Hiro Himada had never been hit by a freight train going 75 miles per hour before, but he imagined what he was feeling was pretty close to that.

He'd been in his lab, previously Tadashi's lab, working on a project for one of his classes. He'd barely noticed that the sun had set a while ago, and had sent Aunt Cass a quick text letting her know that he was still working. He didn't know what time it was, and he didn't really care. He was having fun tinkering and making adjustments to different parts and mechanisms of his project. It was acting as a good distraction from the fact that today was Tadashi's birthday.

Then, he opened one of his desk drawers.

He'd been looking for a specific tool that would help him attach one part to another. He couldn't remember where he'd stashed it haphazardly the night before, so he opened a few before he got to the middle left one farther against the wall. Immediately, Hiro froze. When he moved in to this lab, he hadn't been able to clean much of his brother's stuff out. Every time he had tried, he'd broken down and had to go home for the day. Eventually, everyone decided it was best for them to just leave Tadashi's stuff where it was. He'd been able to move some stuff with the help of his friends, but the majority had stayed. Now, his eyes landed on a folder labeled "Tadashi's Lab Reports."

Immediately, Hiro's mind was spun back in time to the night of the fire. His chest tightened painfully, and it felt like he was breathing the smoke in again. He watched himself and his brother racing back to the building once the fire alarm went off. He felt his whole body beginning to shake. He watched the woman nearly collapse in his big brother's arms, coughing harshly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. But Professor Callahan's still in there!"

The woman left, not knowing that she had just changed a young boy's life forever. He saw the wheels turning in his brother's head. Hiro's heart started racing so fast he thought it would explode.

His brother took off towards the building.

"Tadashi no!"

He saw the look in Tadashi's eyes as his own filled with tears. He gripped the side of the desk hard, trying to keep himself standing as the air was stolen from his lungs. He gasped for air desperately, breathing in short puffs.

"Callahan's in there. Someone has to help."

Tadashi ran. His hat flew off, and Hiro ran to collect it. He watched his brother, his guardian, his protector, his world, disappear behind a wall of flames. He took a step closer, and the building collapsed, exploding, blowing him back.

Hiro's knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He looked at the folder again, at his brother's handwriting, and a sob choked him. He pushed himself back against the wall next to the drawer, pinching his eyes shut as his chest twisted, hurting him more. He tried hard to take a deep breath, but his throat felt like it was closing and he coughed hard. He wiped at his eyes quickly, trying to clear the tears that were burning his eyes away. More immediately replaced them. He curled in on himself, his breath rattling in his chest. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them tightly. He didn't know why, but he felt scared, terrified even. On top of the crushing sadness and ache of missing Tadashi, he felt like he was back at the night of the fire.

"B...Baymax...I can't...can't breathe." He choked out desperately. He heard nothing.

"Bay-Baymax. Ow!" He tried to speak louder. No response.

"Ow!" He choked out louder.

The silence of the lab almost hurt more than his chest did. He remembered that he'd brought Baymax home last night, and he'd forgotten him there.

Hiro was completely alone.
____________________________
"Yo, Honey Lemon! You almost done over there?" GoGo called from her station in the main laboratory.

"Yep! Just putting my components away! Wasabi?" Honey Lemon called.

"I've been ready for a bit. I'm just waiting on you slow pokes." Wasabi walked into the room from his station.

"Well considering you're usually the last one out..." GoGo remarked sarcastically.

"Ha ha. Fred, you riding with us?" Wasabi turned to their fourth friend, who was sitting on an empty station counter playing a game on a mobile device.

"Uh, yeah, if that's okay?" He answered without looking up.

"Yup. Come on." Wasabi confirmed.

"Hold on, I gotta beat this boss." Fred said.

"Fred if you don't turn that thing off we're leaving you here." GoGo said as she and Honey Lemon walked up to Wasabi.

"GoGo, we're not leaving anyone here." Honey Lemon scolded. GoGo smirked playfully.

"Alright! The foe has been vanquished!" Fred called suddenly, making them all jump.

"Congratulations, we'll find you a medal on the way out." GoGo joked. The four friends headed towards the exit of the lab together.

They made small talk as they walked down the halls. It was after 8:00pm, and they were some of the last students to leave the building. Knowing this, Honey Lemon slowed when she saw a light on in one of the lab rooms. She blinked as she recognized the room.

"Hiro went home, didn't he?" She asked. The others looked up.

"Uh, I thought he did?" GoGo said, clearly unsure.

"I thought he mentioned staying late tonight to try and finish his Mechanics class project." Fred commented.

"Well he wouldn't have left the light on if he's gone. It's, a little late for him to still be here." Honey Lemon said.

"I'll go see if he needs a ride or if Aunt Cass is picking him up." Wasabi volunteered.

"Okay. We'll wait for you at the end of the hall." Honey Lemon said. The trio walked on as Wasabi approached the closed lab door. He knocked.

"Hey Hiro? You still here Buddy?" He called. He got no response. Wasabi cracked the door open a bit.

"Hiro? Hey, you need a ride home?" He asked into the room. It appeared empty, but he could see Hiro's project in the center of the room, tools and parts still strewn across the floor.

That's weird. Hiro never left the lab a mess.

Wasabi felt his heart skip a bit. He looked down the hall at his fiends and managed to catch GoGo's eyes. She frowned at him and shrugged, silently asking him "what's going on?" Wasabi shook his head. He must have looked concerned, because when the others noticed him they began to walk towards him.

"Hiro?" Wasabi opened the door fully and stepped inside.

Immediately, he heard sharp, panicked breathing and sniffling from somewhere in the room.

"Hiro?!" He said. He followed the sound to the back corner of the room. Walking around the desk, he found the fourteen year old boy curled up against the wall, hyperventilating, eyes wide staring hard at the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh my god! Guys, over here! Hiro? What happened?" Wasabi quickly bent down in front of him. GoGo, Honey Lemon, and Fred approached quickly and they all gasped. Everyone knelt down around him.

"Hiro! What happened? Honey are you hurt?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro made no move to respond.

"Hiro? What's going on? Did you fall?" Wasabi asked.

"Can he hear us?" GoGo questioned.

"I don't think so. He's having a panic attack. Baymax? Baymax, ow!" Wasabi sat up and looked around the room.

"Hiro took Baymax home yesterday. I didn't see him bring him back today." Honey Lemon provided nervously.

"Shoot. Okay...Hiro? Buddy, can you hear me? I need you to look at me okay?" Wasabi looked back at the boy. Hiro didn't move.

"Hiro? Sweetie you're breathing really fast, you have to slow down." Honey Lemon tried gently.

"Focus on us, big guy. Come on, you can do it. You're safe here." Fred moved closer to Hiro next to Honey Lemon.

"Hiro, focus. Come on, can you hear me? Try to breathe with me, okay?" Wasabi said. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, exaggerating his movements. Hiro curled in on himself tighter.

"T...Tadashi..." He whispered in a choked voice. He squeezed his eyes shut, his breath hitching. The group looked at one another sadly.

"Should we call Aunt Cass?" Honey Lemon asked.

Hiro shook his head, and they all turned back to him.

"You don't want us to call Aunt Cass?" Wasabi tested the waters strategically. Another quick shake of the head. Again, the friends made eye contact.

He could hear them. That was good. He just wasn't responding.

"Okay. We won't call Aunt Cass if you don't want us to. But we gotta slow your breathing down, okay? Can you look at me, please? We're here, Buddy. We just wanna help you." Wasabi said. Hiro coughed trying to take a deeper breath. He let out a small, heartbreaking whimper. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at Wasabi. The older male smiled at him.

"Hey, there he is. Watch me, okay? Just focus on me, nothing else. Watch me." He said gently. Again, he took a slow deep breath in and pushed the air out even slower. He repeated the movements until he saw Hiro try his hand at them. He nodded along as the boy tried to inhale as slowly as he could manage, exhaling shakily. He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve at one point, hiccuping.

"You're doing great, Hiro. One more, keep going." Wasabi encouraged him.

"You're doing great, Hiro. We're right here. You're safe with us." Honey Lemon said quietly. Hiro gave a small nod, continuing trying to follow Wasabi's breathing patterns.

It took a long time, but they eventually managed to slow Hiro's breathing down significantly. It wasn't exactly where they wanted it to be since he was still crying, but he wasn't at risk of passing out anymore, so they celebrated the small victory.

"Keep taking deep breaths, big guy. You're doing awesome." Fred told him. Hiro inhaled a bit sharply, but it was slower than it had been.

"There you go, little man. Nice and easy." GoGo nodded. Hiro sniffled and curled up even tighter. They sat together in silence for a little bit longer, giving Hiro time to fully come down from the panic.

Once he wasn't crying as hard, Honey Lemon spoke up.

"Hiro, what happened? Are you hurt?" She asked. Hiro shook his head slowly.

"You're not hurt?" Wasabi asked. Hiro shook his head again. "You're sure?" He asked.

"He said he's not hurt, Wasabi. Go easy on him. Can you...Do you wanna tell us what happened?" GoGo asked. Hiro hesitated a moment before glancing at the open drawer next to him. He looked away quickly, squeezing his eyes shut. The group looked at one another. Wasabi sat forward and reached for the drawer. Hiro flinched slightly, thinking he was reaching for him. Wasabi quickly pulled his hand away.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm sorry. I wasn't going for you. I was just...May I-Look in the drawer?" He clarified quickly. Hiro's face screwed up with emotion as he nodded before hiding his head in his knees.

"Okay." Wasabi said quietly. He slowly moved back towards the drawer and looked inside. Immediately, his shoulders dropped.

"Aw man..." He whispered.

"What is it?" Honey Lemon asked. Wasabi looked back at her, and his expression immediately told them everything.

"It's...his lab reports. The portfolio we made for Electronics 302 last year." Wasabi said quietly.

"Oh, Hiro." Honey Lemon looked back at the boy sadly. His shoulders shook as quiet sobs choked out of him. Wasabi grabbed the folder and pulled it out.

"Wasabi." GoGo whispered in a chastising tone. Wasabi didn't respond. He opened the folder and looked at the top page. He chuckled sadly.

"I remember him working on this project. This was before he made Baymax. He stayed here almost all night working on it." He reminisced. He held up the packet of stapled notes and forms.

"Oh, I worked with him on that one! I remember the first week he tried to screw something in and the whole thing fell apart." Honey Lemon giggled.

"I remember that! The crash echoed throughout the whole building. Three different professors sprinted in thinking we'd smashed all the lab windows or something." GoGo said. Hiro peeked up slightly as they chuckled.

"W-w...which project?" He surprised them all by talking. They tried not to react. Wasabi showed him the packet. Hiro choked up looking at his brother's handwriting, but he forced himself to look it over.

"You guys built this?" He asked quietly. His voice was shaky and hoarse.

"Mhm. He wanted to show it to you but our teacher collected all of them to grade and she never handed them back." Honey Lemon nodded. Hiro looked back at the paper, wiping away more fallen tears. Wasabi looked back at the folder. He laughed again.

