Epilogue

Fred and Wasabi grunted as the two of them dropped the massive 3D printer into its new spot, the very last piece of equipment put in its place. Hiro was on the other side of Tadashi's old lab, now his own, shuffling papers on the desk and sorting them into appropriate piles. Most of the papers were on SFIT letterhead, greetings letters and orientation information, but the occasional sheet was old parchment or yellowing paper covered in old runes and elegant script. These went in their own pile.

Honey Lemon and GoGo were helping to set up a tiny shrine near the window, placing a stick of incense in a battered-looking holder in front of a portrait of Tadashi. Tadashi's old hat was hung on a hook next to it, within easy reach. Although normally this would have been a solemn task, the girls were chatting happily to each other, Honey Lemon poking GoGo in the cheek playfully when the shorter woman straightened the picture to her liking. Once they were done, they turned around to look at the new lab space.

There were still little hints of Tadashi here and there. His old toolbox in the corner. One of his favourite blazers thrown over the back of a chair. His old desk had been left alone, the papers and stationery organized but otherwise untouched. The various odd projects he'd been working on before Baymax that he'd never quite finished. But the rest of the space Hiro had completely made his own.

It was a bit jarring at first to one not familiar with Hiro. While there were tools, computers and 3D printers all over the lab space, as any robotics lab should have, there were also posters of several anime and videogame characters competing for wall space with diagrams of mythical creatures and blueprints for new designs. There were also a few new traditionally done scroll ink paintings of mountains and rivers hanging on either side of the doorway. The desk was covered in screwdrivers, action figures, and potion bottles. Paper talismans hung from the shelves, pinned in place with binder clips and ragged pieces of tape. Baymax's charging station, which was currently occupied, had been put down next to the new shrine to Tadashi, so that when Tadashi came to visit he and Baymax could chat. The entire room looked like a lab, a teenage boy's bedroom, and a temple shrine had collided to form one mishmash. But it was perfect for Hiro, who was a bit of a mishmash himself.

The young student in question looked up from his papers at the sound of the others approaching and smiled at them. "Thanks for helping me move in, guys!" he told them gratefully.

"No problem, little man," Wasabi said as he ruffled Hiro's hair. "Happy to help."

"Especially after that last run of potion ingredients!" Honey Lemon interjected cheerfully, bouncing happily in place at the thought of all the new mixtures she could come up with using her new ingredients.

"And all the new stuff you added to my suit," Fred added, just as excited. "I am one step closer to realizing my ultimate goal of becoming a giant fire-breathing lizard at will!" He started playing the part, growling like a monster and stomping all over the lab space, much to their amusement.

GoGo watched him with a raised eyebrow, popping her gum. "I still can't believe you thought it was a good idea to give him wings," she muttered to Hiro under her breath.

"Heh," Hiro rubbed at the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Yeah...didn't think that one through all the way," he admitted. "I had the parts, so I just thought I'd use them."

The group watched Fred a moment more, wincing as his 'monster jumps' ended up with him crashing into a pile of boxes Hiro had thankfully unpacked already. Fred went down in a tangle of limbs and smashing of cardboard.

They all stared blankly, completely unsurprised. Wasabi let out a grumble. "I'll go help him up," the physicist sighed as he walked towards Fred's indignant squawks, rolling his sleeves up as he walked.

GoGo snorted as she watched Wasabi attempting to free Fred from the cardboard. Fred was flailing around so much though that it was a pretty safe bet that Wasabi would be joining him soon. "And these are the idiots that protect San Fransokyo on a semi-regular basis, from threats natural and supernatural," she said despairingly. "My god, how have we not burned the city down yet?"

"Oh, but we're actually doing pretty well, don't you think?" Honey Lemon quickly tried to defend, missing the fond way GoGo had been shaking her head at the others. "We've actually managed to save a fair number of people, and I think the supernatural community is starting to recognize us as well, aren't they, Hiro?"

The boy, who had been busy laughing at Wasabi's struggles, looked up at the sound of his name. "Hmm?" he asked.

"What does the supernatural side of the city think of us?" Honey Lemon repeated patiently. "Especially after we saved that baby Gryphon from the wind turbines last week?"

