Welcome to Nerd School, Nerd (Chapter Four + Masterpost)

illustration by jin kim

Summary: Hiro's first day at "Nerd School."

But first, some business--you can find the rest of the fic here:

Chapter One

Chapter Two 

Chapter Three

Companion song for this fic is "Little Wonders" from Disney's Meet the Robinsons.

~Chapter Four: Always~

Unusually quiet, the five friends made their way out of the lab building, all a little lost in their own thoughts and trepidation. They rounded a corner and suddenly the memorial hall was looming in front of them.

It wasn't like they'd never seen it before; construction had gone on for while now and they often passed it on the way to classes. They'd contributed cheques for the building fund. Sometimes they'd stopped to watch the workers scurrying back and forth. The hall had been sitting quietly at the back of their minds ever since they heard the announcement that the city would honour Tadashi in this way.

Now, though, the workers had taken most of the scaffolding down, and although a few of the windows still had temporary opaque coverings, the small, softly rounded hall looked almost finished, gleaming in the dazzlingly bright afternoon sunshine.

Wasabi put a hand on Hiro's shoulder as the younger boy pushed the double doors open, and then they all seemed to gasp simultaneously, looking upwards in awe. 

The strong golden sunlight fell through the latticed roof of glass and dark wood, casting long shadows on the marble floor and bringing out warm tones in the smooth wooden walls. A flock of a thousand copper-coloured origami cranes hung suspended in mid-air, as if about to break through the high, swooping ceiling. Rooms commemorating other notable people in the school's history opened off the main hall, filled with posters and displays. Voices from taped interviews of students and staff overlapped, forming a soft chatter in the background. While a few construction workers were still making the last adjustments, and the whine of a drill or sharp rapping of a hammer often sounded from one of the smaller rooms, the memorial hall was otherwise deserted.

Gazing around the hall, Hiro felt tears start to his eyes. Just great, he inwardly groaned. I haven't been here five minutes and I'm crying already.

Despite his mixed feelings, he still had to admit that the place was absolutely gorgeous. And as much as it hurt to have a permanent physical reminder that his brother was gone (and was never coming back), Hiro felt strangely proud that Tadashi would be remembered in this way.

This building meant that no one would forget him; that even as life went on a remembrance of him would always be here.

Then his eyes travelled to the far corner of the room, where a small alcove held a large photograph of Tadashi and a brass plaque. Hiro jumped as someone tapped him on the shoulder and turned to see Honey smiling sympathetically, the rest of the group close behind.

"Go ahead, Hiro," she said. "We'll wait here and give you some time alone."

~~~

Nodding mutely, Hiro headed towards the alcove while the others sat down at one of the many low benches that lined the room. He hesitated at the entrance, taking in the subtly layered cherry wood, the plaque that read Tadashi Hamada: 2014-2032 in engraved letters, and the softly glowing lamps that lit up the picture--

The picture.

Hiro remembered the picture. They'd taken it at the SFIT campus on Tadashi's very first day, when the boy had greeted his younger brother and Aunt Cass full of stories and enthusiasm. The blossoming cherry tress had framed Tadashi's smiling face, and he looked so happy and strong and alive that it gave Hiro a physical pain in the chest.

What was he supposed to do? What did people usually do to pay their respects? Did they bow? Light a candle? He honestly didn't know, until he remembered their visits to their parents' graves. He would usually sit there tongue-tied while Tadashi talked, mostly about his genius little brother, or about school.

Just say something, Tadashi had encouraged him. It doesn't matter if they can't hear you. Just let it out.

"Hi, Tadashi," Hiro said, stepping closer to the photograph, wincing as his voice cracked. He clamped his mouth shut, struggling with how he would have had so much to say--after his first day at SFIT, too--if his brother was actually here. 

"So, my first day," he continued awkwardly, looking up at his brother's smile.

"I really enjoyed it. I learnt a lot."

A pause.

"It's a new feeling, you know? Actually learning while I'm at school?" Laughing nervously, Hiro scratched the back of his neck. "I get to see my friends, and I'm working in your lab now. I moved your stuff. I know you won't mind."

Another pause as Hiro met the warm brown eyes in the photograph. Go on, they seemed to say kindly.

"I really miss you, Tadashi. You and Baymax both. I'm sorry I lost him. You said you'd always be with me, but...you're not." Hiro's voice caught, and he rubbed his hand against his eyes.

"But I know neither of you would want me to give up on my dreams. I...I think I'm really going to like it here. I know I've said this before, but," Hiro went on, marvelling at how his brother's face seemed almost real through a haze of bittersweet tears, "I'm here because of you. Thanks...for not giving up on me."

As Hiro turned around, ready to go back to his friends, he pictured Tadashi that terrible night, a knowing grin on his face.

Welcome to nerd school...nerd.

~~~

Half an hour later, after they'd all paid their respects, the team left the memorial hall, sober and meditative. 