"Oh man, remember this one you guys?" He held up the unfinished cover page of a very thin packet only a couple pages thick.

"He never even finished that one." GoGo said.

"Yeah, it kept exploding. It was awesome!" Fred said. Hiro looked at Wasabi, and he handed Hiro the second packet. Hiro looked everything over.

"He got the formulas wrong." He noted.

"Yeah. I think he realized that a bit late and he had to start something else for that assignment. That one might be in here if the teacher didn't keep it." Wasabi told him, and he looked back down and scrolled through the folder. Hiro looked between the packets, a new round of tears filling his eyes. He sucked a breath in, hiccuping. The noise caught the others' attention and they looked back at Hiro.

"What is it, honey?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro shook his head.

"I should've...I..." Sobs forced their way out of him before he could continue. Honey Lemon moved closer.

"Can I hug you?" She asked gently. Hiro nodded, and Honey Lemon pulled the boy into her arms. Hiro sobbed, his small frame shaking with every gasp.

"I...n-never came with hi-him." He stammered.

"What? What do you mean?" Honey Lemon asked.

"T...Tadashi. He-he invited me to come here, all the time. He s...he said he wanted to sh-show me stuff. I should've gone with him...I never went with him." Hiro's emotions escalated as guilt enveloped him. He pressed his sleeves against his eyes as he stared to cry harder.

"Oh Hiro, no. No, shh, it's okay." Honey Lemon held him tighter.

"W-what if he hated me for that? What if he-thought that I didn't care about him? W-what if he was mad that I...I didn't-" Hiro spiraled, his shaky breaths starting to quicken again.

"Hiro, Hiro, stop. Look at me, Dude." Wasabi said quickly. Hiro uncovered his eyes and looked at him hesitantly.

"Tadashi never hated you. I'm pretty sure it's a scientific impossibility for him to have ever hated you. You meant the world to him and he knew that he meant the world to you too." Wasabi said seriously.

"Hiro, he was so proud of you. He loved you more than anything. He couldn't wait to show you Baymax! He talked about you all the time!" Honey Lemon pulled back slightly so she could look at Hiro. He wiped at his eyes quickly.

"He did?" He hiccuped.

"Yep. All the time. He was super annoying about how cool his baby brother is and how we should meet him and how impressed we'd all be with how smart he is and blah blah blah." GoGo said jokingly, a fond smile on her face as she spoke. Hiro let loose a small, watery chuckle.

"He...He called me his 'baby brother' to-you guys?" He asked.

"I may have paraphrased that part. But it was funny." GoGo shrugged. They all chuckled.

"I promise you, Hiro. Tadashi was never mad or upset that you didn't come with him. He knew that one day he'd get you here and you'd wanna join. He wanted to wait until you were ready to see the place. He wanted it to be your decision." Honey Lemon said gently. Another string of sobs spilled out of Hiro before he could stop them.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." He swallowed thickly.

"Shh, Hiro. You have nothing to be sorry for. Not to us, and not to Tadashi." Honey Lemon pulled him back into another tight hug, and Hiro let her. His whole body was shaking with the force of his sobs. He was wracked with sudden grief, and the friends all felt the same sense of concern gripping them tightly.

"I remember one project we had, Tadashi and I were paired up. We had to build a robot. It was early in our time here, so it was our first robot we built here. It was so janky and bad. But we were so proud of it. Tadashi kept saying 'We're gonna ace this one!' He was so confident." Wasabi laughed as he spoke.

"I think I remember that. You guys built a dog or something didn't you?" Honey Lemon asked.

"No, that was the next year cause I was there for the dog. Tadashi and Wasabi's first semester I wasn't there yet." GoGo said.

"Oh yeah I remember the dog!" Fred said.

"I'd hope you would. We gave it to you for your birthday that year." Wasabi said.

"Yeah I still have him! Hiro, if you want him I can bring him in tomorrow. Or you can come over tonight and pick him up. He's really cool." Fred offered. Hiro just shrugged. Wasabi looked at the other three sadly.

"Hey, kid. What's your favorite thing Tadashi ever built? Doesn't have to be something here. Just in general." GoGo asked. Hiro sniffled, trying to calm down enough to answer.

"Take another deep breath, Hiro. Nice and easy." Honey Lemon said gently. Hiro tried as best he could.

"I...I th-think, Baymax. Of course. Um...but, I also r-really liked a...rem-remote controlled car he m-made me, for my birthday." He said. His voice was tight and shaky, interrupted by sobs.

"That sounds cool! You'll have to show us that some time, if you want." Wasabi said. Hiro nodded.

"W-we painted it, together..." he began quietly before collapsing again in on himself. Honey Lemon rubbed circles on his back gently.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry." Hiro sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for, Hiro. Grief doesn't go away overnight. We all still miss him, we always will. But you...you were obviously a lot closer with him than we are. We're just really glad we can be your friends and can be here for you. Thank you for letting us be here with you." Fred said. Wasabi and GoGo glanced at him a little surprised.

"Fred's right. You shouldn't have to apologize for missing your brother, Hiro." Honey Lemon said gently.

"I miss him so much." Hiro sobbed painfully.

"I know, I know you do. I'm so sorry, Hiro. I'm so so sorry." Honey Lemon held him tighter.

"Do you want to get out of here? I feel like maybe getting out of this lab and getting some fresh air might help." Wasabi offered. Hiro hesitated a moment, trying to think of an answer through his racing thoughts. He nodded wordlessly.

"Okay. Come on, let's get you up." He said.

GoGo, Fred, and Wasabi all stood up. Wasabi offered a hand out to Hiro. The boy felt embarrassment wash over him. He looked down and away from them. He pulled away from Honey Lemon slightly and she immediately let him go. Hiro felt a wave of sadness weigh him down as soon as she released the hug. He sniffled and tried to take a deep breath. He moved slowly, trying to push himself up without help. He tried to stand, but he was shaking too much, and his legs gave out the second any weight was put on them. Wasabi reached out and grabbed his arm gently before he could fall. Hiro's heart lurched when he slipped, and a stabbing cold rush of panic spread throughout his body.

God he hated this. He hated being so helpless. Hiro sunk back on his knees and wrapped his arms around himself.

"I'm sorry..." He mumbled out in humiliation.

"Hiro, look at me for a second?" Wasabi asked gently. Hiro didn't want to, but he slowly turned to his friend.

"It's okay. It's just us. It's just us." Wasabi told him quietly and seriously. Hiro met his eyes, and he could see concern and care in them easily. He nodded slowly.

"Okay. Can I help you?" Wasabi asked. Hiro nodded, but he didn't want to unwrap his arms from around his middle. Wasabi seemed to notice this, so he very gently took Hiro's shoulders.

"Just move slowly, okay? I have you." He said. Hiro tried again to stand. Wasabi pulled him up gently. He was able to get up, and Honey Lemon put her arms around his shoulders.

"You feel okay to walk big guy?" Fred asked. Hiro nodded. It wasn't entirely true, his legs still felt like jelly. But he needed to get out of this room.

"Okay. We'll go slowly, okay? Just take your time. There's no rush." GoGo assured him. Hiro shook his head. He couldn't speak much over the gasps for air, so he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. With his shaking hands, he opened up his text thread with Aunt Cass. He held the phone out to Wasabi, who took it gently.

"Oh. It is getting sorta late. Do you want me to tell her you're with us? And we can take you home?" He asked. Hiro nodded. "Okay. Uh...How much do you want me to say? Can I tell her what happened?" Wasabi asked slower. Hiro hesitated. He glanced down.

"I can leave out the details. I can just say something reminded you of him and we wanna hang out with you for a while." Wasabi noticed his anxiousness easily. Hiro nodded slowly.

"Don't...I don't...want her to..." He stuttered.

"Yeah. I get it. Should I call her instead?" Wasabi asked. Hiro nodded. "Alright. Let's get you outside okay?" Wasabi said.

Together, the group walked out of the lab. Fred turned out the light and shut the door after them. Hiro hesitated and looked back.

"It's okay. You can clean it up whenever you come back. Or we can clean it up tomorrow. It's okay to leave it for now." Honey Lemon said, seemingly reading his thoughts. Hiro didn't like leaving the lab a mess. Tadashi always cleaned up before he went home, he knew that. But Honey Lemon was right. He couldn't stand to go back in there right now. He wrapped his arms around himself tighter and nodded.

Hiro's friends rushed him out of the building. A couple of students lingering on campus gave them concerned looks, but GoGo's glares made sure each one minded their own business. They directed Hiro to a more deserted part of the campus. Honey Lemon gently sat him down on the concrete ledge of a planter. A few feet away from them, a fountain was running calmingly. They doubted Hiro could hear the soothing water over his crying, but they all hoped that once he started to calm down, it would help soothe him.

Honey Lemon sat down next to him and pulled him back into her arms. Wasabi sat on his other side, his hand on Hiro's back, steadying him.

Hiro covered his eyes with his sleeve-covered hands. He was fighting desperately to regain control over his emotions. He could feel himself shaking in Honey Lemon's arms. He could barely hear his friends talking to him.

"You're okay, Hiro. Everything's okay. We're outside. You're safe." Wasabi was saying. Hiro heard himself crying. His whole body hurt. He couldn't tell if it was from shaking so much or from the emotional pain of wanting nothing more than to hug his big brother, but it didn't really matter. He just hurt.

"You gotta take a deep breath, kid. Slow down, Hiro." GoGo spoke next. Hiro hadn't heard her speak so gently in a while.

"Hiro? Can you look at me for a second, Buddy?" Fred asked. Hiro tried hard to stifle the sobs building in his throat. He swallowed with difficulty past the lump in his throat and looked up slowly at Fred. He was sitting cross-legged in front of him and Honey Lemon. The latter smiled at him.

"Hey, there's our guy. Hiro, I'm gonna take some deep breaths, and I want you to try to take some too, okay? It'll be like a game of copycat. You copy me first, okay?" Fred spoke slowly and calmly. Hiro tried to nod. "Alright, sick! Okay, here I go. You jump in when you can, okay?" Fred said. He sat up straight and cleared his throat dramatically, making a goofy determined face. He took a loud, exaggerated deep breath in, and then exhaled slowly, puffing his cheeks out as he did so. Hiro managed a small smile at his humorous demeanor.

Fred continued to take overly dramatic deep breaths until Hiro calmed down enough to mimic him. His breaths shook almost violently at first, rattling in the back of his throat, but eventually they slowed. He felt Wasabi begin to rub circles on his back gently. At first, the comforting motion threatened to send him into another fit of sobs, but Honey Lemon hugging him and Fred's breathing helped keep him a bit calmer.

After a long time, Hiro's sobbing quieted down. He wiped at the tears that seemed to fall in a never ending stream, but he was back in the present with his friends. Fred seemed to notice when Hiro was calm enough to talk, and he stopped the over dramatic breathing.

