,” Megan waves Hiro to come into the conference room, “Sorry for making you take a detour.”
Hiro follows Megan to the big table before looking up at a screen on the wall. “Was Basemax active?”
“She let me in. Then, she just… went to sleep, I guess.”
“Makes sense. There isn’t much to be active for, considering we haven’t used this room – or these headquarters – in ages. Why’d you want to come here, Megan?”
“It’d be a shame to never use this space, right?
“I guess. It just feels so… empty, to be in here without anyone else.”
“We’re both here. Actually, so is Basemax. So… it’s not empty. Look, I know it’s not the same. Maybe it won’t be as fun in here with just us, but it might be a little fun. And… I think that counts for something.”
“I guess that’s true, too…”
“Anyway, give me my bag.”
“What happened to saying please?” Hiro holds Megan’s bag out to her.
“Bite me, please,” Megan says teasingly before taking the bag from him and pulling out her laptop, “Basemax, can you wake up and screen share from my computer?”
“I will search for your device,” Basemax’s voice replies, evidently awake now.
“So, you know how I was busy yesterday?” Megan starts.
Hiro sits next to Megan, looking up as the laptop screen is mirrored onto Basemax’s screen.
“Yeah?”
“I was looking for camera footage of the mascots.”
“... Oh. Why?”
“When I was talking to your aunt the other day, she mentioned them, so I got curious. Apparently, she already asked my dad to look into it before. But, for some reason, all the security footage my dad got access to glitched out around the time the mascots were reported missing. And that’s weird, right? Is that really a coincidence?”
“... I didn’t really think about it… But, if you don’t have any security footage, what the hell are we going to watch?
“Just listen,” Megan continues, “I realized after that we also have public access to live webcam footage for certain views around San Fransokyo – you know, for tourists, right? I browsed through ‘em, and I found the mascots in one of ‘em.
Hiro’s curiousity is piqued now
“So, by clicking on control and then the position, you can select an angle of the bridge here,” Megan clicks, “A couple of the views are kind of obscured by the fog, but look at this one.”
But, his heart nearly stops when the footage is of that bridge.
He doesn’t breathe.
His lungs hurt.
Water is all he can hear.
Water is all he can—
“See?” Megan pauses the recording, “This might be their last known location. I know it’s hard to see from a distance. It’s tough since there are no cameras on the bridge itself.”
“Yeah, they’ve…” Hiro stares almost blankly, feeling detached, “They’ve never placed cameras there since the bridge is too windy… and the fog is too thick for cameras to be effective…”
“Hey…” Megan realizes Hiro’s change in demeanor, “What is it?
“Sorry, I just…” Hiro feels himself slowly come back into his body, “That was the bridge where I jumped.”
“... Oh… Basemax, turn off the screen?”
The screen shuts off.
“I’m good now,” Hiro tells her, “Really. The memory just… threw me by surprise...”
“Let’s still take a break,” Megan rubs his back, “I didn’t think about it, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not your fault…” Hiro makes sure to breathe now, “The one thing I hate about all of this is everyone blaming themselves… when it’s me who’s the problem.”
“I don’t think you’re a problem.”
Hiro faintly smiles. “Thanks.
“Can you tell me why at the bridge?” Megan tentatively asks, “As in… why jump off a bridge?”
Hiro isn’t sure how to answer.
“I just meant… why not another method?... And if you don’t want to answer, it’s fine.”
Hiro thinks he does want to try to answer. “... I guess I figured I might get caught at home – especially by Baymax – if I tried anything. And I, uh… I thought about what my aunt Cass might think if she found me, like, dead in a bathroom… I didn’t want that. So I… I left the house.”
“Even then, you were still thinking about everyone else. You know, I’d rather find you on a bathroom floor than find out you’re already dead and underwater.”
Hiro gets quiet.
“If you ever feel like doing something like that again,” Megan holds his arm, “And if you don’t go to anyone else you trust, at least come to me. Please?”
“Well, since you actually said please… ”
“You must be feeling better if you can joke around like that.”
Hiro smiles again weakly before giving her a nod. “I… I’ll go to someone. I promise. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“... Can I save a copy of the webcam footage? Maybe I’ll watch it later?