Finally Fred broke the silence. "So," he began, shrugging a little, "how about that ice cream?" Glancing at Hiro, he added before the younger boy could speak, "I've got strawberry flavour too. And caramel."

"Actually," said Honey, tilting her head thoughtfully. "That sounds really good right now.I have to go back to the lab to wrap up a few things first though."

"Second," Go Go agreed. "I need to lock up my bike. I think someone's been messing with it after hours." She scowled, and Hiro smiled--that person was going to pay.

He didn't really have anything pressing to do, but he did want to rearrange the things on his desk around a bit more so he would have more space to work, so he followed the others back to the lab building and pushed open the door to what he had begun to call the Hamada lab.

His eyes instantly fell on the baseball cap and cardboard box, now illuminated in a small patch of sunshine. 

And suddenly he really, really felt like a fistbump.

Laughing to himself, he heaved the cardboard box onto a table near the window and carefully, almost lovingly, pulled the rocket fist out.

Maybe it was a silly whim, but Hiro couldn't think of not ending the first day of school with a Hamada bros fistbump, and this was the closest he could get right now.

Hiro pressed his fist against the cold metal and let it go, wiggling his fingers. "Badalalala!" he whispered, making his friend's butchering of an explosion sound with a little half-smile.

Then the clenched fingers of the rocket fist slowly opened up, revealing something small and green and rectangular.

Could it be?

Breathlessly, Hiro picked it up. The slim green card had a smiling doctor graphic and the words "Tadashi Hamada" in his brother's familiar capitals printed on it, and felt light in his hand. 

Hiro stared down at the nurse chip in disbelief. He thought back to that moment in the portal just before he let his best friend go.

Hiro, I will always be with you.

Notes:

1. Some of this is inspired by Hiro's Journal, a movie companion book, and, again, a really great read.

2. No pictures this time, sorry!

3. That's the end! Hope you enjoyed! I know I enjoyed writing it. :)

Welcome to Nerd School, Nerd (Chapter Three)

illustration by jin kim

Summary: Hiro's first day at "Nerd School."

~Chapter Three: Cutting Edge~

Hiro followed behind Wasabi, swept up in the cheery clamour of students wearing paths in the halls. He caught snippets of conversation: "but if you use hydrophobic polymers" from a brunette with bright red headphones around her neck, "this might help reduce drag" from a tall man who sported a completely bald head. On the way to the lunch room, Hiro peeked into the labs, intrigued by frisbee-throwing robots and translucent fabric that was currently stretched out on a frame with two goggled scientists pouring liquid onto it. The spirit of innovation here--on the very cutting edge of science and technology--was practically palpable, and Hiro drank the atmosphere up eagerly. Sure, he'd been here before, but never as a student, always as an outsider looking in. Today--today he was actually part of the thrilling flood of brilliant people and inventions and ideas. 

Wasabi turned a corner and led him into the cafeteria, heading straight for a table a little off to the side. Taking in the jumbled smells of sweet corn and stew, Hiro sat down next to Go Go, who looked up from her salad long enough to give him an nod.

"Hiro!" Honey cried excitedly, leaning across the table over her plate. "How was it? Did you have fun?"

"It was great," Hiro answered, zipping open his backpack. "This place is amazing."

"Do you want to get something?" Wasabi asked, taking out a metal lunchbox and opening it to reveal neatly compartmentalized seedless orange slices, uniformly cut celery sticks, and a PB&J sandwich with the crusts sliced off at right angles. "Or did you bring your own food?"

Hiro stifled a laugh at Wasabi's perfect meal. "Aunt Cass packed me a lunch," he said, pulling out the brown paper bag and looking in.  "Onigiri, a banana...oh, and cookies to share."

"Aw yes!" Fred yelled, pumping his arm in the air and attracting not a small number of stares. Most of the people just kind of turned back to their lunches, though, once they saw that it was just the school mascot at it again.

"These are amazing, Hiro!" exclaimed Honey, biting into a chewy chocolate chip cookie. "Like your aunt's always are, of course."

Fred nodded in agreement. "And maybe they'll sweeten Go Go up. She's been a grump today."

As if to prove his point, Go Go angrily speared a piece of sashimi. "I said no, Fred."

"Come on, Go Go! How do you know you won't like it? I bet you'll have a great time! Just think about it. Please?" Fred did his best puppy eyes, but persuasion of any kind was pretty much impossible with Go Go. Even if--especially if--you tried to do the puppy eyes.

"I have thought about it. My answer is no."

Noting Hiro's confused expression, Honey explained, "Fred is trying to get her to go to a con with him. A...convention. A comic convention. He says that she looks a lot like one of the characters...what was the name? Haiku? Harajuku? No, that's the street..."

