For the next six months, Hiro all but holed himself away in his office, working away on his latest invention. After he had the general designs for it nailed down, he showed them to his older brother, who was more than happy to get involved in the process of actually building it, telling him that it was a revolutionary idea-something that could not only help Omegas in Hiro's position, but help couples who couldn't naturally conceive on their own, like same sex Alpha/Alpha and Omega/Omega pairs, and even couples who just had a difficult time trying to get pregnant, like he and Fred had. Honestly Hiro hadn't thought that far into the process, just trying to make something that would help him and Ezra, but he had to admit that Tadashi had a point, and if his invention could help others, well, he certainly wasn't about to turn his nose up at that opportunity!

As he neared the end of his project, Tadashi was able to spend less and less time helping him out-as the baby grew, Tadashi had a harder time maneuvering around the labs, and he seemed to be getting tired from even the shortest amounts of exertion, which was starting to seriously worry Hiro. So when Baymax said that it was probably for the best that Tadashi go on complete bed rest until his actual due date, Hiro and Fred absolutely agreed with him, despite the older man's protestations that he would be fine. Hiro especially had to reassure him multiple times that he'd be able to finish the machine on his own, that his having to take a break wasn't going to keep him from being able to complete it. And complete it Hiro did.

Almost one month to the day before Tadashi's due date, Hiro was looking over his invention with a feeling of deep seated pride that he'd actually done it. He knew that it would still be a while before he could actually test its capabilities for humans-he definitely wanted to do trials (completely humanely, of course) with animals first. Still, he had a very, very good feeling that this was going to work, and so he decided that it was finally time to let his husband in on what exactly he'd been working on all this time. He wanted to tell him the news in the perfect way, though, which is why the next day he secretly left work early to sneak back home a few hours before Ezra would be returning and prepare the perfect surprise for his mate.

The atmosphere had to be just right, and preferably as romantic and intimate as 's why Hiro decided to actually cook dinner instead of just ordering food in-he didn't really mind cooking, he just usually didn't have time for it so it was easier to get something ready made. Still, Ezra seemed to love it whenever he did cook for him, and Hiro didn't mind doing it for this special occasion-not because he felt like he had to, but because he wanted to do something nice for the mate who was always doing so many nice things for him. The same thought process went into choosing his wardrobe for the evening after he had the meal finished and laid out on the table.

Hiro had never been a big fan of the robes that were traditionally supposed to be worn by Omegas at special events (thank goodness someone had done away with the idea often found in history that Omegas should wear them everywhere for "modesty" reasons)-he didn't necessarily have anything against them, they were usually just a bit hard to move around in and kind of heavy so he preferred his everyday clothes, thank you very much.

Pretty much the only time he'd worn them was to his own wedding-Ezra had said that he was fine with Hiro wearing a suit, but Aunt Cass and Honey Lemon had both insisted on Hiro following tradition, at least for the ceremony, and since the whole wedding was mainly for their families' benefit he'd finally caved in and just worn the stupid things. He'd immediately changed out of them after the ceremony was over and before he went to the reception, but he'd never forgotten the look on Ezra's face when he'd seen him walking down the aisle with Aunt Cass-it was if he thought he was looking at the most beautiful thing in the whole world. So even though Hiro wasn't a big fan of them, since he didn't feel like it was really violating part of who he was as a person and he was trying to do something really special for his mate as a 'thank you', he digs the robes out of the closet and puts them on. The weren't so bad, really-at least Honey Lemon had made them to be as least restricting as possible-and while he definitely didn't want to wear them every day, he didn't mind it for just a couple hours tonight (and, if things went as well as he hoped, it was possible he wouldn't be wearing these robes-or any clothes at all, for that matter-for even that long.)

He was waiting in the living room when Ezra finally got home, eagerly watching the front door for his arrival. When he hears the key turning in the lock and the door squeaking open, he was tempted to just run over to greet him, he was so excited to share the news, but he knew it would be more fun to wait and just watch his mate's reaction as he tries to figure out what was going on, so he just settles himself patiently on the arm of the couch, trying to keep a playful smirk off his face that would probably ruin the mood he was going for.

When Ezra walks into the living room, at first he starts to reach for the light switch, but then his eyes fall on the candle lit table in the dining room and he stops in surprise. "What the-?" he quietly starts to mutter, only to turn slightly and notice his mate, and at that point his mouth just drops open in astonishment.

"H-Hiro?" he finally manages to get out. "W-What's going on?"

