It had been a little over eight years since that fateful day when Hiro had finally activated and started connecting with Tadashi, and a lot had happened since then. A lot of things were the same, but a lot of things had changed too. For one thing, even though Hiro, Ezra, and Sabine were all continuing on extremely well, the original H.I.R.O. project had cancelled. All their patients had responded well-extremely well-to spending time with and forming a familial attachment with them. But as much as their families were enjoying the closeness with their adopted children, when Kanan started bringing Ezra with him to group therapy (with Tadashi and Hiro tagging along to see how the other patients reacted), it was soon discovered that not everyone was able to or even necessarily wanted to form that kind of bond with the children.

No one was outright antagonistic, but not everyone seemed comfortable around the two little boys, and even the ones who were more open to the idea, when talking to Tadashi after the sessions, admitted that while they enjoyed spending time with the kids but weren't sure that they could handle the responsibility of looking after one themselves. That's when it had hit Tadashi how the project had veered away from his original intent-while he himself had loved every minute of helping Hiro learn and grow and developing a relationship with him, it had taken a lot of time and energy, and that was a luxury that most people didn't have. He wanted the HIRO's to be something that made other's lives easier, not something that added another responsibility on top of what they were already dealing with.

So while he would never say that Hiro was by any means a failure, he realized that this design wasn't one that could or should be mass produced, both for the sake of the patients and for the sake of the kids (who, Tadashi realized, could easily end up in a harmful or even abusive environment-he would have no real control as to the types of homes they'd end up in, and he knew that he would never be able to live with himself if he found out that even one of them was being mistreated or harmed in any way.)

Still, although the original design wasn't going to work on a widespread basis, Tadashi wasn't about to give up on his idea, even if he had to go all the way back to the drawing board. As it was, he looked at the things that had made the first trial not work so well and decided to take those into serious account to see what required changing.

As part of the reason people were so hesitant to open up to the robot was because they saw it as just one more emotionally charged relationship that they had to balance in their already complicated lives, Tadashi realized that he needed to go back to the Baymax standard-making the robots caring and interactive, but not with the level of AI that Hiro, Ezra, and Sabine had. While originally Tadashi's goal was for the HIRO's to branch out from their coding and develop individualized personalities of his own, he realized that sadly that wasn't something most people were comfortable with and so he decided that going with a simpler AI like he'd used for Baymax was a safer option for the time being.

The robot would still have the database of different types of therapies, but the focus would be more on identifying signs of emotional or psychological distress and helping their patients work through breathing exercises or mindful meditations-strategies that Tadashi had seen used in Kanan's group therapy and had even been recommended by his own counselor-and calling for support from designated family or friends or even for medical attention as needed. The system was a lot less detailed and personal than Tadashi had originally planned, but as he started beta testing it with various focus groups, it seemed like it actually was what patients preferred, and as long as it was working and it was helping people, that's all he really cared about.

Regarding the physical design of the robot, it had actually been Hiro who had helped him with that-the little boy had taken a great interest in his papa's project and seemed eager to want to help him with developing the new robot. Tadashi had been more than willing to let him help out as much as he wanted, and he and Hiro ended up having extended discussions about the new robot's development. (Fred sometimes joked that he was going to be completely lost in every conversation with two engineers talking shop almost 24/7.)

After Tadashi helped the little boy do some research of his own on psychology and therapy (he'd understood quite a lot more of what he read than Tadashi would have expected, but his papa was extremely proud of him all the same), Hiro questioned why they hadn't looked into the already existing idea of therapy animals, as people already seemed accepting of having animals providing emotional support-he even cited Chopper, Kanan's dog, as a good example of a beneficial animal-human relationship. Tadashi admitted to having originally rejected the idea because he wanted to try something more original, but conceded that it was at least worth a try.