Hiro's brow furrowed and he looked down at his feet as he thought about it. "Well, I've been pretty busy training with Mochi, getting used to the whole medium stuff, you know? It's been keeping me pretty distracted, so I haven't been paying much attention. But I think they like us. I definitely haven't heard anything bad, mostly they're just really confused because normal people aren't supposed to be able to see them. Not that you guys really can, but they don't get how the scanners I made work. Other than that I'm not sure. Maybe Tadashi would know better."

He shrugged, unbothered. As far as he was concerned, his priority was developing his medium powers as fast as possible. Mochi said some day if he got good enough, he'd be able to see and hear ghosts just like they were regular people. So far he could still only sense Tadashi at best, and he was getting frustrated with his lack of progress, even if the rest of the supernatural world was becoming clearer by the day.

"Speaking of Tadashi," GoGo cut into Hiro's thoughts in her usual brusque manner. "When should we expect another visit? He hasn't been by in a few days."

Again Hiro shrugged, although he didn't look at her, instead keeping his eyes on the far wall. His shoulders had suddenly become a bit tense as well, she noted to herself. Her eyes narrowed.

"You know he doesn't like possessing me for no reason. Besides, he's been getting to know the creatures of the city. Keeps him busy."

Just then there was a loud crashing sound, and they quickly looked over. Hiro snorted when he saw that Fred had somehow gotten buried in the cardboard, and had dragged Wasabi down on top of him, leaving both men floundering. Honey Lemon winced, her hands fluttering nervously around her mouth for a moment, before she shot Hiro and GoGo an apologetic look.

"I'm going to go...help," she told them. "Sorry, one moment."

She dashed off, leaving Hiro and GoGo alone, snickering.

After a moment of watching the new attempts to get the others unstuck, GoGo turned back to Hiro. She was about to ask him something more, when suddenly Hiro stiffened. His eyes flashed gold for a moment, and then his whole posture changed, shoulders coming back, spine straight. He smiled up at her in a familiar way. She relaxed an infinitesimal amount, her own tiny smile coming out.

"Hey Tadashi," she greeted him quietly.

"Hey GoGo," he said back with a grin. "Heard you talking about me, what, did you miss me?" He tossed the question over his shoulder as he walked over to the shrine near the window, snagging the baseball cap from the hook and placing it on his head.

She rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly, reaching out when he came back to help him adjust the hat over Hiro's hair. "As if. And of course you'd be haunting us today of all days."

"Hey! It's not haunting, it's...hanging out when no one can see me or hear me," Tadashi insisted, even though they both knew that as a ghost, 'haunting' was exactly what he'd been doing. "And of course I'd be here today! It's Hiro's first day at SFIT, wouldn't miss it for the world!"

She started teasing him about his brother complex, but just then Honey Lemon finally got the others free from the pile of cardboard, and Fred spotted the tell-tale hat on Hiro's head.

"Dude! Tadashi visit!" he cheered, pushing past Wasabi and almost knocking him back into the boxes. Wasabi groaned in annoyance even as he followed after, Honey Lemon trailing behind and giggling. No one could stay upset when Tadashi came for a visit.

"Hey man, are you here for long?" Fred asked brightly. "Because they finally let me introduce them to the wonder that is Space Cowboys, and we're finally up to season 4! That's the best one!"

"Oh god, please no more of that show," GoGo groaned, her sentiments echoed by Wasabi. Honey Lemon was too polite to complain so openly, but even her smile looked a little fixed.

Thankfully Tadashi shook his head. "Sorry, Fred. I'm just here to say hi. It's Hiro's special day after all, I don't want him spending half of it unconscious."

The group of friends drooped, but nodded in understanding.

"Next time then?" Fred asked hopefully, giving Tadashi his best puppy dog eyes. Tadashi could only laugh and nod.

"Well, we were about to head over to the Lucky Cat once we were finished here," Wasabi explained, moving towards the door of Hiro's lab space. "I just have to put some stuff away and grab my bag, and then I'm ready to go. You guys?"

"Same," GoGo said, pushing past him into the lab space. Fred and Honey Lemon followed.

Wasabi looked back at Tadashi. "What about you? Gonna join us at least for the trip?"

Tadashi shook his head again. "Nah. I'm just going to say hi to Baymax and write Hiro a note, and then I'll be out of here again."