"Welcome home!" Hiro grins and makes his way over to him, playfully wrapping his arms around his waist. "Surprised?"

"U-Um, yeah, definitely surprised," Ezra answers, still seeming to be getting over his shock but a smile making its way across his face as he asks, "What's all this for?"

"Well…" Hiro was bursting to tell him the news, but he decides that it would probably be best for them to get at least partially through dinner before he told Ezra or else they'd both probably be too excited to eat and it would be a shame to let all that food go to waste.

"There's something important I want to tell you," he finally tells him before tugging on his mate's hand and saying, "But let's have dinner first, okay?"

"A-All right?" Ezra agrees, laughing slightly and still looking confused but following after him all the same, obviously knowing from experience not to try to rush things and just go with it.

Hiro was too full of nerves to get much of the food down himself or even to really register much of its flavor, but he was glad to see that his mate was enjoying it enough for both of them, constantly telling him how good everything was. It made him smile to see Ezra so happy-just because he wasn't a typical Omega and didn't hold himself to society's standards for Omegas, it didn't mean that there was anything wrong with him wanting to cook a meal for his mate every once in awhile. Sometimes for special occasions Ezra would cook for him and he was what most people would consider a fairly standard Alpha, and there wasn't anything wrong with that either! The important thing was that they had a balanced, give-and-take relationship, and neither of them expected the other to be someone who they weren't.

"So, I'm dying to know, what is all of this about?" Ezra asks when finally he's able to fend off Hiro's last offer of a refill on his plate, telling him that if he ate any more he was going to burst. "You don't usually cook dinner and dress-well, like that unless you have a really good reason for it."

"I do," Hiro admits, eyes shining as he grins at him. "Last night I finished something really special, and even though it's not quite ready for us to use it yet, now that it's well on its way to being there I wanted to tell you about it."

"Okay," Ezra agrees with a nod, obviously trying to follow along. Then his eyes light up as he asks, "Is it that secret project you've been working on all this time?"

"It is!" Hiro answers, beaming as he reaches across the table to take his mate's hand in his own. "But before I tell you what it is, I just want to say-Thank you, Ez. All this time, ever since the day I presented in that cafe, you have never once asked me to be something or someone that I'm not. You've supported me being exactly who I want to be, even though it's usually the exact opposite of how an Omega's 'supposed' to act, and you've always been there to remind me that it's okay to be who I am, even when other people tried to tell me to 'know my place'. You have helped make my dreams become possible when everyone else was telling me to give up just because of my class, and, even though I know it wasn't easy for you, most recently you've supported me making choices about being true to who I am with my body, even though you thought it meant giving up something that I know is so important to you."

"Hiro, I-" Ezra starts to cut in, but his mate silences him gently by pressing his fingers to his lips.

"Ez, I know what you're going to say," he tells him softly. "You've told me a million times before how much you love me and how you're so proud of me, and you have no idea how many hard times that's gotten me through. And tonight-tonight I want to do something for you as a thank you for that. Well, technically it's something for both of us, but still. Ez-I found a way for us to have our baby that doesn't involve me getting pregnant. Well, more accurately-I made a way." He pulls out his phone and eagerly pulls up a picture to show his mate, who was looking at him in total and complete shock. "This is a special incubator that will allow us to grow our baby inside it instead of inside of me. I-I still need to run some tests with animal couples to make sure that it's fully functioning, but I've run every algorithm, troubleshot every possible problem and I know it's going to work. I-It's a way we can have our baby in a way that I think-I really, really hope-will make us both happy. Y-You inspired me, Ez. And thanks to you, this machine might be able to help others who have situations that make it hard for them to have kids to finally be able to have a family!"

Hiro pauses for a moment just to catch his breath before finally asking quietly, "...Well? W-What do you think?"

For one horrible moment, he was terrified that Ezra was going to tell him that he hated the idea, that there was no way that he could go through with something like this. But then suddenly a grin crosses the Alpha's face and he answers, "W-What do I think? Hiro, this is amazing! Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh! W-We're actually going to be able to have a baby!"

"We are!" Hiro answers, feeling tears of relief starting to leak out of his eyes in spite of himself. "I-It might still be another year before we can start while I run tests, but-"

"I don't care," Ezra answers firmly. "We've waited this long, we can wait a little longer! I just- Oh my gosh, Hiro…" He got out of his chair and, before his mate could react, he was scooping him up into his arms, peppering his face with kisses.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," Ezra breathes in his ear as Hiro finds himself laughing from the playful attack. "I love you so, so much. And I can't wait to be a dad with you."