Together they'd drawn up possible designs and run them by family and friends, and the one they ended up choosing was actually based off of Baymax-inflatable and cute, with the same face pattern as the nursebot, the dog and the cat models they ended up making were undeniably extremely cute and inviting. They also had the added benefit that, as most people were already comfortable with going to Baymaxes for medical help and had already established some level of trust with them, the patients seemed to have an easier time opening up to them. By the time that these new robots (which by then Hiro and Tadashi had decided to name "Pawmax") were presented to Krei Tech, the company was more than happy to partner with the two engineers to help get their invention out to the world, and it was probably the proudest moment of Tadashi's life when he was able to show Hiro the first article that was published about Pawmax where both of their names were included.

Of course there was a lot of speculation from the press-could a little boy really have played a major role in developing such an advanced robot? Well, if they had any doubts, those were quickly put to rest-over the next few years, Hiro went on to help Tadashi with several other projects, and by the age of five (ten by human development levels), he even had created and gotten a patent for his own small robot named Megabot. It wasn't anything near as complex as Baymax or Pawmax, but it was a small household helper which could do small chores such as opening jars, wiping up small spills, and writing short notes for its owner. It actually turned out to have a lot of applications for helping patients with MS, severe arthritis, or other disabilities that made holding things steadily or being able to complete tasks that required fine motor movements to be able to live more independently. Overall, Hiro seemed very happy, with his life, and both Tadashi and Fred couldn't have been prouder of him. And yet…

Recently, Tadashi had started to notice that Hiro didn't seem quite like his normal, bouncy self. The boy never said anything that outright indicated any discontent on his part and he was still as sweet and lovable as ever. But somehow, just from catching the little boy at odd moments staring wistfully out the window at the people passing by or seeing how the child would sometimes flinch when people commented on how lucky Tadashi and Fred were to have a son who would always stay so cute and adorable that made the older engineer think that something wasn't quite right. Actually, it was those comments that helped him discover what was going on, although it wasn't until Hiro's eighth birthday that he fully allowed himself to accept it. He and Fred were cleaning up from the party that they'd had with all of their family and friends for their son when suddenly Tadashi stopped mid-picking up a plate and said softly, "Oh my gosh…"

"What is it?" Fred asks, looking over at him curiously.

"I just realized… When I made Hiro, he was five years old, right?" Tadashi answers, the gears in his brain turning.

"Right…" Fred agrees slowly, not quite seeing his point yet but trying to follow his train of thought.

"If he was five then and this is his eighth birthday-Fred, Hiro's a teenager!"

Fred looked as shocked as Tadashi had only moments earlier, but then he nods and answers, "Wow, you're right! I didn't even realize… I guess it's easy to forget how old he is mentally when he-"

"When he still looks like a kid?" Tadashi finishes for him, a slightly troubled expression on his face. "Yeah, I know..."

"Okay, I know that look," Fred says, coming over to him and gently rubbing his shoulders to help release some of the tension that his husband was obviously feeling. "What are you thinking, love?"

"I'm thinking," Tadashi answers with a quiet sigh, "that it's time I made Hiro a new body-one that fits the age he is on the inside. I need to talk to Kanan and Hera, but I think I should probably make ones for Ezra and Sabine too because I can't imagine they're much happier being stuck looking like they're five than Hiro is."

"That's an excellent idea!" Fred tells him with a grin, only to frown slightly when he notices that Tadashi wasn't near as enthusiastic about the idea as he was. "What's wrong?"

"I just…" Tadashi shakes his head slightly. "No, it's stupid, forget I said anything."

"Dashi, I'm sure it's not stupid," Fred answers firmly before gently urging, "C'mon, you know you can tell me anything!"

"I know," Tadashi agrees with a grateful smile before admitting, "I just… I'm so used to having my sweet little guy… I know it's selfish, but I'm not sure I'm ready for him to grow up yet… I know it's not fair to keep him this age, though, so I know what the right thing is to do, it's just going to be hard letting go..."