"Hey Hiro. You with us now?" He asked gently. Hiro didn't want to answer. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He was embarrassed, humiliated for breaking down in front of all of his friends, all of Tadashi's friends. He was tired-no, he was exhausted. His whole body was still hurting, and he had a bad headache from crying so hard. His throat hurt too. His hands were still shaking lightly, and he still felt super shaky. He didn't think he could walk, or else he would've taken off and run away a while ago.

He just wanted his brother.

"Hiro?" Honey Lemon asked quietly. Her voice was so gentle that Hiro felt bad. He looked down even further, letting his hair fall over his eyes. He hoped it was enough to conceal the fact that more tears were clouding his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"You don't need to apologize, Hiro It's okay. You're safe with us." GoGo shook her head. Hiro sniffled.

"Are you with us, Hiro?" Wasabi asked him softly. Hiro nodded, wiping at his eyes. "Good. Whew. You scared us there for a minute, big guy." Wasabi tried to laugh. Hiro's form shook with a round of silent sobs.

"You're okay, Buddy. It's okay." Wasabi said. 

"I'm sorry...I...I didn't know, you guys were still here." Hiro sniffled.

"I'm glad we were. I'm really glad we were still here. I would've hated for you to go through that all alone." Fred challenged Hiro's train of thought. He glanced up slightly at his friend.

"I am too, man. I think we all are." Wasabi said. Hiro wiped at his eyes, taking a shaky breath.

"Just keep doing that, okay? Keep doing that. You don't have to worry about anything else right now. Just keep breathing. Breathe and listen to us talking." Honey Lemon praised. Hiro nodded, taking a couple more deep breaths. 

"You're really good at that." Fred remarked, extracting a small chuckle from the boy.

"Thanks." He said quietly.

"No problemo my dude." Fred smiled proudly.

"You feeling okay? Physically I mean?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro hesitated, debating whether or not to answer honestly. Telling the truth would only make them worry more, but he was pretty sure any lie he told would be utterly unconvincing based on everything that had just happened as well as the fact that he couldn't seem to stop crying.

"M...My head kinda hurts. I'm a little sore." He said after a while.

"Yeah, you're still shaking pretty badly. I might have some painkillers in my backpack. Do you want me to check?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro opened his mouth to say 'no' but he heard his voice say 'yes please' instead. Honey Lemon hesitated, clearly not wanting to let him go. GoGo picked up on her hesitance and grabbed her backpack from where she'd dropped it before they'd all sat down.

"Which section?" She asked.

"It should be in the front smaller section. I have water too." Honey Lemon said. GoGo unzipped the backpack and searched around. She found the travel-size container quickly. She grabbed two out and replaced it before grabbing an unopened water bottle from the main section.

"Thank you GoGo." Honey Lemon said, extending her hand to take the painkillers. She handed them off to Hiro before taking the water next.

"Thanks." Hiro said lowly. He took the water in his other hand and opened it before taking the painkillers. He only took a small sip of the water, not wanting to drink too much. Honey Lemon noticed this, of course, and she smiled.

"You can have it, Hiro. I brought two with me and I finished the other one a bit ago." She said. Hiro glanced up at her, and she nodded confidently. Hiro thanked her silently, drinking more. The cool liquid felt good on his throat. It actually calmed him down a little bit more, as well.

"Good." Honey Lemon praised. She gently pushed some of Hiro's hair out of his eyes, revealing just how red, puffy, and perpetually tear-filled they were. She didn't react to it, though. None of them did, knowing it would just make Hiro retreat more. Instead, she smiled at him.

"That should help." She said. Hiro nodded.

"Thank you. All of you. Really I...I don't know what I would've done if I was alone." He said, looking at all of his friends quickly before looking down again. They all echoed some form of 'you're welcome' to him simultaneously.

"I'm glad you weren't alone. That seemed really scary." GoGo said. "You took it like a champ." Hiro chuckled again.

"It was. I don't...really know what happened." Hiro fiddled with his jacket sleeves.

"I'm pretty sure it was a panic attack." Wasabi said. Hiro nodded.

"But why did it happen? I've seen...his stuff before. I still sleep in the same room I shared with him. It's been a long time. Why...why did it happen? I mean...I know it's...His birthday and all. But..." He rambled, keeping his voice quiet in hopes it would hide how much it was still shaking.

"It's...grief is, complicated, Hiro. It doesn't...It's not a straight line, it's not linear. It's a lot of ups and downs. It doesn't fully stop just because it's been a long time. And it being...today...brings back all of the yucky feelings and stuff." Honey Lemon explained. Hiro sniffled, exhaling shakily.

"I want it to stop." He said quietly, emotion choking him.

"I know. I'm so sorry." Honey Lemon said, matching his speaking volume.

"I hate it." Hiro choked, trying hard not to fully start crying again. Honey Lemon hugged him again. "I just...I just-want, Tadashi." He sniffled again.

"Oh Hiro. I'm so sorry." Honey Lemon said.

"I wish we could take the pain away from you and throw it into a pit of fire." Fred said. They all chuckled.

"He's not wrong." GoGo pointed out.

"No, he's right." Wasabi agreed.

"What can we do, if there's anything?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro felt himself surrender then and there. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed comfort desperately. He breathed in sharply.

"Hugs work." He choked out. Honey Lemon held him a little tighter, and he felt Wasabi hug him from the other side.

"You got it, big guy." He said gently.

Hiro took a few steadying deep breaths.

"We're here for you, Hiro. We're always going to be here for you. No matter what." Honey Lemon said.

"I know." Hiro acknowledged.

"I really hope you do, Hiro." Honey Lemon said.

"I do. I think it took me a little while but, I do." Hiro admitted.

"I'm glad you know now." Honey Lemon pulled back a bit to smile at him. Hiro returned a small smile of his own. Honey Lemon pulled him back into the hug. She took a deep breath of her own, giving Hiro something else tangible to focus on. A few quiet, shuddering sobs spilled out of the boy in reaction to the comfort. He felt safe, like he didn't need to hold back anymore, or at least not as much. None of these people were going to judge him. Heck, he had Tadashi's best friend and girlfriend hugging him right now. They missed him almost as much as he did.

He felt Wasabi pull away for a moment, but he didn't think too much of it until he spoke.

"Oh, your aunt texted back. She said to take as long as you need and she'll be up when you get home." He said. Hiro rubbed his eyes and pulled away from Honey Lemon, who let him go gently.

"Oh. Uh, thanks. I...forgot I gave you my phone." He sniffled.

"I didn't mean to hang on to it, I meant to give it back to you. But then we started walking out and we just got to talking and I forgot too." Wasabi rambled.

"No, it's okay, really. Thank you. Here, I can text her back. Thanks." Hiro said.

"Of course." Wasabi handed him the phone, and Hiro looked back at the texts Wasabi had sent after the phone call. He'd provided a bit more information on just how upset Hiro was than he would've preferred, but Aunt Cass had responded accordingly. He opened the keyboard and started typing.

Hey Aunt Cass. It's Hiro. I'm okay. Sorry I'm out so late. I'll be home soon. I'm okay

He sent it, exhaling shakily.

"Are you feeling okay?" Honey Lemon asked quietly. She rested her hand on his back, grounding him there with them. Hiro nodded, wiping his eyes again.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He said. He didn't sound okay in the slightest, he knew that. His voice was shaky and quiet. He sounded almost as depressed and exhausted as he felt.

"You wanna head home soon?" Wasabi asked. Honey Lemon looked up at him warningly. He met her eyes and shrugged slightly. Hiro pretended not to notice. His phone buzzed and he looked down to see that Aunt Cass had responded.

No worries honey! I'm glad you're with friends! Take as long as you need ❤️

Hiro blinked back tears as he smiled at the message.

Thanks Aunt Cass 💙

"You okay kid?" GoGo asked him. He glanced up and noticed that she could see the tears in his eyes despite him trying to hide them by looking down. He quickly swiped at his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "Sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, Hiro. It's okay." Fred repeated what they'd been telling him all night.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you guys keep repeating yourselves. And I know I'm...keeping you out late and..." He babbled.

"Hey, hey. Slow down. Hiro, if we didn't want to be here we wouldn't be. If we couldn't be here, we wouldn't be here. We stayed with you because we want to, and because we're able to. It's okay. It's not that late, either." Honey Lemon moved her hand from his back to his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"In case you haven't noticed, this is a college. There isn't exactly a set bedtime for anyone here. Most of us are up until the sun rises in the morning." GoGo joked. They all chuckled, and Hiro smiled.

"Yeah. Still, I just...I don't know." He sighed.

"It's okay. I get what you mean. Honey Lemon's right though. If we didn't think we could stay we would've gone home by now. We're here because we want to be. We're a team. You're part of the team, kid." GoGo continued. Hiro sniffled, nodding.

"Thanks. Thanks, you guys. I'm...I'm really glad, Tadashi had you guys as friends. He was really lucky. And so am I." He said. He could see them all swallowing back a surge of emotion as they smiled at him.

"Well I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all incredibly lucky to know both of you. And Tadashi was pretty lucky to have such an awesome little brother. I know he thought so too." Wasabi said. Hiro couldn't have choked back the surge of sobs that tumbled out of him if he'd tried.

"Yeah. You're a pretty cool dude, Hiro." Fred echoed. Hiro chuckled.

"Thanks, Fred. You guys are pretty cool too. I...really appreciate all of you. I'm...I'm sorry if I scared you, back there." He said.

"It's okay, Hiro." Honey Lemon said quickly.

"Yeah, I was just messing around when I said that. I mean, it was worrying. You were really freaked out. But, we're okay. We just, wanted to make sure you were okay." Wasabi said.

"What he said." GoGo nodded towards Wasabi.

"Don't copy me." Wasabi joked.

"I'm not. If I'd copied you I would've just repeated what you said. Instead, I said I second that. There's a difference, genius." GoGo smirked.

"Whatever." Wasabi rolled his eyes, but he smiled as well. Hiro chuckled at their bickering. It felt familiar, and safe. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You coming down a little bit more?" Honey Lemon asked.

"Yeah. I think so. Thanks for the water. It's helping a lot." Hiro said, taking another sip.

"Of course! I'm glad it's helping!" Honey Lemon smiled.

"How's the headache?" GoGo asked.

"Oh. Uh, it's a little better. Still kind of hurts, but it's better." Hiro nodded.

"Better's better than nothing." GoGo said.

"Yeah. It is." Hiro said, catching on to what she was really saying. She smiled knowingly.

"Just take your time, Hiro. We'll stay as long as you need." Honey Lemon said. Hiro nodded.

"I don't wanna hold you guys too long. And, Aunt Cass will worry if I'm out too much later. But I don't wanna worry her if I go home and I'm still...still crying." He said hesitantly, wiping his eyes again.

"Hiro, it's okay if you're still crying. Crying is part of grief." Honey Lemon said.

"I know. I just...Just hate it." Hiro said dejectedly.