"I can't wait to be a dad with you either," Hiro answers, happily nuzzling up against him and submitting to the barrage of kisses. For the first time since he'd started on this project, the reality of the situation was actually starting to sink-he and Ezra were actually going to be parents! And as odd and maybe even slightly scary as the idea had sounded before, now he knew without a doubt that he was ready for this-that he actually wanted this as much as Ezra did, and that he couldn't wait to have kids with him. And it had nothing to do with being an Omega or any other class. It was his decision, and it was something he really wanted-something he wanted to do with his mate-and he was more than ready for it.

Somehow eventually the playful kisses Ezra was pressing all over him turned to something a little bit friskier, and Hiro felt the familiar thrill as his husband starts carrying him up the stairs to their bedroom-if this was part of how his mate wanted to celebrate, well, he certainly didn't have anything against it! As soon as Ezra gently tosses him down onto the mattress, he eagerly sheds his robes, ready for their special night to begin. But just as the Alpha was just starting to attack his neck in earnest, suddenly the phone that was still in Ezra's pants pocket starts to ring.

"Ignore it," Hiro purrs when he sees Ezra reaching to check it, pulling him down on top of him. "It can wait."

"H-Hiro!" Ezra protests with a laugh, gently pushing himself back up. "A-At least let me turn it off so that it won't keep interrupting us!"

"Fine…" Hiro sighs petulantly, settling himself more comfortably into the mattress. The sooner his mate took care of the distraction, the sooner they could get back to what was really important.

But instead of immediately returning to him, Ezra frowns and says, "That's weird, it's Fred-he doesn't usually call my phone. I-I think I should pick up, just in case it's something about Tadashi and the baby."

As Hiro sits up to try to listen to the conversation, he feels an odd feeling of dread, as if somehow he had some idea of what was going to happen even before his mate hit the green "Answer" button. Time seemed to slow down as he watches Ezra's smile upon hearing Fred's voice turn to a frown and then to a look of deep concern-Hiro's heart was beating too loudly for him to be able to hear what he was saying even though he was desperately trying to listen. And then, after what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, his mate was turning to him and saying-something. He could barely understand him through the thick fog that seemed to be surrounding him, but he was pretty sure it was something about clothes. What about clothes? Why were clothes important right now? Then a few more words filter through-"Tadashi", "baby", "emergency room", and then, worst of all, "complications with the pregnancy".

Hiro wasn't even sure how he managed to get dressed-maybe Ezra had helped him, honestly he couldn't remember. Everything was coming to him in flashes. One moment he was in his room with Ezra. The next they were in the car, one of Ezra's hands tightly wrapped around his own, the other on the steering wheel, clutching it so hard that his knuckles were pure white. After that everything went blank until he found himself stumbling out of the car in what he could only assume was the hospital's parking lot, Ezra guiding him towards the sliding doors. Inside the doors they were in a room that was bright-too bright, too full of people, but oddly muted, as if someone had turned down the volume of the whole world. Ezra was saying something to a woman at a desk, and then doctors were guiding them through a set of silver doors, through hallways that seemed endless, until finally they were in a smaller, still bright room, and only then did the world seem to come slightly back into focus as he spotted Aunt Cass sitting in a chair, Fred pacing in circles and looking more distraught than he'd ever seen him. Without even really thinking about what he was doing, Hiro half-stumbles out of Ezra's arms and over to the other man, grabbing his arm and desperately asking, "T-Tadashi?"

"H-He's in surgery right now," Fred answers, tears evident in his eyes as he shakes his head and an expression of utter terror, of despair on his face as he continues, "T-They're doing everything they can, but they don't know if he and the baby… If they're going to…"

And then Hiro's world went completely black. He had a momentary sensation of falling, of arms catching him, but then there was just nothingness. He lost all concept of space, of time, but it felt like quite a while before he finally becomes aware of a bright light-a glaring, almost blinding light shining down on him, and finally he blinks his eyes open, finding himself looking up at a white ceiling and some kind of cost effective but hideously obtrusive fluorescent light. Trying to figure out where he was, he starts to sit up, only to find the entire world swimming before his eyes and almost making him black out again.

"Hiro!" From somewhere he distantly hears Ezra's voice, and then he felt two strong, familiar arms wrapping around him, supporting him, and gradually everything starts to come back into focus.

"E-Ez?" he croaks, finding his throat oddly sore.