"Haiaku," Fred quickly filled in. "Plus she's totally awesome and can fight super well, so I don't see why Go Go is so against the idea. I'm going as Salamanowar, so it'd be great to have Go Go come as Haiaku." Turning to the Korean girl, who was furiously chewing, he wheedled, "Hey, look. I'll even pay you. I know you still need to work on your bike handlebars. How about it?"

Go Go swallowed and shot Fred a scathing look, causing him to move back in his chair a little, cowed. "Do you really think I'd give up my dignity for money?"

"Aw, man, Go Go, no need to make it so dramatic..." Fred trailed off as Go Go continued to glare at him. "Okay, okay, whatever. I'll let it rest."

Leaning over to Hiro and Wasabi, Honey whispered, "If I know them, it'll go on for weeks. Or at least until the con's over."

~~~

Hiro had a blast at lunchtime (even if he did get a couple of bruises when Wasabi kicked him for egging the bickering Fred and Go Go on) and he felt a little sorry it was over. At the same time, however, he couldn't wipe his ridiculous grin off his face, because he would be having lunch with these nerds for the next few years. And he was really looking forward to his last class of the day, too--Aerial Robotics.

He wouldn't have any of his friends in the class this time, but by now he felt pretty ready to tackle anything the rest of the day might throw his way. 

At that moment his phone beeped, and Hiro opened a message from Aunt Cass, kind of surprised she had actually resisted the temptation to text him for this long.

how's it going, honey? can't wait to hear everything when you get back! hot wings will be waiting!

Smiling at his aunt's practice of always celebrating with favourite foods, Hiro answered:

terrific! your cookies really went down well. fred demands mor

Hiro suddenly collided heavily with the robotics lab door. "Ow!" he cried, cursing his ill-timed fixation on his phone. "Ow," he said more softly, rubbing his shoulder.

If Baymax had been here, he'd have activated. Probably scanned him for injuries even if it was no big deal. Maybe offered him a lollipop (although Hiro had told him he preferred gummy bears). And again, as with every time these memories rushed back, Hiro was reminded that if the pain wasn't as raw, it was still just as real.

He'd struggled with guilt after Tadashi died, even though he couldn't have done anything to save him. But Baymax's death (if he could even call it that, Baymax wasn't technically alive) could have been so easily prevented if only he'd taken that chip out...

If only. Those two little words were keeping him trapped in the past. "Stop. Just stop," Hiro said to himself. "Baymax wouldn't want you to do this. He'd want you to enjoy your last class of your first day. Mental health is important, remember? Keep those neurotransmitter levels up."

Baymax probably wouldn't have put it quite like that, but it did make Hiro feel better. He took a deep breath and opened the lab door.

Hiro had to work a little at it, but it didn't take long for him to plunge completely into the lesson at hand. Professor Roe, a kindly man with mussed brown hair, showed the class various examples of flying robots used in the service industry that set Hiro's mind racing. He immediately fell in love with the idea of flying waiter drones (not least because it would lessen his work at the cafe) and snapped a picture to show Aunt Cass, who promptly replied with several very valid safety concerns and an admonishment to stop texting in class. Shaking his head good-humouredly, Hiro added that to the list of ideas for improving the Lucky Cat Cafe that his aunt had rejected, still bemoaning the demise of the Hamada Caffeination Delivery System.

As if to make up for it, though, another of Hiro's ideas found an avid supporter in Professor Roe. 

concept art by jim martin

Just as a sort of friendly joke, since he'd warmed to the man so much, Hiro remarked off-handedly as he left the classroom, "you know, I made my cat fly once."

To his surprise, Roe called him back immediately, a glint in his eye. "Say that again, Mr. Hamada. Or Hiro--can I call you Hiro?"

"I...made my cat fly once?" Hiro said with a shrug. "And yes, sir, of course you can call me Hiro."

Roe grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started scribbling. "So what did you use?" he asked eagerly, adjusting his glasses. "Was it a simple glide, or did you use engines? Propellers?"

"Rocket boots, actually," Hiro explained, leaning over to sketch a diagram. "Mochi had the time of his life, but I don't think my aunt was impressed."

Fifteen minutes later, Hiro left the room with his professor's phone number, surprised and gratified at the man's interest, but also slightly alarmed at the almost manic enthusiasm he'd shown.

"You have some very fascinating ideas, Hiro!" Roe called out from where he was finishing up the last of his notes."I look forward to working with you in the future!"

Hiro walked up to where his friends were waiting. "What was that all about?" Go Go asked, lifting an eyebrow quizzically.

"He loves my hover-cat!" Hiro burst out, and then started to laugh hysterically. "I can't believe it. You know those flying boots that I put on Mochi when I was little? He loves the idea. I don't know what he's going to do with it." He stopped mid-laugh to his friends' confused--and very concerned--faces.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"You told Roe about putting rockets on your cat." Go Go stated flatly.

"Yeah...is there a problem?" 

"Oh, no." Honey said.

Go Go grabbed Hiro's arm. "Come on, let's go."

Looking perplexedly from one person to another as Go Go dragged him through the school halls, Hiro cried, "Where are we going?" The Korean girl ignored him, but Honey was kind enough to offer an explanation.

"To the office," she said, bouncing on her high heels. "If they're going have to put up with flying cats, they have the right to know."

"Let's just say Roe doesn't have the best reputation for ethical experimentation," Wasabi added.

"Or common sense," Go Go snorted.

Fred grinned, his collector's-item spaceship necklace flying about wildly. "Remember the canary incident?"

As they reached the office, Go Go levelled a cold stare at Fred. "We do not talk about the canary incident."