"Hey." Fred wraps his arms tightly around him, and the engineer gratefully presses into the contact. "I know. It'll be weird not having Hiro so little that we can just pick him up and carry him around, or snuggle with him like we do now. But think about all the great things Hiro will be able to do when his body finally matches what's inside! He'll be able to do so many more things without constantly having to ask for our help, and we can take him places without him getting exhausted so easily so he can have more fun there! He can even finally ride the roller coasters with us at DisneyLand, and maybe-"

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Tadashi laughs with a slightly watery smile. "You're right. This is going to be good for all of us. It's going to take me some time to get used to the idea, but it's not like this is going to happen overnight-I need to actually design and make the bodies so I have some time to adjust, right?"

"Exactly!" Fred agrees, lovingly kissing his cheek.

"Would you be willing to help me keep this a secret for now?" Tadashi asks after gratefully kissing him back. "I want this to be a surprise for Hiro."

"Of course, love," Fred reassures him. "And, for the record, this is an amazing thing you're doing."

"The most important thing to me is that Hiro's happy, and you know I'd do anything to make sure that happens," Tadashi answers with a slight shrug, although Fred's words were definitely helping him feel better about all of this.

"I do," Fred answers, holding him close. "And that's what makes you such a great dad, and it's one of the things I love most about you."

The next few months were probably some of the most hard working and also admittedly some of the most emotional ones that Tadashi had had in a long time. As soon as he had confirmed with Hera and Kanan that they wanted to allow Ezra and Sabine to age up as well (and they had wholeheartedly agreed that it was definitely time for it, even if both of them seemed slightly emotional about the idea as well), he got to work on designing and building the new bodies for all three of the kids. Since he was trying to keep this a surprise for Hiro, he ended up having to work late into the nights for a few months because most days, after his homeschooling with Ezra and Sabine was over (they were all taught by both Tadashi and Fred-while as robots they easily could have just downloaded the information that they needed to know, it was more fun for them to have actual school lessons and learn the traditional way), Hiro would come into the workshop and tinker on one of his latest projects if he and the other two weren't getting up to their usual mischief together.

It was extremely difficult to keep the entire project a secret from the boy, and many times Tadashi was sure that Hiro at least somewhat suspected that something was going on, even if he didn't know exactly what. Still, by some miracle the older man managed to keep the project almost completely under wraps, and four months later, right after they'd put Hiro to bed, Tadashi was bringing his husband into the workshop to take a look at the finished product of all his labors.

"Wow," Fred gasps when he sees the new body that was lying on the blanket-covered worktable that was acting as a makeshift bed for the moment. "I-It's incredible, Dashi! Hiro's going to love it!"

"You think so?" Tadashi grins over at him. He really hoped that Hiro would like it. As with Hiro's first body, he'd somewhat based the design after what he'd looked like at the beginning of high school-about five feet tall (he hadn't really sprung up until the end of high school) and a bit on the gangly side but in an endearing way. He hadn't been able to bring himself to give Hiro anything shorter than the haircut he currently sported so there was still the slightly messy mop of raven hair, and he'd also left the tooth gap (it was too cute to get rid of it, even if he was growing up.) And of course he still had the sweet brown puppy eyes that never failed to melt Tadashi's heart.

All in all, this new body was still undeniably Hiro's, even if he wasn't going to be so tiny and adorable anymore (although, Tadashi was proud to note, he would definitely still be adorable, just in slightly more mature way.) And now that he was done, looking at his work, he felt like maybe he was a little bit okay with letting Hiro grow up some-the fear of the unknown future was often a lot scarier than what actually ended up happening, and that principle seemed to stand true in this case.

"I'm positive," Fred answers his husband's earlier question, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissing him lovingly on the cheek. "I'm really proud of you for doing this, you know."

"Thanks love." Tadashi happily nuzzles against him. "I'm thinking maybe we can tell Hiro about this in the morning and let him transition over as soon as he feels ready. I already delivered Sabine and Ezra's new bodies to Kanan and Hera while you were taking Hiro to the store earlier and showed them how to switch the core personality and memory chips over from the access port in the first bodies to the new ones-I figured it would be best if we all did it on the same day, it'll help them all feel a bit more comfortable if they're all doing this and getting used to their new bodies at the same time, y'know?"