Wasabi's face fell a little. "A note? Oh yeah, to let Hiro know you were here again. Yeah, that makes sense." Tadashi was puzzled at the sudden change in his friend's mood, but before he could make sense of it, Wasabi was already waving goodbye and leaving to pack up his things. Tadashi debated about following him for a moment, but then decided he could always look into it later.

"Ow," he said absently as he headed over to Hiro's desk, searching for a pen and the ever-present pad of sticky notes. He quickly scribbled a note over the sound of Baymax booting up, apologizing to Hiro for once again possessing him without warning, and telling him he was so proud of his little brother for starting at SFIT after all. He was just writing a postscript warning Hiro not to mess up his old lab too badly, when Baymax waddled over.

"Hello, I am Baymax," the robot greeted with his usual hand wave. "Your personal healthcare companion. Hello Tadashi."

"Hey Baymax," Tadashi grinned up at his robot, leaving the sticky note in the middle of Hiro's things. "How're you doing?"

Baymax blinked at him in a way Tadashi was pretty sure meant he was smiling. "I am functioning quite well. The newest upgrades Hiro developed based on your old notes and your input have been very helpful in making me a better healthcare companion. My supernatural energy sensors have been properly calibrated and I can now accompany Hiro on his travels into the paranormal sides of the city without danger of running over others I cannot detect."

"That's good! I'm happy to hear that, bud," Tadashi smiled up at Baymax. He was very proud of his creation, even if Baymax was being put to use in ways he had never intended. The nurse robot was still helping a lot of people, and really, that's all Tadashi had wanted. No matter the method. He reached up and patted Baymax's chest. "You're doing a great job."

"...Yes, I suppose I am improving." Baymax agreed, but there was a pause, a hesitation that Tadashi almost didn't think was possible. The robot looked down for a moment, almost as if he was uncertain, before looking back up at Tadashi. "Are you leaving soon?"

"Yeah," Tadashi admitted, though he was starting to think he shouldn't. Everyone had been acting strangely today, and he was pretty sure he couldn't blame it on first day of school nerves. "I was going to let Hiro go so he can go home and tell Aunt Cass about his first day. Why?"

Baymax was silent for a moment, as if trying to gather his thoughts. The pause only made Tadashi more worried. What was going on?

"It is just that...Hiro has been suffering from a decreased mood after your visits. His neurotransmitters are usually low for a full day after."

Tadashi stared at the robot in alarm. "I'm messing with his neurotransmitters now? I thought I only affected his electrolytes! And that wasn't even an issue anymore!"

"I do not believe it is you possessing him that causes the problem," Baymax quickly reassured him in his usual soothing tones. Tadashi was less than calmed though. "I believe it is that he...misses you."

That threw Tadashi off. "What? But I'm here all the time! And even when I leave, I always make sure to come back before midnight. And I visit the others as much as I can, and…"

Baymax hesitated again, unsure if he should say anything more. But then he decided that helping his patient was the highest priority, even if that meant saying something he wasn't sure he should. Hiro had never told him not to tell anyone, after all. Besides, he honestly thought telling Tadashi would be better in the long run, his information cascades running through all possible scenarios and finding this one had the best possible outcome.

"That is just it," Baymax explained gently. "Hiro has expressed to me in private that he is experiencing jealousy towards the others. While he is always aware of your presence when you are nearby, he cannot speak to you or interact with you as the others do, as his body is the only one you can possess. I suspect the others have recognized this issue on their own, as they are usually present to distract Hiro whenever he is experiencing low mood."

Tadashi jerked as if he'd been slapped, the truth behind Baymax's simple explanation leaving him stunned. He'd never thought about it like that. He hadn't even realized. He could hear and see Hiro whenever he wanted, even if Hiro couldn't respond to him, and so it hadn't affected him as much as his little brother. But now that Baymax brought it to his attention, he realized he'd noticed Hiro always looking a bit down after he'd been possessed. Tadashi had just chalked it up to being tired from the experience, since Hiro still occasionally took a while to wake up after Tadashi left. He cursed himself in his head. Once again he was failing Hiro.

He looked back up at Baymax with a serious expression. "Thank you for telling me this, Baymax." The robot nodded back. "I honestly didn't notice until now, but I think you're right."