~~~

After they informed the secretary, who did not look particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of felines with flight capabilities within the next two weeks, Hiro bemoaned the fact that his hover-cat would lose its sole admirer. "You guys are impeding scientific progress," he grumbled, sticking his hands into his pockets.

Shaking her head, Go Go shoved him playfully. "Give it up, Hamada. Your hover-cat wasn't going to win you any Nobel prizes."

"Want to go get pizza or something?" Fred suggested.

"Fred, it's four-thirty."

"Ice cream then. I got Heathcliff to pick up peanut butter cup flavour."

"I'm allergic to peanut butter," Hiro began, but broke off as another student stopped the group in the hallway.

"You guys knew Tadashi Hamada, right?" the girl said, playing with a loose strand of hair.

The five friends exchanged wary looks. "Um...yes," Go Go said. "Why?"

"The memorial hall is open already, and I thought you might want to visit."

"...Already?" Wasabi tilted his head to the side. "I'm pretty sure it's only opening next month. We got invitations to the ceremony and everything."

"I mean, it's not open officially. They're still working on some of the rooms and stuff. But the main hall is open to visitors," she qualified. "Just thought you might want to pay your respects while it's still quiet...there'll probably be a lot of visitors on opening day."

"Uh, thanks," Wasabi said as she left. He turned to the others, focusing especially on Hiro, who had suddenly gone silent. "What do you think? You ready for this?"

Hiro swallowed, hard. It might upset him again, but maybe it would also help. Maybe it would give him a sense of closure, seeing how his brother's legacy was honoured. Besides, the girl had a point--the opening ceremony would be crowded.

"Now is as good a time as any, I guess," he said, smiling a little at his anxious friends. "Is it this way?"

Notes: 
1. I took the superhero names for Fred's cosplay from the ones Ryan Lang (a Disney artist) made up for the heroes in the transition shot. He says they're bad, but I like KnightVision.

2. Go ahead and watch the hover-cat in action in this deleted scene.

3. A little fluffier, but the last chapter is more of a killer.

Welcome to Nerd School, Nerd (Chapter Two)

illustration by jin kim

Summary: Hiro's first day at "Nerd School."

~Chapter Two: Your Past to My Future~

Once they entered the cool, bright interior of the lab building, the group dispersed into all directions--Honey to check on something she had left to sit overnight, Wasabi to panic over the mysteriously rearranged contents of his tool table, and Fred to don his mascot costume (he would have worn it all the way from home had the rest not rebelled). Hiro grinned as he heard the soft whirr of Go Go starting up her bike, keeping a ear out for the screeching halt--and maybe students' screams--that would soon follow.

By himself, he opened the bright blue door to his new lab. Or rather, Tadashi's old lab. By now the sunlight had strengthened, falling through the perfectly round window on the wall. The lab looked different. As much as it had pained Hiro to move Tadashi's stuff, he'd agreed with Aunt Cass that it was the practical thing to do. Still, Hiro had insisted on keeping Tadashi's main work table almost exactly the same, except for one thing, and had set up one for himself across the room.

Despite these differences, if Hiro squinted hard enough, it felt like Tadashi had never left. His brother had crammed homework here, had downed countless coffees here, had even started an explosion. Once. Tadashi had even built Baymax, that lovable, puffy healthcare robot, here.

Baymax. 

The moment Hiro thought of Baymax, his eyes darted to the box on top of Tadashi's desk. He didn't bother to open it, since he'd spent the night after that fateful day running his fingers over the cool metal and memorizing every contour.

Hiro supposed he would never quite get over that day. On that thrilling, terrifying, heart-stopping day, he and his friends had somehow managed to stop Professor Callaghan--thief of microbots and Tadashi's unintentional killer, but killer all the same--from tearing Krei Tech and its founder to shreds. Maybe it was selfish, Hiro admitted to himself, but honestly, sometimes he wished that it had ended there.

Real life didn't often answer to wishes, though. He'd barely even thought about it when he'd plunged into the portal on Baymax's back to bring Abigail Callaghan back, but then when they'd discovered that the only way to escape was to use Baymax's rocket fist to boost them out, leaving the robot behind, Hiro wanted to regret the decision. Wanted to, but couldn't let himself do it, even if he was giving up his brother's opus and his best friend to save the daughter of that man.