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Fred agrees before asking, "So, with tomorrow being such a big day, you think we should head to bed so we'll have some energy to do it all?"

"Sounds good," Tadashi agrees, following his husband to the door and flipping off the lights as they leave. Still, as they head towards their own bedroom, he can't help but feel his eyes being drawn to Hiro's room and Fred says softly,

"You want to go see him one last time like this, don't you?"

"Kind of, yeah…" Tadashi admits, a bit embarrassed that the fanboy had read him so easily, although he shouldn't have been surprised after all these years.

"It's okay," Fred reassures him. "Go do whatever you need to do, okay?"

"Thank you." Tadashi gratefully kisses him before heading to their son's bedroom, gently pushing the door open and stepping inside. He didn't want to wake the little boy by accident, and he was glad that Hiro remained fast asleep as he quietly makes his way over to the bed and sits down on the edge of it. Tentatively he reaches out and strokes the boy's hair-he had so many memories just like this one in this place, and he feels a few tears leaking out of his eyes as he realizes that this would be his very last one.

But then he forces himself to think about the next night-when he'd be tucking Hiro into bed like this, finally in a body that would make him feel like the amazing young man he was growing into, and knowing just how happy Hiro was going to be was enough to pull him out of the hard emotions about leaving the old behind and focus on looking forward to the amazing things the future had in store for them. With a gentle kiss to the top of his son's head, Tadashi allows himself to say his final goodbyes before finally getting up and heading to bed. Like Fred had said-they had a big day tomorrow, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to be fully awake to share in Hiro's excitement.

"Do you think it's too early to wake him up?"

"Nah, he's had plenty of time to charge. Besides, when he switches over his new body's on full charge, right?"

"That's true…"

"So c'mon!" Fred grins and squeezes his husband's hand. "Let's go get this special day started!"

"Right!" Feeling a bit more confident, Tadashi happily squeezes back before pushing the door to Hiro's room open.

"Good morning!" he says, loud enough to hopefully wake the sleeping boy.

"Papa? Dad?" Hiro's eyes blink open and he starts to sit up, a slightly out-of-it and definitely confused expression on his face. "What's going on? And why are you up so early?"

"Sorry, bud," Tadashi answers, not managing to sound completely sorry, as he sits down on the edge of the bed. "Your dad and I just have some really big news!"

"Big news?" Hiro repeats, seeming marginally more awake. "What's going on?"

"Your papa has a surprise for you," Fred answers, sitting down next to Tadashi on the bed and lovingly ruffling their son's hair. "He's been working on it really hard for a really long time and he thinks it's finally ready for you!"

"A surprise?" Hiro looks hopefully at Tadashi. "Is this the secret project you've been working on?"

"Yep!" Tadashi answers with a grin before gently pulling the boy onto his lap. "Hiro, I know you haven't said anything, but I've noticed recently that you-well, you're not exactly happy being stuck in the body of a kid when you're getting so grown up and mature."

"Papa-" Hiro starts to protest, looking worried that he'd somehow hurt his father's feelings and was going to deny what he was saying if he could.

"No, there's no need to try to tell me that you're happy when you're really not," Tadashi puts in firmly. "You shouldn't be stuck in a body that doesn't fit who you are anymore, and I never want you to feel like you have to hide it when something's bothering you."

"I-I'm sorry, Papa," Hiro apologizes, looking slightly relieved as he nuzzles up against Tadashi.

"You shouldn't be apologizing," Tadashi quickly reassures him. "I should be the one apologizing for not noticing how you were feeling sooner, and I hope you'll forgive me for being so stubbornly blind."

"Of course I forgive you, Papa!" Hiro hurries to reassure him before asking in a quiet, hopeful voice, "So, does this mean… Are you making me a body that will make me look more grown up?"

"Actually," Tadashi answers, fighting a grin at how adorably happy the boy looks, "I kind of already did."

"You did?!" Hiro gasps, eyes going wide.