"It's okay, love," Ezra says gently, seeming to be stacking what felt like pillows behind him before settling him back against them. "You're going to be all right. You fainted for a while there, but the doctors said it was just the stress and that you'll be good as new in no time."

"S-Stress?" Hiro repeats, his brain still seeming to be coming back online, and then suddenly his eyes snap open and he sits bolt upright as everything from the night before comes rushing back to him. "T-Tadashi! The baby! Oh my gosh, are they-?"

"They're fine, Hiro!" Ezra reassures him, quickly pushing him back against the pillows, and a good thing too because the Omega had almost felt the room spinning again from his own jarring motion only moments before. "They're both perfectly fine! It was a bit scary for a little while there, but they got Daniel out of there okay, and Tadashi pulled through! He's still resting right now, but they said he's going to make a full recovery!"

"T-Thank goodness," Hiro whispers, feeling for the first time since he'd gotten the phone call last night like he could actually breathe, and then he looks up at his mate in surprise as something he'd just said registers. "Wait, Daniel? I-It's a boy?" At any time Baymax could have told them the sex of the child, but Tadashi and Fred had both decided that they wanted it to be a surprise, and Hiro had held with their wishes by not going behind their backs to ask the nursebot to give him the information

"It's a boy!" Ezra agrees, beaming. "And probably the cutest one I've ever seen! He's a bit early so he's on the small side, but the doctors said he's going to be just fine-he doesn't even have to stay here any extra time. He's got Tadashi's ears, and he's also got his eyes, although they're blue like Fred's. And I think he may be taking after Aunt Cass in the hair department because the fuzz looks pretty brown right now, although it's possible it'll get darker as he gets older."

"W-Wow…" Hiro breathes, warmth pooling in his chest. "I-I actually have a nephew!"

"We both do," Ezra answers playfully, lovingly pecking his forehead.

"When can I go see him?" Hiro demands eagerly.

"Let me see if I can get a doctor to come check you out really quick, and if they say you can get up, then you can go see him right now!" Ezra tells him with a grin.

It felt like forever (which was probably only an hour) before Hiro was finally officially released from his hospital room, and as soon as he was he was all but dragging Ezra down the hallway in the direction of what he'd been told was Tadashi's hospital room. When he finally arrives at the right door, he eagerly pushes it open, and inside he finds a very happy scene-Fred was standing next to the hospital bed in the middle of the room, holding the hand of Tadashi, who was absolutely radiating joy, not even seeming to notice the fact that his hair (which he was usually so particular about) looked like something of a sweaty mess from labor.

"Nii-chan!" It had been years since Hiro had called his older brother that childhood nickname, but somehow it slips out as he races over to him, needing to see and feel for himself that his older brother really was okay.

"Hiro!" Tadashi looks up and grins when he sees him running towards him.
"Are you okay?" Hiro asks, halting about a foot from the bed, afraid that he might accidentally do something that would hurt him. "Are you really, really okay?"

"I'm fine, Hiro," Tadashi reassures him with a warm smile. "I'm sorry I scared everyone, but the doctors said that I'm going to be completely all right."

"Thank goodness…" Hiro lets out a huge sigh of relief before finally noticing the blue blanketed bundle nestled in the crook of his brother's arm. "O-Oh my gosh, i-is that...?"

"Come say 'hi' to your new nephew." Tadashi beams up at him, adjusting his position ever so slightly so that Hiro could see the baby better-and immediately Hiro knew without a doubt that this was the sweetest, cutest baby that he had ever seen in his entire life.

"Hi there…" he says softly, instinctively reaching out but then quickly withdrawing his hand as he suddenly comes to the realization that this was a living, breathing child in front of him, and the terror that he might somehow do something to hurt it overwhelms him.

Still, before he can fully pull away, Tadashi drags him back in (his grip surprisingly strong given everything he'd just been through) and tells him, "C'mere! Daniel wants to be held by his uncle!" And before he could protest, his older brother was pressing the blanketed bundle into his arms.

For a moment, Hiro was stiff with fear, his arms locking around the baby, sure that he was somehow going to drop him or hurt him. But then he looks down into that adorable little face and he feels his whole body relaxing, finding himself cooing as he cuddles his tiny nephew close.

"Hi there…" he says softly, gently rocking the baby back and forth. "I'm your Uncle Hiro. And I promise I'm going to help take real good care of you, okay?"