He would have done the same if he had to do it all over again. 

With a little half-smile, Hiro took Tadashi's cap out of his backpack and laid it on top of the cardboard box with the rocket fist in it. Tadashi had yanked him out of a botfighting rut and inspired him to try for SFIT, and Baymax had healed him when Tadashi couldn't, so...it felt right to have these things together, here. 

The clock hands were almost pointing to nine. Snapping out of his thoughts, Hiro slung his backpack over one shoulder and dashed out of the lab, giving a quick wave to an empty room.

~~~

Hiro knew that none of his friends would be in this class--Humanoid Construction was pretty much limited to robotics students--but all the same he shrunk back a little at the hall filled with unfamiliar faces. After all, he'd been bullied throughout his life for being smarter than the others--what if this ended the same way? Everyone else in the room was tall, well-dressed, and experienced. Then he chuckled. You've beaten people twice your size in botfights, he told himself. Besides, that innocent baby face will win them over. Every time. Taking a deep breath, he seated himself in an inconspicuous seat near the back of the lecture hall and looked around at the gracefully arched rows of seats and sleek, imposing podium.

He had just taken a pencil out of the front pocket of his bag (Aunt Cass had bought him a pencil case, but it had Optimus Prime on it and screamed "grade schooler" instead of "cool college kid") when the doors of the hall burst open. Hiro turned, expecting to see the professor, but instead he saw...

"..Fred?"

"No, it's King Kong! Of course it's Fred! What's the matter, don't recognize your awesome friend?" Still in his bug-eyed, green, orange-bellied mascot outfit, Fred draped himself over a nearby chair. Hiro groaned inwardly. Sitting next to the school mascot was not the best way to stay under the radar. Already a few students had turned to stare.

"What are you doing here?" Hiro hissed under his breath. "Aren't you supposed to be...working?"

"I'm the school mascot, Hiro! If there's nothing on I'm pretty much allowed to go where I want. And I want to come here. Is that a problem? Besides," Fred added, leaning in closer and dropping his voice to a confidential whisper, "I'm auditing this class."

Hiro reeled back and gaped at his friend. "What? Humanoid Construction?" 

"Your surprise is insulting," Fred said coolly, and then smirked. "But I'll just let it go." He then proceeded to sing the entirety of the song while Hiro burrowed deep into his hoodie and the other students applauded and posted the videos on Youtube.

Suddenly, as if by some unseen signal, the class lapsed into silence, starting from the back of the room and spreading to the front. Once the room was quiet, Hiro could hear the prim clicking of high heels on the tiles. The sound got louder and closer until the doors swung open and the professor walked in. 

Looking over her stark black glasses, Professor Lisa Froeb surveyed the class. Hiro tensed as her steely gaze fixed on him, but forced himself to appear relaxed, shooting her his most winning smile. This time, however, those big eyes and that endearing tooth gap failed to work their charm. Professor Froeb continued to stare at him expectantly. Finally, when Hiro failed to respond, she gave a little disappointed sigh. "Your hood, Mr..."

"Hamada," Fred filled in, while a flustered Hiro quickly lowered the hood. Nice job, blockhead, he said to himself. Barely two minutes in and you're making an absolutely stunning first impression. 

Professor Froeb laid her tablet down on the podium, switching on the visual display and briskly scrolling to the pertinent slide. "Welcome to class, everyone. Just to remind you: last semester we discussed balancing convincing and functional movement in humanoid robots, as well as how to achieve that. This semester we will start off discussing aesthetics: how to make humanoid robots look realistic. Firstly, every robot designer..."

Putting the embarrassing incident at the back of his mind, Hiro threw himself into the learning. For the first time in a very, very long while, he actually enjoyed a class. With shining eyes, he drank in every word, intent on the thrilling information and vivid visuals that came up on the hologram screen. So this was what it felt like attending one of the most prestigious tech schools in the world. This was what it felt like being challenged with new ideas instead of slouching in a chair while teachers repeated the same old material over and over again. It was a feeling Hiro had missed for too long, and he loved every minute of it.

Hiro took copious notes. Noticing that Fred, too, was hunched over a sheet of paper in intense concentration, he glanced over, only to see an enthusiastically executed doodle of a monster in purple marker. Underneath were the words, "AWESOME KAIJU SUIT CAN BE MADE MORE REALISTIC WITH THAT SKIN TECH!!!" Chuckling silently, Hiro turned back to his own notes.

"Mr. Hamada?" Professor Froeb's clear voice rang out in the quiet room. Boy, she doesn't miss a trick, Hiro thought. "Would you be up to answering the next review question?"

"Uh...sure!" Hiro said confidently. He'd being listening. He would ace it.

"Tell me about what happened on June 24, 2014."

Hiro took a breath. "On June 24, 2014, the very first robotic news reporter covered news in Tokyo on an earthquake and an FBI raid. Now," he added, "the same company is developing robotic teachers."

Professor Froeb, who up to then had looked not unlike a robot herself, cracked a tiny smile. "Very good, Mr. Hamada. It looks like you were paying attention after all." 

Hiro smiled back, working his tooth gap to full advantage. Maybe he'd managed to redeem himself after the hoodie incident. He settled back in his seat and made the most of the last half an hour. 

After the professor switched off the display and click-clacked away, the students began to trickle out as well, the respectful hush quickly turning into a cheerful hubbub. Hiro was still bent over his desk finishing up his notes when he felt a tap on the shoulder. He looked up to see a totally unfamilar guy with a "Nerds are Cool" sweatshirt and a bit of a beard grinning at him. Before Hiro could say "Huh?" in confusion, the guy had said, "Hope you enjoyed the class, little guy," and moved on.

Then about six or seven more strangers came along with a kindly, "See you around" or "Welcome to SFIT" while Hiro realized that being a friend of the school mascot apparently had its benefits. One perky blonde even offered him a hi-five.

The hall rapidly emptied as Hiro stuffed the last of his things into his backpack and turned to see Fred grinning at him smugly. "Didn't think it'd work out this well, did you?" asked the lanky teen. "Let me tell you--never underestimate the power of the Fred."

Hiro rolled his eyes, although secretly grateful that Fred had seen fit to give him a boost at his first class. "One more question--Humanoid Construction?" 

Shrugging, Fred answered, "It sounded cool. Besides, I thought it might help me with my cosplays."

"Fred, your cosplays are hardly humanoid."

"Whatever. I gotta go," said Fred, giving Hiro a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Duty calls. You'll be okay in your next class alone?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay," said Hiro, watching in amusement as a green lizard monster made its way down the school halls. "Oh, and I won't be alone."

