A/N: Man, it's been so long! I am so sorry! ...but, quite honestly, I am still, at this moment, at war with myself as to whether I like this chapter or not...

ALSO. If you are wondering about the timeline I have for this story or if you would like a sneak-peek at chapters before they are posted here, check out my blog! Link and information are on my profile!

Also, I had someone inquire as to whether or not I am shipping Hiro and GoGo. The answer is NO. Not because I dislike the pairing, but because I just had no intention of it from the start. If it seems like GoGo gets a lot of dialogue, that's because she does because, let's face it, if something needs said bluntly then she's going to be the one to say it, lol.

One last 'also': If you can name where I get my chapter 'titles,' kudos to you. But I am curious if anyone knows?

Thoughts are in italics.

WARNINGS: None.

I'm Caught In Place

"Useless. Empty. Brain."

GoGo lifted an eyebrow as each word was punctuated with the banging of a head against the table causing everyone else's notes and text books to shift ever-so slightly. "Alright. What's wrong now, genius? Don't tell me your brain is overloaded already or finals week really will kill you."

"Only if midterms don't first," he muttered. "I can't concentrate…"

"Something else on your mind?" Wasabi asked. "Or just the general I'm-sick-of-studying-for-classes-I-don't-care-about feeling? That's usually what does me in; I'm pretty sure I couldn't care less about Hitler's reform right now."

"History is very important, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, Honey Lemon. I'd just much rather be studying other things that interest me more. If I was interested in history, I would be at SFU with Fred studying history. But I'm not. I'd much rather be studying for things that actually apply to science, and Hitler's reform just doesn't fit the bill."

Hiro groaned, sitting back up and resting his cheek against his hand, his face squishing up in an unattractive fashion. "Maybe we should take a break…"

"We've only been studying for, like, twenty minutes. It's going to be a long week if you can't keep your focus any better than this," GoGo sighed.

Hiro let his head fall back to the table with a sound thump. "I'm only fifteen; I shouldn't have to worry about it…"

"You're also a college student. Woman up."

"Maybe I shouldn't be then."

A solid ten seconds of silence hovered over the four college students before GoGo finally found her voice. "Alright. What's this really about, Hiro? Obviously your mood has absolutely nothing to do with midterms, so spill."

Without moving, Hiro reluctantly answered. "I need to declare a sound major as soon as possible so I can get my class schedule for the fall term figured out."

"So what's the problem?"

"Obviously that I don't know what to declare."

"No offense," Honey responded, "but I thought it was kind of obvious that you'd go for an Engineering and Applied Science field."

He gave a small huff. "Yeah, but what specifically? It's a little more complicated than that. They want a specific field." He groaned. "I can't even drive without an adult yet, and they already want me to decide what I'm going to do with the rest of my life."

"I still don't see the problem, Hiro. Just pick one. If you don't like it, you can always change it. Any classes you wouldn't end up needing would just fill in electives." GoGo snapped her gum. "Unless you completely change fields, but I don't really see that happening with you."

"So just close my eyes and point to one, huh?"

She shrugged. "Whatever will clear your head so you can focus on studying. If you don't pass this semester, then it won't really matter, will it?"

"GoGo is right, though, Hiro," Honey inserted. "You have plenty of time to figure it out, so don't try to rush it. When you get into the right program, you'll know it."

"Easy for you to say. You guys already have it all figured out."

"Hardly. Just because we have our majors figured out doesn't guarantee anything," Wasabi countered. "Just because I can make a field of laser-induced plasma doesn't mean that once I graduate I'll instantly have a job handed to me that requires working with laser-induced plasma. It's hard to say what any of us will be doing after we get done with school. I have absolutely nothing figured out, Hiro. Which is why I will continue to study things like Hitler's reform in the meantime."

"I don't follow your train of thought there, Wasabi. What does Hitler's reform have to do with figuring out a major?"

"I think he means that even though he loves his major, he may not end up ever doing anything with it in the end," Honey supplied. "Just because you have a degree in something doesn't mean you'll ever have a job in that field, and something you studied that you thought was pointless at the time might actually be of benefit. You'll get it figured out, Hiro; just give it time."

"And in the meantime, I have three midterms tomorrow, people," GoGo spoke, snapping her gum. "So let's say we get back to studying, huh?"

But what if I never figure it out?

Hiro rolled over and glared at the red numbers on his alarm clock. Way too early to get up, way too late to even attempt to get to sleep.

When had life seemed to become so pointless? He couldn't remember, but all of these sleepless nights as of late certainly hadn't been any help in figuring anything out. If anything, the extra time spent thinking had only made matters worse. He was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be better to give up on school. What he would do instead he still hadn't figured out, but then at least he wouldn't have to worry about what major to declare. Tomorrow was the last day of midterms, and he still hadn't decided. Then he had a week off for spring break, which he knew he would more-than-likely be spending either in the lab or suited up now that he had Baymax back. The week after that, registration for the fall term was due. And he still didn't know what he was supposed to do.