"Yep!" Tadashi answers, losing his battle to the grin now. "It's finally finished, so whenever you're ready to switch over, all you have to do is say the word and we'll do it!"

"Wow…" Hiro looks too overwhelmed to say anything for a while, just sitting silently in Tadashi's lap for a while before finally asking quietly, "Do you think changing over will hurt?"

"What? No, of course not!" Tadashi reassures him, cuddling him close. "It'll be like… Falling asleep, and when you wake up you'll be safely in your new body. You won't feel a thing, I promise!"

"That's good…" Hiro smiles up at him, still seeming a bit nervous. "Do you think it'll feel weird, getting used to being bigger?"

"Maybe a bit," Tadashi admits. "But hopefully it won't take you too long to get used to it."

"And, if it makes you feel better, most teenagers feel pretty awkward when they hit their growth spurts, so you definitely won't be alone in whatever you're feeling!" Fred adds encouragingly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Hiro agrees, seeming a bit relieved to hear that before going quiet again for a moment. "This is… This is what I've wanted for a really long time," he finally admits quietly. "But now I'm kind of scared… I know I shouldn't be, but I still am…"

"Any change is scary," Tadashi answers, soothingly rubbing circles on his back. "It's kind of scary for me and your dad too. But if this is what's going to make you happy, we're going to be with you every step of the way, okay?"

"Okay," Hiro agrees, still seeming a bit nervous but then nodding his resolutely and asks, "How is this going to work?"

"Well, you'll power down fully so we don't risk damaging your chip when we take it out," Tadashi explains. "Then I'll put it into your new body and we'll activate you right away so you can start getting used to it!"

"Okay." Hiro nods again and looks up at him, starting to actually look a bit excited by this now. "When can we do it?"

"As soon as you're ready," Tadashi answers, not wanting to make his son wait a minute longer than he had to for happiness.

"I-I think I'm ready now," Hiro answers with small smile.

"Okay then." Tadashi smiles down at him. "We'll go ahead and do it now."

"We'll be right here when you wake up, buddy," Fred says, hugging the boy one last time before he powered down.

"I know," Hiro answers, hugging him back trustingly before he was transferred back to Tadashi's arms.

"I love you," Tadashi whispers in his ear, again feeling a few last minute tears pricking his eyes as he pulls the boy to his chest. "So much."

"I love you too, Papa," Hiro whispers back, tightly wrapping his arms around him.

"And I'm so proud of you for being so brave right now. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know you won't, Papa."

"Okay… A-Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

"All right… H-Hiro… I am satisfied with my care."

He holds the boy tightly in his arms until he feels the little body go limp and unresponsive against him. For a sickening moment it almost felt like he was holding a corpse-Hiro hadn't fully powered down since that night when eight years ago when he'd come online to comfort Tadashi from his nightmares and had started them down this road that had taken them through so many twists and turns, and feeling the little body that was always so full of life so empty was terrifying. But then Fred was gently squeezing his shoulder and saying, "C'mon. Let's go wake up our son." And something about that was enough to snap Tadashi out of his dark thoughts and he gratefully smiles at his husband before gently laying Hiro down on the bed to remove his chip from his access port so that they truly could go wake him up.

"What do you think we should do with-?" Tadashi asks when he has the chip in his hands, cradling it close to his chest for fear of somehow damaging it but still managing to gesture to the discarded body that now lay on Hiro's bed.

"I think," Fred says after thinking it over for a moment, "that maybe we should ultimately let Hiro decide what to do with it. But for now…" He carefully wraps a blanket around the tiny form, "let's put it somewhere safe, just until we know that he won't need it again."

"That sounds like a good idea," Tadashi agrees, glad that Fred was willing to take charge on this when he was feeling so emotionally vulnerable.

"I remember that your aunt gave us that cedar chest that we've been keeping in the attic," Fred notes thoughtfully. "That seems like as safe a place as any for now-it'll be protected in there, but it'll also be out of sight, out of mind, y'know?"

"That's perfect," Tadashi agrees with a relieved smile. "Would you be okay with-?"