~~~

Of course Wasabi would be in Laser Photonics. Not as a student, obviously. He'd gone way "beyond the scope of this course" a long time ago. Hiro greeted his friend--now teaching assistant--with great enthusiasm.

"Hey, little man!" Wasabi said with equal enthusiasm, affectionately ruffling Hiro's already hopelessly messy hair with one big gloved hand. "You're here early. You didn't stop by the cafeteria for an energy bar or something?"

"Nah," said Hiro, idly poking at some of the tools laid out neatly on the table. "Aunt Cass gave me a terrific breakfast."

Wasabi inconspicuously tried to shift the tools back to their original places. "Well, good to see you, pal. Um...why don't you take a seat in the front? I've got to prep this baby for the lab later," he said, starting up the large, intimidating machine at the front of the impeccable tech lab.

Hiro decided not to tease him further. "Okay," he said, finding a spot at one of the narrow lab tables and watching Wasabi work the fridge-sized machine like a pro.

Thirty minutes later, Hiro found himself eyeing the machine covetously as he listened to an animated Japanese man with thick glasses rave excitedly about the next lab. Hair positively quivering with delight, Professor Yoshida explained that, "since you guys scored such marvellous scores on the semester exam last year, and since we are just back from break, we have something fantastic in store today!" He gestured dramatically to the machine that Wasabi had been preparing earlier. "We acquired this wonderful tool, the LaserTower MX, while you all were taking a well-deserved break. So, as a special treat, for today's lab you all get to cut and/or engrave something of your own design!"

The class erupted into eager babbling; apparently the idea of a fun design assignment instead of a purely academic one appealed to them. Professor Yoshida quieted them down by frantically waving his arms, one of his cufflinks slowly coming loose. "I know you are all very excited, but we must be orderly, so do calm down!"

After being briefed on the procedure ("I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!"), the class settled into quiet but intense activity, tracing out their designs with personal styluses onto the tablets provided in the lab table drawers. Hiro dug his own out of his backpack and connected it to the tablet. The design software was unfamiliar, but fairly intuitive, and Hiro quickly figured it out. Once he'd played around a bit, producing mostly iterations of his own name, however, he found himself at a loss on what to make. He had a great chance to use one of the most precise laser cutting and engraving systems ever to create something...maybe a decorative plaque. Or a set of skeleton keys! That would be awesome, Hiro admitted, but given that he'd already been in a police cell by the tender age of fourteen, maybe not such a good idea.

Then inspiration struck, and although the thought threatened to dig up painful memories, Hiro decided to go with it anyway.

The design was almost ridiculously simple, and Hiro enlarged it to A4 size and added a geometric border to use up some time. Finally he raised his hand, and Professor Yoshida, who had been pacing about the room exclaiming over various students' work, called on him. Hiro, clutching the tablet, ran to the front of the room.

"Well, that was quick," Wasabi commented cheerfully. "Hand the tablet over and I'll connect it to the tower for you." When he saw the design, he sobered. "This is..."