Then Tadashi let out a soft sigh, frustrated. "I'm not sure what to do about this, but at least now I know. I'll...have to look into it," he decided after a moment. "See if I can think of something. Maybe Mochi has some ideas. Or Mrs Matsuda."

He muttered to himself for a few seconds, trying to think of where he could go for answers. But then there was a sharp tap of knuckles against the lab door, jolting him out of his thoughts and making him jump a little in surprise.

"Yo, little man!" Fred called out through the door. "You almost ready to go?"

"Almost!" Tadashi called back. He waited until Fred's shadow moved away before he turned back to Baymax. "Keep an eye on him for me?" he requested.

Baymax smile-blinked at him again, and nodded. "Always," the puffy robot promised.

Then, after a quick hug, Tadashi left, slipping out of Hiro's body, and phasing away through the wall, off to try to find a solution to this new problem. Hiro was left behind, a bit dizzy but awake, rubbing at his face. He let out a low groan as he tried to wake up his mind again, his hands rising up, until they brushed against the brim of the hat on his head. He froze, fingers tracing the worn stitches, before he gently pulled the cap off, bringing it down to cradle it in his hands.

"So Tadashi came by again?" he asked Baymax, staring at the hat with a blank expression.

"Yes," the robot confirmed. "He has left you another note."

Hiro didn't respond to that. Nor did he move for a moment, too busy staring down at the hat in his hands, his fingers running over the design on the front like a priest running his hands over prayer beads. Then, in a sudden burst of movement, Hiro pushed past Baymax, heading for the shrine and the hook on the wall. He hung the hat up again with a borderline angry motion, but then immediately took the time to straighten it again almost apologetically. Then he walked out of the lab, scooping up Tadashi's note as he passed and shoving it into his hoodie pocket to read later.

"Come on, Baymax," he called for his robotic friend. "Aunt Cass is making chicken wings."

"Wiiings!" Baymax cheered happily, following after Hiro at his usual pace. Hiro waited for him to pass through the doorway before reaching out and flicking off the light to his new lab space. He shut the door behind them and locked it, not looking back, a melancholy expression on his face.

Hiro crawled up into his bedroom, dragging his feet up the stairs, with a happy smile on his face and a full belly. Aunt Cass had outdone herself with dinner, complimenting Hiro's favourite chicken wings with her best takoyaki and a really tasty pasta salad. Honey Lemon had brought a few dishes of her own, and the group had ended up eating so much food they'd all needed to just sit for a while. They'd passed the time telling stories about their day, and taking turns giving Hiro advice about how to survive in college. By the time his friends had left, it was getting pretty late, and Aunt Cass had shooed him off to bed while she finished cleaning up. Hiro gave her a grateful hug before trudging up the stairs.

Baymax was waiting in his room when he arrived. The robot had spotted Mochi at one point during the evening, and had gone chasing after the cat with outstretched arms. Not wanting to say anything about the cat's true nature with Aunt Cass in the room, Hiro had simply watched the two wander off with a shake of his head. If Mochi wanted his personal walking cat bed slash petting companion for the evening, that was fine. Hiro was distracted by all the food and laughter anyways. Although he did find it a bit strange that Mochi had come back down the stairs about an hour later, looking smug, alone. He figured once Baymax had gotten tired of petting the nekomata he'd come back down and join them.

But here Baymax was, standing in the middle of Hiro's room like he was waiting for him to arrive. He blinked when Hiro reached the top of the stairs, waving a little.

"Hello, Hiro," Baymax greeted. "Have the others gone home?"

"Yeah, it's getting pretty late," Hiro told him, moving past towards his bed and the giant pile of clothes lying next to it. With a yawn and a scratch at his underarm, Hiro stripped down, tossing his clothes onto the pile, and quickly threw on his pjs. "I'm going to go brush my teeth, and get ready for bed myself. You want a game or something to keep you busy?"

"Actually, although brushing your teeth is important for preventing cavities and tooth decay, there is something I must show you first."

Hiro paused mid-step, halfway towards the bathroom. He looked back at Baymax in surprise and curiosity. "Show me?" he repeated, immediately turning back. While it could just be some health care video on some issue Baymax felt Hiro wasn't taking seriously enough, he usually didn't ask before playing them. Baymax had never asked to show him something before. He walked back over to the robot, looking up at him with a tilt of his head. "Show me what?"