"That's fair, Buddy." Wasabi validated. Hiro took a deep, shaky breath.

"You're tired." Honey Lemon stated the obvious, trying to make him feel more comfortable about the idea of going home so he could sleep.

"Mhm." He nodded slightly.

"You need sleep, kid." GoGo said gently. Hiro sniffled as he nodded again using small movements. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.

"You wanna head back to your place?" Wasabi offered. Hiro hesitated before nodding a third time. He took a shaky breath. His chest tightened slightly.

"Yeah, probably should. I can take the trolly, though. Or the bus." He said. He could feel his thoughts starting to slip again, and he really didn't want to break down in front of them again.

"I wanna drive you. If that's okay with you, obviously." Wasabi shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Hiro asked hesitantly. "It's kind of out of your way." He silently hoped Wasabi would agree and let him leave alone.

"Nah, it isn't out of my way at all. I'm sure. Again, only if you're comfortable with it." Wasabi said.

"Okay. Yes please." Hiro caved. He didn't have the energy to argue.

"Okay. Thank you." Wasabi said. Hiro didn't respond. He stared down at his phone, turning it over in his hands.

"Hiro? Are you okay?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro barely heard her.

"Hey, your breathing's picking up again, Buddy. You with us? Hiro?" Wasabi put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah. Sorry." He said.

"What is it?" GoGo asked. Hiro shook his head.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry. We can go now. It's late." He said, standing up.

"Hold on there, big guy. Something went off in that brain of yours. Can you talk to us about it? Was it something we said?" Wasabi asked.

Hiro tried to steady himself. He remembered Tadashi using the same phrase when he was upset. He'd sit down next to him and ask what was going on 'in that brain of his.' He wiped at his eyes quickly.

"I can't shut my brain up." He said quietly.

"How do you mean?" Wasabi asked. Hiro shook his head again.

"Ever since I saw the stupid folder...It's like, I can't stop thinking about...that night. It just keeps replaying over and over and over in my head and it won't stop. No matter how hard I try to think about other things it just...It won't go away!" He explained, annoyance growing in his tone as he heard his voice wavering badly. He wiped away a few stray tears that fell aggressively. "And I can't stop crying!"

"Hey, hey, easy. Go easy on yourself, Hiro. A lot of bad stuff just got brought back up in a really overwhelming way. Your thoughts are racing. Your brain is still trying to process everything that just happened. You had a really bad panic attack so you're hyperfocused on what triggered it. That's normal. It'll go away, it will. You have to let yourself breathe." Honey Lemon explained gently. Hiro pushed himself off of the concrete planter suddenly, making Honey Lemon jump slightly. He walked past GoGo and Fred.

"I just want it to stop! It's been a long time...I want it to stop hurting! I don't want it to seem like I don't care or like I don't miss him because I do! I miss him so much. I just...I just want it to stop hurting. I want to stop breaking down like this! I hate it! It's embarrassing and it's inconvenient and annoying for everyone around me. I can't...I want to stop missing him." Hiro blurted out before he could stop himself. He kept his back to his friends as he spoke. He didn't want them to see him cry for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. He didn't want to see their expressions, their reactions to what he'd just said. He'd been feeling like this for so long now, but he'd never wanted to tell anyone. He knew it made him sound like a terrible person. Maybe he was. Maybe he was a terrible younger brother for wanting it to stop hurting. He wanted to stop missing Tadashi because missing him tore him apart.

"Hiro, please don't leave, okay? If you want space, we'll give you space. Just, please, don't take off okay?" Honey Lemon said gently. Hiro frowned in confusion. He turned to look at her before he could stop himself.

"It's okay, Hiro." She said gently.

"How are you still being so nice to me?" He questioned. Honey Lemon frowned.

"What?" She asked after a second.

"I...I'm not...like him. I'm not a good person. I just admitted that." Hiro choked out.

"Hey, don't say that." GoGo said protectively. Hiro shook his head, wiping away more streams of tears. Why couldn't he stop crying and function normally?

"Hiro, wanting the pain to stop doesn't make you a bad person." Honey Lemon said.

"How? I just said I w...want to stop missing him. I can't take it anymore!" Hiro said.

"You'll always miss him, Hiro. He's your brother. It doesn't mean you don't care about him. It means you want to stop hurting. That's normal. Grief hurts. It hurts more than anything in the world. Of course you want it to stop! It doesn't mean you're a bad person, Hiro. It shows just how much Tadashi means to you." Honey Lemon explained.

"We all want it to stop. We all miss him like crazy. We all get sad sometimes when we remember him or see things or hear things that remind us of him. Obviously it's different from you because we were his friends, not his siblings. But it's normal. Wanting it to stop doesn't mean we don't care. It means we want him back, and we can't have that, and it sucks. So, if we can't have him back, the closest thing is for the pain to go away." GoGo said, standing up.

"Yeah, exactly. Hiro, You're not a bad person. You're a superhero! You've saved a lot of people. And you're our friend. We wouldn't be friends with you if you were a bad person." Wasabi chuckled. Hiro looked down, holding his arms.

"I just want it to stop." He said again.

"It will Hiro. It...The hurt doesn't go away, not completely. But, it lessens. It fades out after a while. Sometimes it comes back, but the more time goes by, the stronger you get. The more you can replace that pain with good memories. Right now all of your memories still hurt. That's why we were trying to bring up good ones in the lab. To try and cancel some of that pain out. But you're not there yet, and that's okay. You'll get there, I promise." Honey Lemon said.

The whole time they'd been talking, Hiro's friends were inching closer to him. He'd noticed, but he hadn't backed away. He wanted to be alone, but at the same time the idea of being alone scared him a lot.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's okay. It's okay that you're hurting Hiro. It isn't annoying or inconvenient. I'm sorry it's embarrassing, but we'd never judge you for hurting. Not ever." GoGo said seriously.

"It's okay to cry and scream and yell. It's okay to be upset. You're okay." Honey Lemon said. Hiro took a shaky breath.

"I just want to calm down." He said. "Sometimes it feels like I can't breathe. It feels like I'll never stop feeling like this. Like I'll never be okay again."

"You will. You'll get there, kid. For now, just take it one step at a time, okay? Don't overwhelm yourself with stuff like that. Just focus on today. You made it through today. Today's almost over. That's one more day down. Right?" GoGo said. Hiro nodded. "Right. One step at a time, Hiro. We're with you. And we'll be with you anytime you need that reminder. Take a deep breath, and take it one step at a time. And it's okay to stumble and fall. We'll also be here to help you back up." She continued.

"Always." Fred echoed. Hiro managed a small smile.

"I really appreciate you guys." He said shakily.

"We appreciate you too, Hiro. I know how easy it can be to close yourself off when you're hurting. But that's when you have to let people in the most. You can't do everything by yourself. If you're comfortable with it, we'd like to be there to help you." Wasabi said. Hiro nodded immediately.

"I don't wanna be alone anymore." He said, choking up more just at the thought.

"Good. Cause you're stuck with us either way." GoGo smiled. Hiro let out a small laugh.

"Good. I guess you guys are stuck with me too? If that's okay." He said quickly.

"Hiro, breathe." Wasabi laughed. "You don't have to worry with us. Like we said earlier, we're with you because we wanna be with you." He said. Hiro smiled.

"Okay." He said. He took a couple of steadying breaths. GoGo held out the half-finished water bottle he'd abandoned when he'd gotten up. He took it gratefully and took a few sips.

"I'm sorry about all of this. I know you said I shouldn't be but...Just...I'm sorry." He said.

"It's okay. We accept your completely unnecessary apology." GoGo said sarcastically. They all chucked.

"Thank you." Hiro said.

"Don't mention it. We've got your back, kid." She returned.

"Thanks. Wow, it's later than I thought...Aunt Cass is gonna freak." Hiro glanced at his phone.

"Nah, she's okay. I've been keeping her updated on how you're doing." Wasabi told him. Hiro looked at him questioningly.

"You what?" He asked.

"Yeah. We exchanged phone numbers for emergencies a while ago. Just in case." Wasabi said casually.

"Oh. O-kay then." Hiro said. "What's she saying? What have you been telling her?" He asked nervously.

"Just updating that we're still talking and you're doing okay, still upset but talking stuff out which is good." Wasabi said honestly.

"What's she saying?" Hiro asked.

"She's worried about you but she's glad you're with us." Wasabi said. Hiro nodded.

"She's okay?" He asked, a sudden pang of worry stabbing at his stomach.

"She's okay. Take a deep breath, Hiro." Wasabi picked up on the spike of anxiety.

"Let's get you home, okay? Are you ready to go home?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro hesitated.

"You guys will text me when you all get home?" He asked.

"Absolutely." Honey Lemon said.

"Yes, right away." GoGo echoed.

"You'll be the first to know." Wasabi nodded.

"Absolutely big guy." Fred nodded as well. Hiro swallowed with difficulty.

"Don't, say you're sorry. It's okay. Just keep taking deep breaths. Everyone is okay." Wasabi caught Hiro as he opened his mouth. Hiro smiled sheepishly, looking down.

"Come on, kid. It's past your bedtime." GoGo joked. She stepped towards him slowly, waiting for Hiro to indicate whether or not she was okay to approach him fully. He nodded, and she walked up and swung her arm around him playfully.

"I thought you said there were no bedtimes in college?" He said.

"There aren't...for us. You're still a baby." GoGo ruffled his hair.

"Hey, knock it off! I'm not a baby, I'm fourteen!" Hiro laughed, shoving her and fixing his hair.

"Oh such a grown-up." GoGo said in a goofy voice. They all started walking towards the parking lot Wasabi was parked in.

"To be fair, I don't think any one of us is a full grown-up." Fred said.

"Speak for yourself!" Wasabi said.

"No, he's right." GoGo said. They all laughed.

"Whatever." Wasabi said.

Everyone piled into Wasabi's car, and he waited for everyone to buckle their seatbelts before turning the key. They drove down the quiet streets of San Fransokyo laughing and discussing whatever topics came to mind. Hiro was calming down more and more as they drove, the steady movement of the car and the sounds of his friends' happy voices allowing him to breathe easier.

Wasabi had thought of something back at the school, when Hiro had asked them to text him when they got home. Now, he put his plan into action as they pulled up to Fred's mansion.

"Okay, stop number one. Freddie, you're up." He said, putting the car in park.

"Oh, hey we're here. Okay. Goodnight dudes! Goodnight Hiro. If you need anything, just give me a call on the Fred-o-phone, you got that?" Fred asked as he unbuckled and opened the car door. Hiro chuckled.

"Yeah, I got that. Thanks Fred." He said.

"Alright! Bye guys! Thanks Wasabi!" Fred called as he got out. He closed the door and jumped up the stairs to his house. Heathcliff opened the door before he could, and Fred stepped inside. He turned around to wave, letting them know he was inside okay. Everyone in the car waved back, and they watched Fred walk fully inside as the door closed.

