Epilogue:

Hiro woke with a gasp, practically choking on the tube shoved down his throat.

That was the first thing he had noticed upon wakening. The second was that he hurt, more so than he probably should have just lounging around a hospital room. Then again, who actually lounges around a hospital room? The third was that he was alone, and he was briefly concerned he'd taken too long. They'd given up hope on him and left him to rot.

He pushed that thought away, refusing to allow Erik's words get to him. He hadn't been abandoned by anyone, they just weren't there. Absent. That was all though. He just needed to keep repeating that to himself until he could believe it himself.

A door opened and he stared expectantly, only to be disappointed as a tall nurse with pretty blond curls walked in. She glanced up, blinked when she realized he was staring at her. Her mouth had formed a perfectly round 'O' as she stared dumbly at him.

Then she broke from her revive and called for a doctor before hurrying inside the room, setting a calming hand against his shoulder and whispering words Hiro didn't bother listening to. He suddenly felt incredibly tired, the weight of saying goodbye to his brother leaving him feeling light and sleepy.

A man in white suddenly appeared in his doorway, holding a clipboard tightly. He seemed as surprised to see Hiro awake as the nurse had been and hurried over. Soon the tube was out of his throat, and he was breathing on his own which was a relief because he suddenly found the ability to talk.

"What happened?" he demanded with a voice scratched from underuse, one of his thin pale hands reaching up to message it tenderly.

"You were shot protecting a girl in an armed robbery," the doctor explained slowly, eyes lit with concern, "It's a miracle you're awake. You lost a lot of blood and it got a little… rough, for a while there."

Hiro remembered dying and Alphonse explaining that death resulted in both worlds. Suddenly, it made sense and he dropped his gaze as he apologized, "Sorry."

"Whatever for?" the doctor demanded handing him a cup of water the pretty nurse handed him, "You're a hero."

"Yeah but-" Hiro stopped himself because he knew he couldn't tell the man- or any of them, for that matter- what had happened.

A pang struck him at the thought of Tadashi, but it quickly faded away into relief as he finally found closure at what happened.

The door opened again, and Hiro was pleasantly surprised to see Baymax waddle in. Black eyes seemed to survey the room around them before focusing on Hiro and started towards him.

"Hello Hiro," he greeted in his familiar robot voice.

"If you'd please tell your inflatable marshmallow to back off so I can do my job," the doctor suddenly snapped bitterly and a wave of indignation tingled inside of Hiro; that was his brother's beloved invention and Hiro's friend he was talking about.

Baymax, apparently, was more than capable of taking care of himself.

"Hiro is my patient," Baymax explained in a patient voice, "His health is my top priority."

And it was insane to think so, but Hiro could've sworn that there was a hint of a challenge in Baymax's posture and voice. Almost like he was daring the man to say otherwise and try to force him away from Hiro.

"It's alright," Hiro spoke up as the doctor frowned unsurely, "He's a healthcare robot. Probably more capable of taking care of me then you are."

The nurse choked.

Baymax, oblivious or ignoring the comment, spoke, "Scanning. Scan complete. Hiro seems to have healed remarkably although the wound on his chest is slightly puffy. I suggest icing it to stop the swelling."

Hiro practically beamed in pride and smug triumphant as the nurse hurried to gather him an ice pack and the doctor just stood in the room with a dumb expression. Baymax waddled over to Hiro's side, his presence comforting.

Leave it to Tadashi to find a way to be gone and still take care of him. Perhaps he never really gave up the burden after all, instead having past it down to Baymax.

The nurse returned, drawing with her his pale and bedraggled aunt, who looked awful. She was pale and her hair was unkempt. Her eyes were wide and puffy from where she'd been crying and the moment she laid eyes on her nephew, she burst into even more tears as she practically launched herself on him. Clinging to his thin frame in a desperate hug as she muttered 'thank you' over and over again under her breath.

"I love you," she finally sobbed pulling away to gather his face in trembling hands, "I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"Of course," Hiro nodded immediately before allowing a smile to cross his own features, "I love you too."

She broke down again, holding him close to her chest and sobbing.

The door opened again and a chorus of relieved 'Hiros' filtered in the room although none of them tried hugging him. He figured it had something to do with Aunt Cass still clinging on him like a lifeline, but they stood packed together and close. Comforting. Protective.

Home.

Hiro smiled at the thought, and Aunt Cass pulled away again, drawing his face in both her hands as she forced him to look at her as she snapped, "Never, ever, do anything like that ever again. You hear me? Let the police do their job and don't jump in front of flying bullets."

"Yes Aunt Cass."

She broke down again, drawing him back to her chest as she breathed, "I'm so proud of you though. You were so brave and selfless. Just like-"

"Tadashi," Hiro finished once it was clear she wasn't going to, drawing his own arms around her in a tight hug, "I'm sorry. For worrying you."

"Its fine," she huffed in relief before focusing on Baymax and informed, "I'm just thankful Baymax was able to revive you after your heart-"

Hiro blinked in sudden understanding.

Of course Baymax was the one who revived him. It only made sense, considering he hadn't been out in the hallway when everyone else was grieving. It was also why Hiro thought of him seconds before jolting back alive.

"Thanks buddy," he said to Baymax flashing a grin.

"You are my patient, Hiro," Baymax explained like it was obvious, "Your health is my top priority."

Hiro just nodded before Honey Lemon finally spoke up, stepping up to the bed unsurely as she said, "Happy Birthday, Hiro. Even if it is several days late."

Hiro blinked in surprise, having all but forgotten about his birthday.

"You- you remembered?" he asked in shock and suddenly every eye was on him.

"Of course we did, honey," Aunt Cass reassured, resting a light hand to his cheek, "Did you seriously think that we had forgotten?"

"But you- they- no one said anything," Hiro gaped like a fish out of water.

"We didn't want to spoil the surprise," Wasabi explained like it was obvious, "We wanted to do something big for you."

Hiro only stared in shock before something wet streaked down his face and it took considerable effort to realize they were tears. He was crying.

"Hiro, honey, is something wrong?" Aunt Cass demanded suddenly frantic and Hiro just shook his head.

"I'm just so… happy," he admitted and thought back to his brother finally letting him go. Of their promise, sacred only between the two of them.

He might have lost his brother but he still had so much more. He could wait for however long it took for him to grow old.

After all, like Tadashi, he too could be very patient.

The End

|| It's finally over and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm sorry for those who wished Tadashi had survived but, no. He's dead but at least he got closure. I think he deserved at least that much. And I'd like to thank everyone who supported this story. It could never be done without you guys and you're absolutely the best. ||