"Absolutely," Fred reassures him, lovingly pecking his cheek. "I'll take care of it, you go get Hiro to the lab. Just don't wake him up without me, okay?"

"I won't," Tadashi promises, pecking him back, before getting up off of the bed and heading for his workshop. Knowing that everything was being taken care of, he's able to breathe a bit easier, and as he waits for his husband to join him, he holds his son's chip close and looks down at the new body that it would be going into in just a few moments. Now, with the old one metaphorically-if somewhat literally-being buried, he couldn't wait to see Hiro filling this new form with his light and life. It really didn't matter what Hiro looked like, Tadashi's heart finally realizes. He would still be his incredible, amazing son, no matter what. And that was something no one and nothing could ever take away from either of them.

A few minutes later, Fred joins them in the lab, and he eagerly squeezes Tadashi's shoulder as he comes to stand next to him. "You ready for this?"

"I think we all are," Tadashi answers truthfully, giving him a warm grin before opening Hiro's new access port and carefully inserting the chip.

For just one terrifying moment, the engineer couldn't help but worry that he'd somehow done something wrong-that he'd made some grave miscalculation and that this new body was going to reject Hiro's chip and maybe even permanently damage it. But then he heard the soft whirr of the system coming online and, after a few breathless minutes of waiting, he says hesitantly, "Hiro?"

For yet one more heartstopping second, nothing happens. But then Hiro's eyes start to flutter open and Tadashi lets out a half sigh, half sob of relief as he hugs the boy (no, a teen now) close to his chest.

"Papa?" Hiro sounded a bit dazed, but one look into his eyes told Tadashi that the transfer had been successful and that he was going to be okay.

"How are you feeling?" Fred asks gently, obviously as relieved as his husband was by the fact that their son was responding.

"Okay?" Hiro answers, still seeming to be having a bit of trouble focusing but growing more aware with every second.

"Nothing seems to be malfunctioning, does it?" Tadashi asks-he'd run a diagnostic of the body and tested its capabilities with a computer program to make sure that everything was in good working order (he wouldn't allow his son to go into a body that had even the slightest possibility of bugs or glitches), but he wanted to make sure that there wasn't something he'd somehow missed.

"No, I think everything's okay…" Hiro answers, gingerly experimenting moving his arms and legs, wiggling his fingers and toes, before reassuring Tadashi, "It feels good. A little weird 'cause I'm still getting used to it, but mostly really, really good."

"I'm so glad to hear that." Tadashi beams down at him.

"Yeah." Hiro grins back up at him before noting, "Wow, my voice sounds… different. Like, not a bad different! Just-different. Am I imagining that?"

"No," Tadashi admits. "I figured it would be better for your voice to be a little deeper to match your body-is that okay?"

"Yeah it's okay!" Hiro hurries to reassure him. "It's kind of awesome, actually! So, um, when do I get to see what the rest of me looks like?"

"I'll take you to a mirror so you can see," Tadashi answers with a warm chuckle, and both he and Fred help the teen get to his feet. Hiro seems a bit wobbly as he takes his first steps, but both his dads keep him firmly supported as he walks to the bathroom where they had a full-length mirror, and with every step he seems to grow more confident.

"Everything looks so different from up here," the teen marvels as they make their way through the house, taking in his surroundings as if seeing them all for the first time. Then he glares playfully up at Tadashi and adds, "But you just couldn't handle me being as tall as you yet, huh Papa?"

"Be patient," Tadashi chuckles, lightly swatting him. "I was that same height when I was your age, so you can see what it's like being an actual teenager before becoming an adult someday!"

"So, I am going to get an adult body at some point?" Hiro asks hopefully.

"Yes, but one step at a time, buddy," Fred answers, noticing the expression on his husband's face. "Let's at least get you a few years or use out of this new body your papa just made for you, huh?"

"Right, sorry!" Hiro apologizes, flushing slightly-which, yes, was an upgrade Tadashi had given this new body, the ability to blush and produce tears and a few other functions that he felt would make it easier for the teen to be able to express his emotions as he adjusted to this new state of being.