"Alright. Stop number one complete. Stop number two, GoGo." Wasabi said as he put the car in drive and pulled out onto the street again.

"I think my place is closer to Fred's than Gogo's, isn't it?" Hiro asked. Wasabi shrugged.

"Eh, depends on which way you go. GoGo's house is actually a little closer." He said casually. Hiro watched him closely for a moment, an idea formulating in his head. He didn't say anything, though, and the causal conversations continued.

They dropped GoGo of and waited for her to get inside safely before driving off again. Hiro's idea was confirmed when instead of going to his place next, they pulled up to Honey Lemon's. She got out of the car and said goodnight to both of them. She echoed the same offer to call if Hiro needed anything that Fred and GoGo had offered before leaving. They watched her walk inside fully, and she waved just like the others had to confirm she was safe before they drove off again.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Hiro said quietly. Wasabi put on a look of confusion.

"Do what?" He asked playfully. Hiro smiled.

"Thank you." He said.

"No problem, big guy. You've had enough anxiety for one night. I wanted you to be able to relax a little." Wasabi smiled, giving up the act of playing dumb.

"I really, really appreciate you guys a lot. I feel bad that you had to see all of that. But...I'm glad I wasn't alone." Hiro admitted. Wasabi nodded.

"I'm glad you're glad you weren't alone. I know isolation can seem really easy, and I know how easy it is to forget that you have a support system behind you. You have us, Hiro. We'll always be there when you need us. If you'd rather have some space, just tell us and we'll give that to you. But if you need us, we're there in a heartbeat." He said. Hiro blinked quickly, nodding.

"Thanks Wasabi." He said quietly.

"Of course, Hiro." Wasabi said.

They drove the rest of the way in more casual conversation. Hiro texted Aunt Cass that he was on his way home. They arrived fairly quickly as the streets were mostly empty. Wasabi parked the car outside the cafe. Hiro unbuckled his seatbelt.

"I'll text you when I get home." He said. Hiro smiled.

"Thank you. Thanks for driving me, too. I..." He hesitated, unsure of how to fully convey his gratitude for everything Wasabi had done for him that night.

"Don't worry about it, Hiro. You're welcome. We've got your back, just remember that for me, okay?" He said. Hiro nodded.

"I will." He said seriously.

"Alright. Have a goodnight. Get some sleep okay?" Wasabi said.

"I will. I'm exhausted." Hiro chuckled.

"Yeah I bet." Wasabi smiled.

"Goodnight, Wasabi."

"Goodnight Hiro."

Hiro climbed out of the car and closed the door. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped towards the door. It opened quickly before he could reach for the handle and Aunt Cass stepped outside.

The moment Hiro saw her, he choked up. She gave him a soft smile as she stepped towards him and enveloped him in a tight hug. Hiro dropped his backpack and wrapped his arms just as tightly around his aunt. Wasabi could see his small frame shaking from the car. Aunt Cass was talking to him quietly, rubbing his back. She looked up and locked eyes with Wasabi. He could see her eyes shining as well.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She mouthed to him. Wasabi smiled at her.

"You're welcome. We're here." He mouthed back. Aunt Cass nodded. He saw her say 'come on, let's get you inside' to Hiro. They released the hug. Hiro kept his head down, wiping at his eyes. Wasabi fought back tears of his own, taking a steady deep breath. His heart was breaking for the kid. Aunt Cass picked up Hiro's backpack in one hand and took Hiro's hand in the other. They walked towards the door and she ushered Hiro inside. She then turned around and waved to Wasabi, thanking him again. Wasabi waved back, nodding. He watched the doors close before he rolled up his window. He grabbed out his phone and pulled up the group chat with everyone. He knew Hiro was probably too distraught to send the text himself, so Wasabi sent it for him.

Just dropped Hiro off. Aunt Cass met him outside and brought him in. I'm headed home now.

He put his phone away and drove off.

Inside, Aunt Cass set Hiro's backpack on one of the tables and wrapped her arms around him again.

"I'm so sorry, honey." She whispered. Hiro sobbed quietly into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Hiro, honey, you have nothing to apologize for. I promise." Aunt Cass told him seriously.

"It-it won't-stop." He choked out.

"It's okay. It's okay. Don't bottle it up. I'm right here." Aunt Cass reassured him, smoothing his hair and rubbing his back. "I'm right here."

"I want it to stop." He sniffled.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. It's gonna be okay." Aunt Cass rocked him slightly. "It's okay. I love you, honey."

"I l-I love you too, Aunt Cass." Hiro sobbed out.

The pair stood together in the cafe hugging for a long time. Aunt Cass continued to talk to Hiro softly, trying to comfort him as best as she could. After a while, exhaustion started to pull Hiro's body down. Aunt Cass pulled away, keeping one arm wrapped tightly around him.

"Come on. Let's go upstairs." She said. Hiro nodded, wiping at his eyes.

"Are you hungry at all? When's the last time you ate?" She asked gently as they walked up. Hiro shrugged.

"I'm not-not hungry." He said, trying to regain control over his breathing.

"When's the last time you ate, Hiro?" She asked again gently but more pressing.

"I don't remember. I don't want to eat." Hiro said. Aunt Cass sighed. "It's late. I just...wanna stop crying and go to bed." Hiro added.

"Hiro-" Aunt Cass started, but Hiro cut her off.

"Please..." He squeaked. Aunt Cass pulled him in to another hug. "I'm just so tired." He said.

"I know, honey. I know. Can you at least take something up to eat in bed? Something small?" She asked. Hiro hesitated a minute.

"Maybe." He said. Aunt Cass chuckled.

"You're gonna say a doughnut aren't you?" She asked. Hiro chuckled quietly.

"Maybe..." He said, sniffling. Aunt Cass rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Of course. You need sleep, Hiro. Sugar is just gonna keep you up all night." She said.

"I'm so tired I probably won't even finish it." Hiro said. Aunt Cass pulled away just enough to look down at her nephew. She tried hard not to visually react to how sad and exhausted he looked. He looked like he'd been crying all night, and she knew from Wasabi that he basically had been.

"Okay." She caved. Hiro managed a small smile. They pulled away and he wiped at his eyes.

"Yay." He said with a bit more energy in his voice. Aunt Cass grabbed out his favorite kind from the stock she had prepared for the cafe tomorrow. He took it gratefully and took a bite.

"Thank you." He said. Aunt Cass smiled.

"You're welcome. Go on up and get ready for bed okay?" She said, ruffling his hair.

"Okay." Hiro laughed as he fixed it. He walked to the stairs, but he hesitated at the bottom. Aunt Cass watched him carefully.

"You alright?" She asked softly. Hiro didn't respond verbally. He just nodded. He took a deep breath and climbed the stairs to his room.

He rounded the corner slowly, trying not to look in the direction of Tadashi's side of the room. He sat on the side of his bed, taking deep breaths slowly. He wiped at his eyes with his free hand. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he took it out. He saw a bunch of missed texts from his friends, some in their group chat and some individual. He finished his doughnut and wiped his hands off as he opened the group chat and read through the messages.

The first one he responded to was Wasabi saying he was home. Then he went back and reacted to what the others had been saying. When he'd responded accordingly to the group chat, he moved on to the individual text messages from all of them.

They were all saying different versions of the same things; That they were there for him, whatever he needed, and to please text or call them if he ever needed anything. They also said how they were proud of him for letting them be there for him and not holding back, that that was a good thing. Hiro didn't want to mention that he probably couldn't have held back even if he'd wanted to. Once he'd started crying, he literally hadn't been able to stop. Although he figured they'd been able to figure that out pretty easily being there with him.

He thanked them all another million times and assured them that he would call or text them if he needed anything. When they'd all said their proper good nights, Hiro changed and got ready for bed. He shut off his main light and turned on his bedside lamp, something he and Tadashi had made together. He looked at it, remembering how they'd gathered all the pieces they needed and tried a bunch of different ways of combining them.

A smile spread across his face. He still had tears in his eyes, but the memories of building with Tadashi were good memories. They made him happy as he remembered them bickering over which part should go where and what should connect to what. He remembered how happy they'd been with the finished product, and as he looked at it now, that same happiness spread in his chest.

He wiped away a few stray tears, confused as to why he was still crying even though he felt calmer. Granted he wasn't crying nearly as uncontrollably now, it had been reduced to small sniffles and some shaky breathing. But remembering building the lamp had actually calmed him down. He heard Aunt Cass climbing the stairs and he quickly wiped his eyes.

"Hiro? Can I come in?" She called. Hiro cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, you're good." He said just loud enough for her to hear. Aunt Cass climbed up the last few steps and rounded the corner.

"Hey honey." She said, smiling in his direction. Hiro swallowed past the lump in his throat as he tried to smile back. He hated that everything seemed to make him choke up more. He was so exhausted and drained, he didn't even have the energy to cry more, but his body didn't seem to be able to fully stop.

"Hi." He said quietly.

"You ready for bed?" Aunt Cass asked, not bringing attention to the emotion written all over her nephew's face. Hiro just nodded. "Alright. Climb in." She said. Hiro turned and climbed in to his bed. He pushed the covers back and leaned against his pillows. He pulled the covers back up again.

"You wanna lie down?" Aunt Cass asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Hiro kept his eyes down, away from her.

"I don't know. I might read for a little bit." He said.

"It's pretty late." Aunt Cass said.

"Isn't it Friday?" Hiro asked. Aunt Cass chuckled.

"Yes, it is. But you always go in on Saturdays. You need your sleep." She said. Hiro smiled sheepishly.

"I know. I am pretty tired." He said.

"I know honey. Long day." Aunt Cass brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Get some sleep okay?"

"I will." Hiro nodded. He turned away and swiped at his eyes quickly. Aunt Cass didn't say anything. She just smiled at him and leaned forward and kissed the top of his head.

"Thank you. Goodnight Hiro. I love you." She said.

"Night Aunt Cass. I love you too." Hiro returned. Aunt Cass ruffled his hair one more time before standing up and walking towards the stairs. She looked back over her shoulder before stepping down.

"Night." She said again. Hiro chuckled.

"Night." He repeated. She smiled at him and descended the stairs, leaving Hiro alone in his room.

He took as deep of a breath as he physically could. His chest started to ache again, badly. He brought his hand up and pushed down on his chest, trying to massage the pain away, but it wasn't that kind of pain. It was an ache, starting to spread across his whole body. He recognized it as the same ache he felt before his friends found him in the lab.

With a jolt of realization, Hiro sucked in his breath.

"Baymax, ow." He said. He heard the familiar sound of the robot inflating, and he felt the tiniest sensation of relief in his airways. He heard Baymax step out of his charging port and he walked over to the bed.

"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. Hello, Hiro. What can I help you with?" Baymax said. Hiro hesitated. Baymax looked him up and down.

"Scan complete. You seem to be in emotional distress. You are rubbing your chest, are you having chest pains?" Baymax asked him.

"N-not pain...It just...hurts." He choked up more.