Daniel was fast asleep, and besides which he was too young to have really understood any of that, but Hiro finds himself beaming as he watches the sleeping child. In spite of the fact that he prided himself on not being an overly sentimental or emotional person (although Ezra might have disagreed with that description), he felt that maybe he could make an exception for this little one. This was Tadashi's baby, after all, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Daniel had the best life possible.

"He's perfect, Dashi," he says when he finally returns the sleeping bundle to his brother's waiting ams.

"Thank you." Tadashi grins up at him before a slightly sad look crosses his face and he says, "I'm glad at least I got to have this one before..."

"Before what?" Hiro frown in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I... The doctors said-and Fred and I have agreed-that I'm going to have to have an operation to make sure I don't get pregnant again," Tadashi answers, not meeting his brother's eyes and holding Daniel close. "I-It's not that I don't want to have another baby. You know I've always wanted a big family. But with the complications I had with this one, it's not a guarantee that I'd survive another pregnancy, and we can't take the chance, so…"

"Oh, Dashi…" Hiro breathes, his heart breaking for him. No! This wasn't fair! Even though he himself had never really wanted more than maybe one or two children, he knew that ever since they'd been kids Tadashi had always talked about wanting a large family of his own. Daniel was supposed to be the first of many kids that his brother would absolutely love and adore, each in their own unique way. The fact that he was being forced into something like this-to have his dream taken away so suddenly-was sure to be crushing him, even if he was managing to keep a brave face on it. And Hiro wasn't about to allow that to happen.

"Dashi," he says firmly, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Daniel doesn't have to be your last. I'm going to make sure of it."

"W-What?" Tadashi looks up at him in surprise. "H-Hiro, how can you-?"

"The incubator!" Hiro answers, an eager grin making its way onto his face. "It's perfect! We're going to be looking for different types of couples to test it out, right? Who better to test it out for a Beta/Omega pair than you and Fred? Obviously we have to get through the animal testing stage first and Ezra and I are the first in line to test it out for the human tests as an Alpha and Omega, but maybe after us…?"

"T-That would be amazing," Tadashi breathes, beaming up at him, tears starting to pool in his eyes.

"Then it's settled!" Hiro grins back down at him. "So don't you start crying on me, bro, you're going to have that big family one way or another!"

"I-I'm trying not to cry," Tadashi laughs, wiping at the tears that were leaking out in spite of his best efforts. "But I promise these are happy tears, otouto."
"Good." Hiro smiles, feeling the joy of helping his brother swelling in his chest, and when he looks over at Fred, he can see him mouthing a silent "thank you" to him.

Ezra and Hiro probably would have stayed in the room longer, but just then a doctor comes bustling in and shoos them both out, telling them that the father and the baby both needed their rest. Hiro didn't really want to leave, but since he knew that Tadashi and Daniel were all right he allows Ezra to lead him out into the waiting room where Aunt Cass was to sit until they were allowed back in again. The Alpha's phone kept blowing up with texts from their friends who were all begging to know when they could come see Tadashi and the baby-eventually he just had to turn it off because he wasn't exactly the person to answer those questions, deciding to leave it up to Fred to handle that.

Hiro was contentedly nuzzling up against Ezra, staring out the window at the beautiful day outside and feeling completely at peace with the world, when he feels his mate shifting slightly and say softly, "Hey, Hiro?"

"Yeah?" Hiro glances up at him, wondering what was on his mind.
"Well-I know that it's pretty far in advance, and we don't know what sex our baby is going to be yet," Ezra answers, "but I was thinking… If we have a little girl-I kind of like the name Hope."

"Hope…" Hiro repeats, trying it out to see how it felt in his mouth, and then he grins up at his mate and answers, "I love it. It's absolutely perfect."

And it was. Because this baby they were going to be bringing into the world was going to be the product of and the representation of so many kinds of hope. Hope for couples who had never been able to have children naturally being able to finally have families of their own. The hope that this would be the first of many changes that would eventually lead to society not caring so much about class, but about actual people, no matter how they presented. The hope that, by the time Hope was the age Hiro was now, the world would be a better, more open, and more accepting place and that she could be herself, no matter who or what she wanted to be. And the hope that, if that wasn't the case, then maybe she could be the one who would spark the change that would make the world the type of place that she wanted it to be. Because, at the end of the day, that's what kept people working to make the changes that would make the world a better place and the thing that kept them going, no matter how hard things got: hope. It was truly a beautiful word. And it was the best gift that Hiro could ever hope to give to his child.

~Fin