“Go for it.”
Hiro plugs a USB into Megan’s laptop and begins duplicating the files. The silence is somehow louder than the water when he–
“So, what’d you do yesterday?” Megan asks, shifting the topic.
“Oh, uh, I hung out with the others before they left San Fransokyo… What about you? Were you just sleuthing yesterday?”
“That, and I also had dance class.”
“Wait, you dance now, too? How do you have so many hobbies?”
“I’ve just… always liked trying new things. It’s not like I have to do one thing forever. I’m not alive with only one purpose, you know?”
I’d find a new purpose – something else to do with this life.
“... Huh. You’re really your dad’s daughter.”
“Don’t compare me to my dad right now, okay?”
Hiro is reminded that they had a fight. “But, you brought him up first, earlier.”
“That was just to add context to my investigation spiel.”
“What did you guys fight about?... You also don’t have to answer either, if you don’t want to.”
“We… fought about my mom,” she ends up answering, “Whenever I see my dad at any of my school events, I wish that my mom was there, too. But I know she’ll never be. She missed all my milestones, and I… took it out on my dad, I guess.”
Hiro’s eyes soften. “You know, you… haven’t talked about your mom, before. You… want to keep talking about her? I’d listen.”
“There’s not much else to say. I don’t remember a lot about her, to be honest.”
“I don’t remember my mom, either,” Hiro shares, “Or my dad. But… there’s bits and pieces, you know? And things that I wonder about them… What they were like… Not that you think the same way.”
“I don’t just wonder what my mom was like,” Megan begins to clarify, “I wonder a lot more about why she left us.”
“She doesn’t reach out at all?”
“Not at all. At first, I wondered how bad the relationship between her and my dad must’ve been for her to leave altogether. Then, I’d wonder why she wouldn’t even see how I was doing. Maybe she didn’t even want to be a mom. Then, I think if she never wanted to be a mom in the first place, why did she have me, you know?”
“I never knew you thought like that, before.”
“Yeah, it sucks.”
“... Did you ever, like…” Hiro hesitates to ask, but pushes forward anyway, “Did you ever not want to exist?”
Megan gives a sad look. “Honestly? I’ve never wanted to die. But I did think about what if I hadn’t been born? Like… Would my mom still be with my dad? Or would they still separate? Would my dad be a different person?”
“... I don’t know if this helps, but I’m glad I got to meet you when I did. And we… can’t control what other people do, you know?”
“Now you’re sounding like my dad.”
“Are you saying that I sound old ?”
Megan laughs. “For the record, I’m glad I met you, too. And… I’m glad you’re here.”
Hiro exhales, trying not to think about what if he wasn’t around.
“Are the files done copying, dude?” Megan then asks.
“Oh, yeah.”
…
When Hiro gets home, he thinks of another place he hasn’t gone to in a while. He opens up his garage door and steps inside. Inevitably, it’s gotten a bit dusty – not that it bothers him that much.
Hiro sits down in his chair, pulling out his phone as he gets a text.
MEGAN: thanks for the talk today
HIRO: you make up with your dad yet?
MEGAN: sorta. how are u feeling now?
HIRO: better. I’m going through the footage again soon. will let you know if i see anything else.
MEGAN: ok. if it’s too much, don’t worry about it tho.
Then, he gets another text from someone else.
FRED: you home?
HIRO: yeah just got back. why?
FRED: need your help with mini-max
…
“How long has he been like this?” Hiro inspects Mini-Max on his desk before checking his computer monitor.
“Maybe around the time you and me had that fight?” Fred tries to guess, “I didn’t want to ask you for help then ‘cause–”
“Because we were in a fight, got it.”
“... So, you know what’s wrong with Mini-Max?”
“I think Mini-Max rewrote his own code.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s sort of like… a mutation in Mini-Max’s software that he made himself. Mini-Max probably learned to deactivate when he thought he wasn’t needed.”
Fred has a thought. “... You think… Mini-Max felt not needed? Do you think Mini-Max is, like, sad?”
“He’s a robot, Fred.”
“Yeah, I know, but… He’s been weird ever since we stopped superhero-ing.”
“He was weird before, too. Even before now, he already deviated from his original protocol and evolved to become more like you.”