"I do not understand." Baymax said. Hiro blinked hard. "You are crying. Crying is a natural response to pain." Baymax added. Hiro inhaled sharply.

"Not...not physical pain." He said quietly. Baymax assessed him for a moment.

"I have re-accessed my database on mental health. How can I assist you?" He asked. Hiro shook his head. He needed a real person, someone who understood what he was going through. He'd been hesitant to call Aunt Cass or text one of his friends again, but now he knew he needed to.

"Um...Nothing. I'm-" Hiro started to say Baymax's deactivation verbal cue, but he choked. He remembered going through the portal. Every time he said Baymax's deactivation cue, he got that stabbing reminder and felt like he was losing him all over again for a brief moment. Only this time, it wasn't brief.

"Hiro, your breathing patterns are very irregular, and close to hyperventilation. Would you like some breathing exercises to help calm you down?" Baymax asked. Hiro shook his head. "Are you sure? You are breathing very rapidly."

"I'm-I'm okay. Just...Stay here. I'm...I'm gonna all someone. Or, text." Hiro said, grabbing his phone from the nightstand.

"I will not leave you." Baymax said. Hiro froze, the tears clouding his eyes pushing their way out. Unable to respond, Hiro opened his phone. He scrolled through his contacts, assessing each one of his friends carefully. Fred or GoGo would try to distract him with funny jokes or stories, and Wasabi and Honey Lemon would try to comfort him, reassuring him verbally. For a second, he considered just texting the group chat and seeing who was up, but he hadn't been home very long. He assumed they were all still awake.

"Hiro, are you sure you would not like to try a breathing exercise?" Baymax asked, making him jump. Baymax blinked. "I did not mean to frighten you. I will lower my voice volume...voice volume lowered. Is this better?"

"I-j...yeah. It's fine, Baymax." Hiro choked.

"Are you sure you would not like a breathing exercise? You are nearing a panic attack." Baymax repeated. Hiro glanced up at him.

"Um...I...sure? W-what kind?" He asked.

"I am programmed with multiple different types of breathing assistance exercises. Would you like one with vocal assistance, visual assistance, silent aside from words on the screen, or-" Baymax began listing, but Hiro shook his head.

"No. T-too many-I can't...I can't make decisions right now." He said anxiously. Baymax looked him up and down again, no doubt scanning him a second time.

"I will choose a default option. Are you able to see clearly?" He asked.

"Baymax, I can't. Please." Hiro started to cry.

"Your signs of emotional distress are increasing. How can I best assist you?" Baymax asked calmly.

"Just...Don't leave, okay?" Hiro asked.

"I will not leave you." Baymax repeated. Hiro hiccuped painfully. He clicked on one of his contacts blindly and brought the phone up to his ear. He didn't see who he'd chosen, and his heart began to pound against his ribs. He listened to the call ring a few times before someone answered. He closed his mouth quickly.

"Hey Hiro. Are you okay? I thought you'd be asleep by now. Or I guess I was hoping you'd be asleep by now."

Hiro recognized Wasabi's voice and his heart pounded harder. Immediately, he could hear him sighing in annoyance in his head. He was still upset after over an hour and a half. It was already late. He should've left Wasabi alone.

"Hiro? Are you okay? Are you there?" Wasabi asked.

"I-sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry." Hiro choked out, trying to disguise his crying as coughing. He heard Wasabi let out a quiet sigh.

Great. He's sick of me already. I shouldn't have called. I'm nothing but a nuisance to anyone. Just as Hiro was spiraling down, Wasabi spoke and interrupted his thoughts.

"How can I help you right now? What do you need?" Wasabi asked, his voice softening significantly. Hiro hesitated.

"I-" He choked again.

"Is Baymax with you?" Wasabi asked.

"Um...yeah. He's-he's here." Hiro said.

"Okay, good, cause you're breathing really fast. I don't want you passing out on me." Wasabi said lightly. Hiro managed a small smile, but it faded quickly.

"I'm sorry...It's late, I...I'll-" He began, but Wasabi cut him off.

"Hey, I don't care what time it is, Hiro. Don't worry about that. It's Friday night. Crazy kids like us are up late anyways." He joked. "Now, tell me what's up? Did something happen? Or are you just still kind of reeling from earlier?"

Hiro sniffled, coughing out a choked sob.

"I-I don't know. I don't..." He shook his head.

"That's okay. It's okay. You don't have to know." Wasabi said quickly. "You don't have to know. Just tell me what you need."

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the tears rushing down his face as quiet sobs shook his frame.

"I need my brother back." He squeaked out, crying properly.

"Aw buddy. I know. I know, Hiro. I'm so sorry." Wasabi repeated. Hiro curled in on himself as he cried. Baymax looked at him for a moment before moving closer.

"Crying is a natural response to pain." He said. He approached Hiro fully and placed his hand gently on his back, extracting more sobs from the boy. "It will be alright, Hiro." Baymax said.

"Good robot. See, Baymax is there too. You're okay, Hiro. You're not alone." Wasabi said, a smile in his voice. Hiro leaned closer to Baymax, and the robot leaned against him fully, wrapping his arm around him. He turned on his heater and pulled Hiro close. The warmth felt good, it was soothing. Baymax really did know what he was doing.

"Keep talking to your friend if you can. Your emotional distress signs were lowering slightly when you two were talking." Baymax said gently.

"I'm here, Hiro. I'm here. Do you want me to come over?" Waaabi offered.

"I-it's...it's late." Hiro wiped at his eyes.

"I know. But you seem like you could use a hug." Wasabi said causally. Hiro made a sound form the back of his throat that not even he could distinguish from a laugh or a sob.

"I'm...I'm okay." He choked out.

"I can be there in five minutes. We can watch movies in the garage til we fall asleep." Wasabi offered.

"Aunt Cass would-"

"Be fine with it. She knows you could use the extra comfort. Do you want it to just be me or do you want the whole gang to come over?" Wasabi cut him off. Hiro sniffled.

"It's late." He said again.

"Hiro, it's barely after 10:00. I can assure you, all of us stay up way past that on a normal night. If you don't want anybody over I understand, it's completely up to you. I just want you to know that the offer is out there." Wasabi said gently. Hiro sniffled. He glanced around his room.

"I...I don't..." His voice caught.

"Take your time, Buddy". Wasabi said. Hiro tried to take a deep breath.

"I don't wanna be alone." He managed. Wasabi felt his heart shatter.

"You're not alone, Hiro. You're never alone. We'll be there soon, okay? Why don't you go down and get the garage set up? And bring down any movies you wanna watch, your choice, okay? Whatever you wanna watch." Wasabi suggested. Hiro couldn't respond immediately past the emotion choking him. Baymax held him a little tighter as he cried.

"O-okay. Thank you." Was all Hiro could say for the moment.

"No problem, Buddy. We'll be there soon okay?" Wasabi said.

"Okay." Hiro nodded.

"Okay. Hang in there Hiro." Wasabi said seriously. Hiro just cried, and Wasabi hung up the phone. He quickly scrambled to text the group chat they'd set up without Hiro for emergencies and surprises.

Sleepover at Hiro's. He doesn't wanna be alone. Anyone up for it, respond and I'll pick you up.

He quickly threw on a hoodie, not bothering to change out of his sweatpants. He grabbed a clean shirt and pair of pants and his wallet and rushed for the door. He let his parents know where he was going and quickly said goodbye. As he walked out, his phone buzzed with new texts. When he opened the group chat, he smiled at the replies.

Honey Lemon: I'm in!! Thank you Wasabi!

GoGo: I'm down. Lets pick up some pizzas on the way

Fred: Yes!

Wasabi got in his car and buckled his seatbelt, driving off quickly.

Back at the Himada's, Hiro had collapsed against Baymax the moment Wasabi had hung up the phone.

"It will be alright, Hiro. I am sorry you are hurting. Is there anything specific I can do to help you?" Baymax asked. Hiro just shook his head.

"I am glad you contacted your friend Wasabi. Being with friends is a good way to help grief." Baymax said. Hiro sniffled.

"Can-Can I tell Aunt Cass that you did it?" He asked. Baymax tilted his head.

"I do not understand your request." He said.

"Can we tell Aunt Cass that-you contacted them? Like, I didn't have a choice." Hiro clarified.

"Would that improve your emotional state?" Baymax asked. Hiro nodded slightly.

"I just don't want her to get mad at me for-inviting people over so late." He said.

"I do not think your aunt would be upset with you for inviting friends over. You are clearly in emotional distress. Being surrounded by friends is a good way to help grief. If it will improve your emotional state, I will tell her I contacted them myself." Baymax said.

"Thank you." Hiro wiped at his eyes.

"You are welcome." Baymax said. Hiro smiled, taking a deep breath.

"Your vital signs are stabilizing." Baymax scanned him again.

"Yeah. I'm a little calmer." Hiro nodded.

"Can you drink some water? Water will help calm you more." Baymax asked. Hiro reached for the thermos on his nightstand and took a few sips.

"Okay. Come on. Let's go get stuff ready." He said. He got out of bed and walked down the stairs with Baymax.

Of course, Aunt Cass was delighted to know that his friends were coming over. She very quickly got some snacks together and the trio went down to the garage. Baymax inflated the extra mattresses they had as Aunt Cass and Hiro brought out blankets and pillows. Hiro hooked up the projector they had and got it ready.

He'd brought down a couple movies he liked, but he wasn't sure if the others would be okay with them because they were kind of childish. They were comfort movies for Hiro. Whenever he was upset, Tadashi would put them on and the two of them would watch them all day, as many times as Hiro wanted. He smiled shakily at the disks.

Wasabi pulled up soon and everybody piled out of the car. Aunt Cass went out to greet everyone first when she saw Hiro's anxiety spike. Guilt and embarrassment overtook him suddenly. He'd really dragged all of his friends out of bed late at night just because he was being a baby. 

Outside, Hiro's friends talked with Aunt Cass.

"How's he holding up?" Wasabi asked.

"He's...having a hard time. He was distant this morning, but not this bad. I could tell he was holding back. I, can't thank you guys enough for everything you do for him. Both in general and tonight. Coming over here to spend the night is...Thank you." Aunt Cass told them. They all smiled at her.

"Of course! We wanna help however we can. How are you doing?" Honey Lemon asked. Aunt Cass took a moment to respond, and they let her take her time.

"It's been hard. I've been distracted with work, which has helped. I'm really worried about Hiro. Tadashi...I know he's always had me but, his big brother was all he had." She said after a few moments.

"Yeah. I can't imagine. I'm so sorry." Honey Lemon said. Aunt Cass shook her head.

"I'm alright. I'm older, I've had a lot more time learning how to process grief than he has. That's why I worry him about him so much. He retreats so much when he's hurting. The fact that he reached out to you guys is, huge. He really trusts you guys." She said. The group smiled.

"I'm glad he does." Wasabi said.

"Me too." Aunt Cass echoed.