Before the older man can really say anything, though, they reach the bathroom door, and Hiro lets out a quiet gasp as he finally sees his reflection in the mirror. "W-Whoa…"

"Is that a good whoa or a bad whoa?" Tadashi asks a bit nervously. "Because if you don't like it we can totally-"

"Like it? Papa, I love it!" Hiro grins and throws his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"You do?" Tadashi hugs him back just as tightly, relief flooding his chest.

"Definitely!" Hiro answers, sounding absolutely ecstatic. "It's perfect! T-Thank you… I know how much work you must have put into making this for me…"

"It was all worth it if this makes you happy," Tadashi answers firmly, lovingly running a hand through his son's hair and feeling glad that, thanks to Honey Lemon, it was just as soft, if not softer, than it had been before.

"It does," Hiro reassures him, gratefully nuzzling up against him. "It really, really does…"

"Then my mission was accomplished," Tadashi says gently pecking his forehead.

"Family group hug!" Fred declares, wrapping his arm around the both of them, and Hiro laughs, mildly complaining, "Da-ad!" but not sounding for a moment like he really minded.

"Sorry, kiddo!" Fred answers with a playful grin. "Now that you're officially a teenager, it means that your papa and I have to go out of our way to embarrass you-it's one of the rules of been a teen!"

"No it's not!" Hiro protests.

"Yes it i~is!" Fred sing songs back.

"Papa, please tell me that you're not going to let him do anything to embarrass me!" Hiro begs, turning his puppy eyes on Tadashi and melting his heart completely.

"I'll do my best," the older man reassures him before reaching for his phone as it starts going off. "Oh, that's probably Kanan and Hera! I hope everything's going okay!"

"Kanan and Hera?" Hiro repeats. "Why would they- Wait. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! Did you-? For Ezra and Sabine-?"

"I didn't think it was fair for you to have the fun of aging up without letting Sabine and Ezra do it too," Tadashi answers with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Is that okay with you?"

"Okay? It's awesome!" Hiro replies. "We can do so much cool stuff now that we're all like this!"

"Oh boy, here come the long nights of wondering what kind of mischief our child is up to while he's out at all hours," Fred jokes, and Hiro playfully sticks his tongue out at him before turning back to Tadashi and asking curiously,

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine!" the engineer reassures him. "Sounds like the transfer was successful for both of them and they're both up and moving and doing perfectly fine-no bugs or glitches so far!"

"That's good!" Hiro smiles in relief, obviously glad to know that his friends were okay.

"Oh, looks like Hera just sent a picture!" Fred notes, checking his own phone.

"Let me see!" Hiro eagerly dives for the mobile device.

"Wouldn't you rather it be a surprise when you see them later tonight when they come over for dinner to celebrate?" Fred asks.

"Da-ad!"

"Okay, fine, fine!" Fred surrenders the phone, and Hiro eagerly takes it and looks down at the picture.

Maybe Tadashi was imagining it, but there seemed to be just the slightest dusting of pink across the teen's face as Hiro finally gets out, "W-Wow, Papa… Y-You did a really good job…"

"Thank you," Tadashi answers with a warm smile, and he couldn't help but wryly think that maybe a certain blue haired teen featured in the picture was the cause for his son's rather rosy cheeks. It was far too early to tell, and, even if it was the case, he wasn't going to say anything until Hiro felt comfortable sharing with him, and it was a hurdle that they hopefully wouldn't have to cross for a little while. But when and if they reached that hurdle, they'd cross it together, just like they crossed any obstacle. Because that's what this family did-they took care of each other and helped each other out in any way that they could. That's the way they would always be, and Tadashi couldn't be more grateful to his amazing son who had made all of this possible. And, as the teen grins sheepishly back at him, he could tell that Hiro was just as grateful for him-and the fact that his son thought so highly of him and, beyond that, loved him with all of his heart, was the most amazing feeling in the whole world.