"Tadashi's nurse chip for Baymax," Hiro immediately filled in. "Or rather the doctor illustration from it. I thought it might look nice in my room. If I clear a space in all the clutter for it, that is." Hiro paused. Wasabi's eyes were sad as he swallowed and linked the tablet to the massive machine. "And, well...I thought it'd remind me of them."

"It will," Wasabi promised, and turned his attention to the task at hand, hoping that the sadness would pass swiftly. "It's ready."

"Do I have to do anything?"

"Um, not much. This one's pretty much automatic," said Wasabi, half-apologetically. "But hey, it guarantees ultimate precision! And we're getting the hand-held ones in next week, so that will be fun. Just press the start button--right there."

It's more than a reminder, though, Hiro reflected as he enjoyed the glorious spectacle of  the laser slicing through the metal. I don't need a reminder. I think about them every single day without one. I guess...it'll remind me not of them, but to do what they would have done. Tadashi wanted to help people, and I want to live up to that.

At the same time, though, Hiro realised that the plaque would always remind him of something else--that maybe, just maybe, he could have saved Baymax. Baymax was a robot, after all. The only things needed to make him were the designs, which Hiro had found among Tadashi's papers, and the database, which remained lost forever along with Baymax in some kind of strange fourth dimension. Hiro had lost track of the times he'd kicked himself for not taking that chip out. He could have had his friend by his side if he hadn't been so incredibly stupid. 

Maybe he wouldn't bother clearing that space in his room after all.

"Hey, you done??" A voice rang out from behind Hiro, causing him to jump a little. 

"Um...I think so?" Hiro said, quickly taking the finished piece from Wasabi and stepping aside to let a bespectacled, dark-skinned student use the machine. 

Wasabi sympathetically mussed Hiro's hair again. "You'll be okay, bud," he said as he moved on to the next project.

Hiro returned to his seat, running his hand over the smooth, cold metal. The precision of the machine was amazing--every tiny twist of the border pattern perfectly executed. As he slipped the flat piece into his folder, however, he decided that maybe this particular creation should wait till he felt more ready.

"Hiro!" Wasabi called from the front as the small teenager prepared to leave the classroom. "Wait a bit while I power her down and I'll walk with you to the lunchroom."

"Okay," Hiro said, and leaned against the door frame while Wasabi busied himself tidying up. "'Sabi, I don't think you need to wipe all the tables. We didn't do anything particularly messy today, you know."

"No?" Wasabi stopped, towel in hand. Hiro looked at him meaningfully. "Um...no. I guess not."

The burly man folded the towel and laid it neatly in a drawer, then headed for the door, switching off the lights on the way out.

"I'm really hungry," he said, locking the door behind him. "Come on. The rest of the gang will be there. It's gonna be great."

Sources (science is cool guys):

Almost Human: 15 Frighteningly Realistic Robots and Androids via Web Urbanist

laserphotonics.com

Laser Cutting on Wikipedia (Yes, the source that we aren't supposed to use for school. But this is fanfiction.)

Welcome to Nerd School, Nerd (Chapter One)

illustration by jin kim

Summary: Hiro's first day at "Nerd School."

~Chapter One: A New Beginning~

Even before his alarm clock violently jolted to life, Hiro was awake, sitting up on his bed and staring out his window. It was early enough that San Fransokyo's streets were quiet under a soft blanket of morning light.

Hiro stood up with a kind of sigh. If someone had asked him how he felt at that moment, he would have had a hard time answering. Nervous? A little. Excited? Very. So much so that he'd have been bouncing off the walls, except...

It was his first day at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. A day he'd dreamed of countless times. But...

Tadashi won't be there. And, thought Hiro, looking over at the red charging pod that still lay in the corner, neither will Baymax.

Then, as he so often did, Hiro imagined what his brother would have said in response. "Hey, knucklehead! It's your first day at nerd school! Stop moping. Go out there and tackle it!" The picture felt so real that Hiro could see his brother's expression softening. "I know it's hard, buddy. But remember: Baymax and I will always be with you."