"Is he okay? Can we go in? Or does he need a minute?" Honey Lemon asked. Aunt Cass looked back at her nephew. He was standing in the far corner of the room with his back to them. Baymax was in front of him, his hand on Hiro's shoulder.

"He might need another minute. Oh, GoGo! Here, let me set these down. Thank you for bringing food. I don't know when the last time he ate was. He tends to lose track of time and not eat when he's at the lab." Aunt Cass grabbed the pizza boxes and quickly set them down on the table.

"Oh, thanks. No problem. I figured he hadn't eaten in a while. And I figured he probably wouldn't have eaten when he got home. He was pretty shaken up." GoGo said. Aunt Cass nodded.

"I got him to eat a doughnut but that was it. And it took some convincing." She said.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." GoGo said.

"I'm sorry you guys are going through this. I'm glad we can be here to help in whatever ways we can." Fred said.

"Thank you, Fred. I'm glad too." Aunt Cass said. She glanced back at Hiro, and was surprised to see Baymax approaching them. Hiro was still standing in the corner with his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

"Hello. Hiro has asked me to apologize to you all for making you come all the way over here so late at night." Baymax said. Everyone frowned.

"He...Hiro didn't 'make' us do anything. I offered and we wanted to come over. And it isn't that late." Wasabi answered first, and the other three echoed agreements.

"Hiro is in severe emotional distress. He has been crying for a long time, and I cannot get him to stop. Being with friends is a good way to help grief. I am glad you are here, but Hiro seems to feel guilt for inviting you over." Baymax said.

"Yeah. It's been a hard day for him." Wasabi said.

"What should I tell Hiro in response?" Baymax asked.

"Please tell him that he has nothing to apologize for. And to remember what we talked about earlier. We're here because we want to be." Honey Lemon said.

"Okay." Baymax turned and walked back to Hiro.

"Jeez. Poor kid." Wasabi said.

"He's hurting so much. I don't know how to help him." Aunt Cass's voice wavered a bit.

"Just being there is sometimes enough. And when it isn't...asking helps. Just asking alone shows that you care and you want to be there and that you love him." Honey Lemon said. Any Cass looked back at Hiro. He saw Baymax's screen was lit up and showing a line with a red bar next to it. She read the word 'Inhale' as the red bar went up slowly. When it went back down, the word 'Exhale' appeared on the screen.

"He's trying to calm down." She said. "Why don't you guys go in just the front of the garage?" She suggested.

"Good idea. We'll give hm as much space as he needs. We're here for him, whatever makes him comfortable. If he decides he wants us all to leave, we will. It's what makes him comfortable that's most important." Honey Lemon said. Aunt Cass smiled at them.

"I can't thank you guys enough." She said.

"Don't worry about it! Hiro makes it easy to be there for him. He's a cool kid." Fred said.

"Thank you." Aunt Cass said seriously. "I'll be right upstairs if anyone needs anything." She put her hand on Honey Lemon's shoulder as she walked past the group.

"Okay guys. Operation Support Hiro is a go." Wasabi said quietly. They slowly walked inside the garage, staying right in the edge.

It took a couple of minutes, but eventually, Hiro approached then very slowly.

"Hi. Um...I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"You have nothing to apologize for Hiro. Can I give you a hug?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro hesitated. He still had his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

"I don't...wanna...cry more." His voice got softer as he spoke, until they could barely hear him. Honey Lemon nodded.

"Okay. It's okay to cry though, Hiro. I know it's exhausting, but sometimes...sometimes once you start, your body won't stop until you've gotten it out of your system." She said gently. Hiro nodded, looking down. "That's what's happening now, right?" She asked. Another small nod.

"Here, get some pizza and we'll get a movie started. Did you bring some down?" Wasabi asked. Hiro took a shaky breath and looked up.

"Uh, yeah, but...we don't have to watch them if you guys don't want to." He said. Wasab walked over to the small stack of disks and read the titles. He immediately recognized them and smiled.

"I think these are perfect." He said.

"They're little kid movies..." Hiro said.

"Hey, you're never too old for dinosaurs and animals going on cool adventures." Wasabi said lightheartedly. Hiro gave him a very small smile. He turned and set one of the disks up.

"Hiro? Have you eaten in the last couple hours?" Honey Lemon asked.

"I've been crying the last couple hours." Hiro joked.

"We brought some food. Can you have some?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro glanced at the pizza boxes. His stomach growled, but it was also still in knots.

"You've gotta be hungry." GoGo said gently. Hiro didn't respond right away.

"You don't have to eat much. Even just one piece will probably make you feel better. And once your body sees food coming in, it'll be like, 'heck yeah! Let's get some more!' And then you'll be able to have more! But just a little something would do you some good if you can manage it." Fred said. Hiro chuckled lightly.

"I probably should eat." He said.

"There you go." GoGo said.

"Okay, yeah. Thank you." Hiro nodded.

"Yay!" Honey Lemon said quietly. She grabbed a plate and got Hiro two slices 'just in case he wanted more.' The others grabbed some and got situated on and around the couch. Hiro sat on the floor against the corner of the couch, and Honey Lemon sat next to him with his permission. Fred and Wasabi sat on the couch, and GoGo sat on the floor next to Honey Lemon.

The first movie began, and Hiro felt a sort of calm wash over him. Emotion still gripped him so tightly he could barely eat through the sharp gasps for air, but the sense of familiarity the movie brought was nice.

The group ate and watched the first movie in silence. It wasn't very long, so they put on a second one when they'd finished it. Hiro managed to get down a few more slices of pizza, and the others silently celebrated.

Fred was the first to fall asleep, followed shortly by GoGo. The others turned the volume down on the movie and turned subtitles on. Baymax had sat down next to Hiro, allowing the boy to lean against him a little.

"You getting tired at all?" Honey Lemon asked Hiro quietly. Hiro shrugged.

"I'm exhausted, but I can't fall asleep." He said quietly.

"You're emotionally drained. This has been quite a long and difficult day." Honey Lemon said. Hiro nodded again.

"Yeah."

"Um. Hiro? We brought one more thing with us. We weren't sure if we should show you, but I think it might be good. Therapeutic, maybe." Honey Lemon said, glancing at Wasabi. He frowned at her and shook his head slightly. Honey Lemon shrugged. "It might be good." She whispered very quietly.

"What is it?" Hiro asked. Wasabi hesitated, but he reached around the side of the couch and produced another plastic container. He handed it off to Honey Lemon, who showed it to Hiro.

Immediately, the boy broke down.

Honey Lemon was holding a cookie cake from the pizza place with decorative frosting that read "Happy Birthday Tadashi" in fancy handwriting.

He started to cry more, but it wasn't completely out of grief. He was really confused, but he couldn't speak. His rising emotions stirred GoGo, who sat up slowly. She saw what Honey Lemon was holding and she sighed.

"I thought we said we weren't gonna give that to him?" She whispered to Wasabi, who was shaking Fred awake.

"I don't know." Wasabi shrugged. Fred sat up and looked down.

"Oh. Uh. We figured...Maybe we should celebrate a little. Tadashi would want us to be together today. And...Yeah." He said. Hiro nodded, wiping his eyes.

"He-he would have..." Hiro struggled to say.

"Do you want to have some?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro nodded slowly. Honey Lemon removed the lid.

"Do you wanna sing Happy Birthday?" Wasabi asked cautiously. They had talked about this in the car hesitantly. Some of them thought it might be therapeutic for Hiro. Others thought it would just make him sad. It seemed to be doing both at the moment.

"Y-you don't...have to." Hiro sniffed.

"We wanna do whatever you wanna do." Wasabi said. Hiro hesitated.

"M-maybe...we just think it?" He said.

"Think what?" GoGo asked.

"The song. Not...not out loud." Hiro tried to explain. There was an echo of understanding, and everyone nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments. Hiro tried to calm down enough to be quiet with them, but he just broke down more. He hid his face in his arms and curled in on himself.

"Hiro's signs of emotional distress are rising, but he is also experiencing relief." Baymax reported.

"Hiro? Can we give you a hug?" Honey Lemon asked. Hiro nodded into his knees, and Honey Lemon wasted no time pulling him close and wrapping her arms around him. His small frame shook with the force of his sobs, but they felt different than when he had been crying earlier. It felt more like relief, like Baymax had said.

GoGo moved over to Hiro's other side and hugged him as well. Fred moved off of the couch and hugged them as well, and Wasabi also joined the group hug. Hiro's sobs were muffled a bit. They sat together for a while, letting Hiro cry. They spoke quietly and calmly to him every so often, reassuring him that he wasn't alone and that he was okay.

After a while, Hiro's wracking sobs slowed to a stop. The group sat together for a little while longer, wanting to make sure he was fully calm. When they pulled away, however, they saw that he had cried himself to sleep.

"Poor thing." Honey Lemon lamented.

"Poor kid's exhausted." Wasabi whispered.

"Let's let him sleep. We'll have the cake in the morning if he wants it." GoGo said quietly. As slowly as they could, everyone got up and moved back to their sleeping spots.

"Baymax? Will you take Hiro?" Honey Lemon asked quietly. Baymax blinked at the small boy and nodded, recognizing that this situation called for absolute quiet so as not to wake Hiro.

Honey Lemon carefully unwrapped her arms from him and let Baymax move him over. Very carefully, he lied the boy down on his mattress and pulled the blankets over him. Everybody got situated and Wasabi turned the projector off. Baymax stood and turned out the lights in the garage. They had closed the door a while ago, so the room was dark enough to sleep.

"Goodnight everyone." Honey Lemon said quietly. The others echoed good nights. Baymax returned to his spot next to Hiro and sat down. He went into Sleep Mode, saving his battery power but not deactivating fully. Within minutes, everyone else had fallen asleep too.
________________
The next morning, Hiro was the first to awaken. He opened his eyes slowly at first, looking around. He instantly realized he was not in his bedroom and he sat up with a gasp, alerting Baymax and Wasabi, who was slowly waking up himself.

"Hiro? Are you okay?" He asked groggily. He looked over at the boy, and was suddenly fully awake. Hiro was breathing hard and looking around anxiously.

"Hey, are you okay? Hiro?" He asked, carefully sitting up on the couch. Hiro looked at him, blinked a couple of times, and then nodded. "We're in the garage. We slept over last night. Baymax is here too." Wasabi told him. Hiro looked to his right and saw the robot sitting up and looking at him. He moved his hand up and waved in a circle. Hiro took a deep breath.

"You're safe, Hiro. Everything's okay." Wasabi was saying. Hiro looked back at him and nodded. "You with me?" Wasabi asked.

"Yeah. Sorry." Hiro said.

"Okay good. Keep taking deep breaths tough, okay?" Wasabi told him. Hiro did as he was told. "You wanna step outside and get some fresh air?" His friend offered. Hiro hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay." Wasabi moved slowly, trying not to wake the others. Hiro stood up and grabbed his jacket. He indicated to Baymax to stay put.

"If the others wake up, tell them we're just outside." He sad quietly. Baymax nodded. Together, the two slipped out the side door.