“... More like me?”
“Wasn’t that obvious? He reads comic books like you, he shoves food in his face trying to eat like you… He’s like tiny robot Fred.
Fred looks at Mini-Max with a more solemn look than he usually gives. “You think he’s just… copying me?
“Yeah, in a way.”
“Is this my fault, then? Am I part of the problem? I mean– I’m the one who’s been feeling like a pain in the ass and like I was just forcing people to hang with me. Did I make Mini-Max feel that way, too?
“... Did I make you feel like that, Fred?”
Fred doesn’t want to make Hiro feel bad. “Not just you.”
“I’m sorry,” Hiro then looks at his screen again, “I can try to update Mini-Max’s chip so he can at least activate again.”
“Thanks, man. I honestly wasn’t sure if you were up for doing tech stuff again or not.”
Hiro shrugs. “... The least I can do is make sure the stuff I already worked on stays working. Plus, I was already going to spend the rest of the day in here.”
“What were you going to do before I came?”
“Oh, so Megan found footage of the mascots on the day they disappeared.”
“You trying to find clues now? Can I help with that?”
“... That’d be great, actually,” Hiro turns on another screen, “Here, you can look through the video on this monitor.”
“Cool. Hey, I’m gonna grab some food from The Lucky Cat first and come right back.”
“Sure, no problem.”
As Fred heads out of the garage, he spots another robot friend coming in. “Baymax, my man!”
Hiro glances up from his desk. “Hey, Baymax, you’re back.”
“Hello,” Baymax looks over Hiro’s shoulder.
“I’m just trying to update Mini-Max’s chip on this monitor. On the other screen is some video footage of the mascots. Want to help Fred look through it?”
Baymax puts his hand on the monitor and downloads a copy of the footage.
Hiro returns to typing when a thought hits him. Maybe the mascot robots rewrote their coding, too. But what would’ve prompted that? Why did they leave? Where did they go? Was there something they wanted to do or look for – something Hiro wasn’t aware of?
Or maybe they’re looking for someone. But, who else could they go look for except–
“Obake,” Baymax suddenly says.
“Obake?” Hiro looks over again, “Why are you saying his name all of a sudden? Did you see him in the video?”
“I did not.”
Hiro’s eyes narrow, finding Baymax’s behaviour strange, “Do you think the mascots went to look for Obake? Do you think he’s alive? I know everyone believes he’s dead– I thought you believed he was dead–”
Baymax turns on his projector, displaying to Hiro the last remaining footage of–
“Obake…” Hiro breathes.
“My scan indicates that this structure is sustaining damage,” Baymax informs.
“This wouldn’t have mattered,” Obake replies, “I would’ve lived forever, the man who remade the city into something perfect…”
Baymax watches as Obake removes one of Baymax’s chips.
“You should go,” Obake then tells him.
“You are in danger.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that!”
“Do I have your permission to help you?”
“Go to him,” Obake demands, “Go to Hiro! Tell him I still think we would have done great things together.”
“I am a personal healthcare companion,” Baymax says, watching Obake sit down in his chair with his back turned, “I cannot leave until you say you are satisfied with your care.”
Obake takes a breath. “I am satisfied with my care.”
Baymax didn’t escape from Obake that day. Rather, he let Baymax go. He insisted that Baymax go. Shit, Obake, probably wanted to die at that point. Hiro really didn’t want to have any more in common with that man.
“Obake stated he was satisfied with his care,” Baymax repeats, “I am regretful I was unable to help.”
Hiro feels the pang in his chest. “You… needed his permission to save him, huh? I’m sorry, buddy… Maybe we can change your programming a bit too – for dire situations like that.”
“Would this make me a better healthcare companion?”
“Maybe… It’d probably be good for me, too, if you could prioritize my life over whatever bullshit I end up saying…”
“Are you concerned about your safety?”
“I… think I want to live, Baymax,” Hiro says, “But… I don’t always feel like that. I guess I don’t trust myself.”
“I will keep you safe.”
“... Thanks, Baymax.”
And Hiro will focus on being here for one more minute.
Then, one more hour.
Then, one more day.
Maybe it’ll get easier after that.