That's exactly what Tadashi would have said, Hiro realised, and the thought made him smile. Okay, knucklehead, he responded silently.

~~~

Hiro made his way downstairs to find a brown paper bag sitting on the table, with a note written on the front. After graduating high school at thirteen, he had barely set foot into another school for months, so he had pretty much forgotten the comforting feeling of finding a packed lunch with a handwritten note. 

Aunt Cass never knew if she was going to be busy in the cafe, so she made it a point to leave each boy a note every morning--but Hiro was up unusually early today. He grabbed the bag and ran down to the cafe. 

Hearing her nephew coming down the stairs, Aunt Cass turned from arranging little cat-shaped buns on a bakery tray. "Well, you're up early, sweetie! Why don't you sit down and I'll whip up a few pancakes." She headed to the cafe's kitchen, but Hiro raced ahead and stopped her. "I have a better idea. Why don't I help you get the cafe ready, and then we can get those pancakes together!"

"You sure, Hiro? Don't you have anything else to prepare for school?" Aunt Cass began, but Hiro had already stuck his head in the fridge and grabbed a pack of strawberries to wash for the cafe's breakfast smoothies.

For the next hour the two Hamadas worked together, refilling the cookie jars, polishing up the glass bakery cases, and debating over what to do with the last of the butterscotch chips. To Hiro, it felt surprisingly good. He and Tadashi used to help out regularly every morning, but as they grew up it kind of fell to the sidelines. Despite pulling all-nighters to finish college projects, Tadashi still tried to pitch in every once in a while, but Hiro was usually too exhausted by late-night bot fights to even think about waking up early.

Hiro was glad his brother had pulled him out of that. And he was glad that he could do what Tadashi would have done, even if he would have given anything to have his brother--always glaringly cheerful in the mornings--by his side.

Finally Aunt Cass straightened up, tipping her cutting board and letting the sliced bananas slide into an empty bowl. "I think we're about finished here, honey. How about those pancakes?"

After a satisfying pancake breakfast, during which Hiro was allowed to have as much syrup as he wanted, Aunt Cass said, "I'll roll up the blinds and open the shop. I suggest you run along and get ready for school. Are you going to put on that new hoodie?"

"Sure," Hiro answered, already halfway out of the cafe.

"I'm so proud and happy for you, baby!" Aunt Cass called. "Have an amazing day!"

Back upstairs, Hiro pulled his brand new blue SFIT hoodie, rumpling his hair even more in the process. He stood for a while in the mirror, ignoring his hair (he knew from experience that it was hopeless to tame it) and admiring the enormous round SFIT logo plastered on his chest. Most of his books had been packed the night before, but then he'd also decided to read a little ahead since he'd missed three-quarters of a term and waited it out till the start of the next one. So had to clear the ballpoint pens, crumpled paper, and potato chip crumbs that seemed to gravitate towards him off his robotics text before he could slip it into his old backpack, and then he couldn't resist reading a little more since he had time to spare. After lacing up his blue sneakers, Hiro stood up, straightening one of his beloved childhood robot toys that had moved out of its place on the display shelf.

Then, on impulse, he picked up Tadashi's old blue baseball cap from where it sat on his brother's empty bed. He didn't feel worthy or ready to wear it--not yet--but it made him feel as though a little piece of his brother was coming with him to "nerd school." 

Skipping down the stairs, Hiro grinned as he noticed the cafe was quickly filling up--Aunt Cass's fantastic pastries had gained quite a reputation in San Fransokyo. His grin grew wider as he spotted his friends--Wasabi, Honey, Go Go, and Fred--sitting at a table. He walked up to them, giving them a quick wave . "Hey!"

"Hey!" Honey said excitedly, as the gang looked up from their coffee cups (on the house, despite their protests) to greet the latest arrival. "Want to walk today? We're really early and the weather is beautiful!"

"Sure!" Hiro answered as Aunt Cass turned from delivering a hot doughnut to table two to give him a goodbye hug. He broke away after a few seconds, but then plunged into her arms again, saying "Last hug" and breathing in the homey scent of her perfume combined with coffee and butter. A little teary, she watched her baby nephew all the way to the door.

~~~

The five teenagers took their time walking to school, soaking in the spring sunlight softened by the blooming branches of cherry trees. Hiro hung back a little as Go Go argued with Wasabi over Dewey decimals and Fred tried to explain the plot of his latest comic book to a slightly confused Honey, wondering if he'd ever fully take in that these amazing people were his friends. And it's all because of Tadashi, he said inside. It would be perfect if only he...Hiro stopped himself before he went too far. He'd gotten to the point where he could think about his brother without a stabbing pain in his chest and instead appreciate what Tadashi had done for him, but wishing...wishing and "what if's" and "if only's" would never get him anywhere.

Hiro looked up to notice that the rest of the group was several steps ahead, and he dashed past them so he could reach the Ito Ishioka Robotics Lab first. The sleek, teardrop-shaped building glinted in the sun, sending beams of light bouncing over all the surroundings. One just so happened to fall on the stairs, and made a perfect path to the door of the lab. Wanting to snicker at his own sappiness, Hiro stepped a little to the left so he could follow it. It felt like a new beginning. A new beginning...exactly what he needed after months of pain, turmoil, and upheaval.

art by jim martin

Then his friends caught up with him, Fred made a bad joke at Wasabi's expense, and Hiro broke from his reverie to race Go Go up the stairs. (He lost.)

Notes:

1. Information about Hiro's class schedules and stuff in the later chapters comes from the lovely Hiro's Journal published by Disney (a great read for fans, by the way).

2. New fic, guys! So excited!

3. Not sure why Blogger is making the fonts different colours...the OCD part of me is not pleased. >.<