"Deep breaths, big guy." Wasabi said. Hiro inhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry if I woke you." He said.

"You didn't. I was mostly awake." Wasabi shook his head.

"Okay, good. Um. Thanks, for everything, yesterday. I know it can't ave been easy for you guys either." Hiro said quietly.

"It's okay, Hiro. It was a hard day for everyone, but especially for you. You were our main priority. That's how we wanted it." Wasabi said. Hiro nodded. He had put his jacket on as they walked out, and now he shoved his hands in the pockets.

"Yeah. Um...thanks." He repeated. Wasabi could sense anxiousness stirring in the boy beside him.

"You wanna walk around a bit?" He asked. Hiro looked at him in confusion. "San Fransokyo is nice in he early mornings. It's quiet, peaceful. Before all the hustle and bustle comes out." He added. Hiro shrugged.

"Sure. I'll tell Baymax." He said. He stepped back inside as Wasabi walked to the end of the alley. Hiro joined him and they began walking down the street.

"How did you sleep?" Wasabi asked.

"I slept okay. Were you okay on the couch?" Hiro asked.

"Oh yeah. I can fall asleep anywhere." Wasabi assured him. "Fred was out like a light." He laughed. Hiro smiled a little.

"It was pretty late." He said.

"It wasn't that late. Maybe a little past midnight by the time we started the second movie." Wasabi waved him off. Hiro didn't respond. "How are you feeling?" Wasabi asked. Hiro exhaled slowly.

"I'm okay." He said.

"Yeah?" Wasabi eyed him suspiciously. Hiro smiled sheepishly.

"I'm still really tired. Everything feels...heavy. Like my entire body is being pulled down." There was a moment of silence before he continued.

"It still hurts. I'm trying not to think about it."

"I can imagine You're still tired. It was a really intense night last night. I'm glad you were able to sleep a little. Just take it easy today, okay?" Wasabi said. Hiro nodded. "And Hiro?"

"Yeah?"

Wasabi sighed, choosing his words carefully.

"Trying not to think about it is only gonna make you think about it more. You're thinking about trying not to think about it, and then it's all you think about." He began. Hiro let out a small puff of air.

"Yeah. That's pretty much where I'm at right now." He said lowly.

"Yeah. Blocking everything out...it doesn't help anything. I know right now you feel more numb because you're so tired but, you can't do that. If you shut it all out, you get to the place you were in last night where you couldn't stop. You have to go easier on yourself. I know it's easier said than done, trust me I know. But, you have to. For your own sake." Wasabi continued. Hiro kept his head down as he listened.

"I know you're right. I'm just sick of hurting so much." He said.

"I know you are. That's why you have us, to be there for you. To hug you when you need it, and to talk about the good memories. I know...we wish they weren't memories in the way that they are. But, they're memories regardless. When you're ready, we can talk about them. For now it's too much, and that's okay. We don't have to talk about them. We don't have to talk at all. We can just sit together and watch movies or read or okay video games or whatever you want. Just...promise me you won't shut us all out again? Please?" Wasabi continued. Hiro nodded.

"I promise. I'll try my best. Sometimes I don't even mean to. I just...go quiet." He said.

"I know. It's easy to fall into that. But when you go quiet, can you let us be there and be quiet with you? And when you're ready, can you let us help you out of it? It's okay to go quiet sometimes. But you can't stay in that for too long." Wasabi said.

"I'll try. I...I don't like being alone anymore. Before, when it first happened, I didn't want anyone around me. It was too hard, too overwhelming. But, now I hate it. That's why I'm always at school." Hiro explained.

"That's a good place to be." Wasabi said.

"I really appreciate you guys coming over last night." Hiro paused at the corner of a street and looked at Wasabi. The latter smiled.

"Of course, Hiro. I'm really glad you called me." He said.

"I'm really glad I called too. I was scared to, but, I was more scared of being alone." Hiro told him.

"You aren't alone, Hiro. All of us are just a phone call away. You saw how quickly we got there last night, and that was after stopping to get food!" Wasabi said, and they laughed. "All it takes is one call. Or if a call is too much, one text. And if that's too much, one Baymax." He continued, making Hiro laugh again.

"Yeah. That's true." Hiro acknowledged. Wasabi put his hand on Hiro's shoulder, looking him in the eye.

"We're always here, Hiro. Always. Whether it's one of us, two of us, three of us, or all of us. We're all always here for you." Wasabi said a little more seriously. Hiro nodded, swiping at his eyes quickly and taking a deep breath.

"Thank you, Wasabi." He said equally as seriously. Wasabi nodded and pulled him into a tight hug. He felt Hiro take a couple of shaky breaths, and he held him a little tighter.

"Breathe, Hiro. Just keep breathing. That's all you gotta do." He said. Hiro nodded.

The two stood on the corner for a bit, taking in the calming quiet of the city. After a while, Hiro pulled back and wiped his eyes.

"We should probably get back. Aunt Cass is probably opening the cafe by now." He said.

"Yeah. I don't think you should work the cafe today though, Hiro." Wasabi said warily. Hiro chuckled.

"I don't think she'd let me even if I tried." He said.

"Yeah you're probably right. That's good though. You need a day off. We'll head out soon so you can get some more rest if you want." Wasabi said. Hiro stopped in his tracks and looked up at his friend. Wasabi saw near panic in his eyes, and he quickly continued talking. "Or! Or, we can stay. And we can keep watching movies, or play video games, or whatever. Whatever you want." He said. Hiro relaxed slightly, but only slightly as they continued walking again.

"You guys probably have stuff to do, though. Homework and projects and stuff?" He said.

"I don't, actually. I finished all my stuff due next week. I know GoGo and Honey Lemon are always ahead on stuff too. And Fred...well, you know." Wasabi said. Hiro chuckled.

"Yeah. Are you sure?" He asked.

"I can stay, and I'd love to chill and hang out with you if you're up for it. We can talk to the others when we get there, but I'd bet money they're all gonna be down to stay too." Wasabi said with a smile. Hiro smiled as well.

"I hope so." He said quietly. They continued their walk back people-watching as the early risers began making their treks to work.

By the time they got back, Honey Lemon, GoGo, and Fred were all awake.

"There you guys are! We were getting a little worried. How was your walk?" Honey Lemon asked as Wasabi shut the door behind them.

"It was good." Wasabi said.

"Really good." Hiro echoed.

Honey Lemon looked at Wasabi. Hiro was keeping his gaze away from his friends. He nodded at her.

"That's good." Honey Lemon said. Hiro sat down next to Baymax, who was out of Sleep Mode. He scanned Hiro immediately.

"Your vital signs are mostly normal, apart from a slightly elevated heart rate and slight irregular breathing patterns. Are you feeling better, Hiro?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Baymax. You don't have to announce it to everyone." Hiro said, chuckling nervously.

"I was not making an announcement. My voice volume is at a normal setting." Baymax said.

"It's an expression, Buddy." Hiro said.

"I will add 'announce it to everyone' to my database under 'Expressions.'" Baymax said. Everyone chuckled lightly.

"So. What did you two nerds get up to on your walk? Did you find any undercover elaborate schemes to investigate?" GoGo asked sarcastically. Hiro and Wasabi chuckled a little.

"No, nothing like that. Actually, Hir-" Wasabi started, but Hiro looked at him and shook his head slightly. Wasabi immediately understood and changed course.

"-Hiro...saw, a cat!" He tried to recover.

"What?" GoGo snorted.

"Aw! What kind of cat?" Honey Lemon asked.

"Was it a supervillain cat? Did it lead you to an underground lair?" Fred asked mysteriously.

"No, no, just a normal cat. Um, typical tabby cat. Super cute. Anyways, what would you guys say to a super chill movie and video game day?" Wasabi asked. The others all glanced at one another.

"I'm down! I love video games!" Fred said immediately.

"Yeah, I've got nothing better to do. That sounds like fun." GoGo said sarcastically at first, but she had a sunsets smile on her face.

"Yeah, that sounds great! Here? Or at your place, Wasabi?" Honey Lemon asked. Wasabi tried to discreetly glance at Hiro, but the boy was looking down.

"Um, I mean, wherever. I figured we already have pizza and snacks and stuff here. But we can always bring it with us wherever." Wasabi guessed what Hiro would want. Honey Lemon saw what he was trying to do, and she looked at Hiro herself.

"Hiro?" She said.

"Hmm? Oh. Uh...Yeah, we can stay here. Or, we can go wherever. It's up to you guys. You don't have to stay, too, if you have...homework and stuff." Hiro glanced in their direction but kept his eyes averted.

"Eh. My homework's not due for a couple weeks." GoGo shrugged.

"I'm done with my stuff for this week." Honey Lemon said.

"Me too." Wasabi said again.

"My only homework is justice!" Fred said dramatically, making everyone laugh. "Nah but seriously, I'm good if you're good dude." He added.

"Are you guys sure?" Hiro asked.

"Positive." Honey Lemon said.

"Absolutely!" Fred echoed.

"Yep, we're sure." GoGo said at the same time. A smile grew on Hiro's face.

"Okay. Cool." He said.

"Awesome! Do you wanna start with a game or a movie?" GoGo asked.

"Uh, a game? Something we can all play." Hiro suggested.

"I'm in! What about that go-kart racing game?" Fred said.

"Oh yeah! I have it here." Hiro got up and quickly moved over to the gaming console he and Tadashi had set up. He found the game and put it in, grabbing all the controllers they had. Wasabi walked back over to the couch and sat down next to Fred. Hiro passed the controllers out to everyone.

"Okay. I'll get it set up and then everyone sync your controllers." Hiro said.

As they did, the garage door opened and Aunt Cass stepped inside.

"Oh! Hi guys!" She said. Everyone echoed a form of 'good morning' to her. "You all are up bright and early. Can I bring you guys anything?" She asked.

"I think we're all good here. Do you wanna play a round?" Honey Lemon asked.

"Oh, no I'm fine. Thank you! I just wanted to come check on you guys." Aunt Cass said. "Hiro?"

"Hi Aunt Cass. I'm okay." Hiro said, looking at her earnestly.

"Yeah? Did you sleep okay?" Aunt Cass asked him.

"Yeah. I did. And I'm feeling better. Still a little drained, but I'm better." Hiro said.

"Good, I'm glad. Okay well, you guys have fun! Holler up or come on upstairs if you need anything!" Aunt Cass said. They all echoed a form of 'thank you' as she made her exit, closing the garage door again.

"Okay. What level do you guys wanna start with?" Hiro asked.

Baymax observed Hiro and his friends while they played games and watched movies. He monitored Hiro's vital signs very closely and took careful note if any signs of emotional distress, but he didn't show any aside from an occasional sigh. He seemed to be telling the truth when he said he was feeling better. Baymax made a note in his database, highlighting a portion on personal loss and grief.

Hiro looked around the room briefly, and a calm smile spread across his face. He took a deep breath, feeling himself finally begin to relax.