Baymax didn't respond. Instead, his chest screen suddenly lit up, starting a video. Hiro was annoyed for a split second, thinking he'd been tricked into watching a health video after all, but then he recognized his room. The video was focused on Tadashi's side, the still-made bed the centerpoint. The lighting was strange, it looked like it was just as late as it was now, but there was a strange blue-gold glow over everything.

"Did...did Tadashi make another video?" Hiro asked, even though there was no one on screen. And he definitely didn't remember the blackout when this would have been filmed. But Baymax didn't answer, standing as still as a statue, so Hiro focused back on the video, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

He'd been watching for almost a minute with nothing happening, and was just starting to suspect that maybe Baymax and the video had frozen, when he thought he saw a flicker of something. He squinted, leaning closer to the screen. What was…

"Hiro?" a voice called out to him. Hiro froze in shock and disbelief. Although the voice had definitely come from Baymax, from the same vicinity the robot's usual voice came from, it had sounded nothing like the smooth robotic tones Baymax usually used. In fact, it sounded exactly like…

"Tadashi?" Hiro choked out. There was no way. It had to be some kind of trick. Maybe Tadashi had programmed his own voice into Baymax as an alternative to the soothing robotic tones he usually used. Maybe it was a recording. That had to be it.

"Baymax, what's going on?" Hiro asked, his voice shaking. His eyes seemed to be permanently glued to the screen on the robot's chest, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for whatever he'd seen to come back. Waiting for some kind of answers.

He didn't have to wait long though. As he watched, the video flickered a bit, like a TV getting interference, and then just as quickly it snapped back to normal. Except the video had changed. Instead of a simple recording of Tadashi's side of the room, there was someone standing there now. Someone impossible. Hiro felt his breath catch in his throat.

Tadashi Hamada looked out from the screen on Baymax's chest, glancing around a bit with a worried expression. "Is it working now?" he asked the room at large. A finger came up and tapped at the screen, making a the sound of someone tapping on glass. "Baymax? Can he hear me and see me?"

Hiro, who had frozen at the first sight of his brother, suddenly let out the breath he'd been holding in a burst of breathless laughter, his hand running through his hair in disbelief. "Tadashi? he called again.

Tadashi's eyes immediately focused on him, and a wide smile broke out across his face. "Hey little bro," he said. "Long time, no see."

Hiro couldn't even respond, too busy holding back happy tears, his hands over his mouth. He shook his head in disbelief. Of course those would be the first words Tadashi would say to him since he'd died. Of course. Unbelievable.

To be honest, Tadashi wasn't exactly looking stable himself. Hiro could see twin trails of tears running down his face as well, glittering in the light of the three hitodama that were dancing happily above his head. The two brothers just stared at each other for a moment, completely overwhelmed at being able to see each other for the first time in months. When Tadashi let out a not-so-quiet sniffle, Hiro gave up on trying to hold his own tears in, and just let go, crying and laughing and smiling so wide his face hurt. He threw himself at Baymax's chest, wrapping his arms around the soft vinyl, and squeezing tightly. To his relief, Baymax's arms came up to hug him back, though Hiro wasn't sure if it was Baymax or Tadashi himself doing the actual hugging. It didn't matter. It still made him feel warmer inside than he had in a long time.

Eventually, once Hiro could bring himself to let go and the two of them could look at each other without setting off a fresh wave of crying, they managed to settle down, Hiro sitting on the bed and Baymax sitting on the floor. Hiro stared at his brother a moment, completely at a loss for what to say.

"Just...how?" he finally asked, running his fingers through his hair again.

"Honestly?" Tadashi laughed a bit ruefully, "A lot of trial and error. I was trying to think of some way to actually talk to you, bouncing ideas off of Mochi up here, when Baymax came up and I actually bounced off of him. He apologized, and started talking to me, and that's when I realized that with all of the ghost-proofing we've been doing on his circuits, he's kind of become a bit of a supernatural entity himself. And I mean, I put a lot of myself into him, whether I meant to or not, and you've been doing a lot of work on him, and we're both mediums, or at least I was and…" Tadashi trailed off a bit, realizing he was rambling. He rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head a little, suddenly a bit embarrassed. "Well, I figured it was worth a shot."

"And it worked," Hiro breathed happily, fighting the urge to reach out and hug the robot again. If he did, they'd probably be up all night trying to calm down again, and as much as he'd like to pretend otherwise, he still had class tomorrow.

"Yeah. It worked," Tadashi agreed. His expression softened, taking on a hint of sadness. "I'm sorry I didn't try this before now. It wasn't fair to you, always missing out."

Hiro quickly shook his head, too happy to think back on his earlier jealousy. "I'm just happy you're here now. How long can you stay?"

Tadashi glanced around the screen, almost like he was looking around inside Baymax's innards. "Well, I haven't noticed any issues yet with Baymax's circuits, but I probably shouldn't stay too long. If he's anything like you, I'm probably doing something to him."

Hiro suddenly snorted, hiding his giggle behind his fist. "I can't believe you turned your nursing robot into a medium."

"Hey!" Tadashi objected with a laugh, shaking his head. "You turned him into a battle bot first! And wow, yeah, I didn't even think of that."

"Imagine if we started mass producing him like this. We can advertise them as 'Baymax, your Personal Health Care Companion Slash Medium. Can patch up your paper cuts and tell you what Grandma thinks of your new haircut!' We'll be rich!" He fell back against the bed laughing at the thought, Tadashi laughing almost as hard.

"Could you imagine? Mochi would freak," Tadashi added, setting Hiro off again. The two laughed together like old times, like the nights past when they'd both been lying in bed in the darkness, whispering to each other across their shared room and trying not to wake Aunt Cass with their giggles. They didn't bother to hold it in now, though, too happy to care.

Eventually they did both calm down, though, Hiro lying on the bed and just breathing for a moment. There were still tears running down his face, but he was pretty sure if he said they were from laughing so hard, Tadashi would agree with him. He was an awesome brother like that. Hiro's eyes slipped closed for a moment, and he focused on his own breathing, feeling the rise and fall of his ribs.

"Hiro?" Tadashi eventually called out, breaking their tentative silence.

"I'm just sleepy," Hiro confessed, eyes still closed.

"Oh." And then, "Should I go then?"

Without opening his eyes, Hiro reached out and grabbed Baymax's hand, gripping it tight. "Stay?" he asked quietly. "Just until I fall asleep?"

Tadashi huffed softly, and Hiro could just picture him shaking his head. "Of course, little brother."

"Thanks, nii-san," Hiro murmured, already drifting off, a smile on his face.

Although he was almost completely asleep, Hiro still felt it when Baymax got up, his rubbery arms shifting Hiro around until he was lying the proper way on the bed and pulling up the blankets to tuck him in. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of a vinyl face pressed against his forehead in a mimic of a goodnight kiss, warmer than the material would normally be.

"Goodnight, Hiro. I love you."

Hiro dreamed that night of flying and ghost fire and a warm hand in his, a familiar smile guiding him as he walked into a brand new world beyond his own, and all of the wonders it contained. And when he woke the next morning, tired but happy, the feeling of a hand still in his grasp, he knew he couldn't wait for what was to come.

AN: alright so, I'm just going to copy and paste Cake's Author's Note from AO3 because it honestly says all that needs to be said:

"So for the record, the scene where Tadashi pops in for a visit was the actual initial idea for this fic. EVERYTHING ELSE came about as a set up for that moment, because Ikira doesn't understand the concepts of limits or self control. Ah well, worth it.

The last image was also the art that started it all, and provided a lot of the early inspiration. We figured it was fitting to include it in the epilogue.

(this art can be seen at machina-rex on tumblr /post/105575531372/quick-doodles-of-possessed-hiro-and-some-mochis)

Well, this is the end guys. Betwixt is over and finished...or is it? Well, we may add on an additional chapter later, which will include a glossary of all the supernatural creatures and characters that popped up, as well as a few more potential tidbits for anyone who's curious. But more importantly, we know we've left a few loose ends, which...may need to be addressed at a later date. And that's all we're going to say about that ;)

Finally, a HUGE thank you to everyone who read, left kudos, commented, and made art for this fic. You guys are amazing, every one of you, and we really appreciate your messages and the time you've taken to let us know you liked it. We read every comment and count every kudo, and it really helped keep us going. So once again THANK YOU ALL, YOU ROCK OUR SOCKS!

See y'all next time!"