His adviser had told him to focus on his goals and choose the best major based on which would best help him achieve those goals. He tried, but all he really wanted to do was help people, like his brother had. What major did that fall under? Not really any one specifically. Why couldn't he just pick classes that interested him? Wouldn't that be more beneficial? After all, all he really wanted to do with the rest of this life was build things and fight crime with his team. And that didn't fall under any one major either.

All he really wanted to do was help people. And, quite frankly, he didn't think he would mind if that meant donning his super suit every day for the rest of his life. But superhero work wouldn't pay bills, and he couldn't live in his aunt's attic for the rest of his life. He needed a backup plan. Like Tony Stark. Tony Stark could afford to be a superhero on the side because he owned his own industrial company. Hiro sighed; he didn't know enough about business to own a company. Maybe that's what he should be doing instead then, but SFIT wasn't a business school and if he transferred he wouldn't have his scholarship anymore. If he didn't have a scholarship, that meant he had to come up with some other way to pay his tuition fees. Transferring was not an option; besides, he really wasn't interested in business in the first place.

He flopped over onto his back with a huff to stare at the ceiling. He was glad he had started leaving Baymax at the lab more and more often over night; otherwise, with all the upgrades he had made to the healthcare bot, Baymax surely would have activated by now to lecture him on the importance of getting a full eight hours of sleep every night, and that was the last thing he needed to hear right now.

Or maybe he wouldn't have minded so much. Maybe getting an earful from his brother's robot would be better than being left alone in the silence with only his darkening thoughts for company.

After all, he couldn't be a hero forever. Even if it were possible to keep the team together and have a way to support himself, he knew it couldn't last forever. One day he would wake up and be too old, not able to move or think like he can now, and that would be the end of it. Besides, real life isn't like in the movies; it could end much sooner for reasons other than old age. Permanent injuries or…death. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if either one happened to one of his friends. How long could they continue doing this, knowing full-well the risks that came with it? He wasn't sure he wanted to answer that question.

But where did that leave him then? Back at square one, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do with the rest of his life.

He turned his head to the side again, checking the time. There was still an hour before his alarm would go off. With yet another tired and irritated sigh, he rolled out of bed and sat down at his desk, clicking the lamp on and pulling over a binder that contained some of his notes from class lectures.

"If I'm going to be awake, I might as well at least try to do something productive," he mumbled around a yawn as he flipped open the notes.

"Hiro? Earth to Hiro!"

The youngest snapped to attention at the hand waving in front of his face. "Huh?"

Honey smiled sweetly at him. "Everything alright, Hiro? You were really lost there…"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he spoke lightly, a smile crossing his lips. "Just got a lot on my mind."

GoGo frowned at him, looking completely unconvinced. "You still haven't decided, have you?"

His smile slipped slightly. "And I've been taking the long way to some of my classes to avoid my adviser, yeah."

Wasabi let out a chuckle. "You really are just like your brother, you know that? Tadashi fretted over the same thing, and honestly I'm pretty sure he ended up deciding by drawing out of a hat." He shrugged. "Maybe you should do that; seemed to work out alright for him."

Hiro stood up abruptly, hands slamming down hard on the table. "I am not my brother, okay? Stop comparing me to him!"

The other three seated at the table stared at him in shock, Wasabi placing his fork back down on his plate, all of them trying to process Hiro's sudden change in mood. It had been quite some time since any of them had heard such venom in the youngest team member's voice, and they had only once before been the ones on the receiving end of his anger.

Wasabi cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Hiro, I apologize. I know you're stressed out right now, and I should have thought through my words before I said anything. I'm sorry."

"Whatever," he muttered, leaning down to grab his bag. "I have to get to class."

The remaining three didn't move until he was out of sight. GoGo was the one to finally break the silence with an irritated sigh. "Seriously, that boy… What is up with him lately? I get that he's stressed, but that was uncalled for. There was no reason for you to need to apologize, Wasabi."

"I know," he returned, "but I got the feeling that apologizing was about the only thing I could do that wouldn't set him off further. I think we should probably avoid even mentioning his brother for a while."

"Guys?" Honey cut in. "Does Hiro even have a class right now? I mean, it's not even 12:30 yet, and I thought his next class didn't start until two."

GoGo popped a piece of gum into her mouth. "Does it surprise you? He just wanted an excuse to get away from us."

"We've got to do something about this," Wasabi mused. "I know I said originally to leave him alone, but this is starting to get out of hand. We need to intervene before something serious happens."

"Well, we are on Spring Break starting today," Honey stated. "Maybe we can get something out of him over the next week when things aren't quite so hectic."

"Doubtful." GoGo pursed her lips slightly. "But I do agree we need to let him know he can't just snap at us like that and get away with it."

Hiro hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder into a more comfortable position and heaved a heavy sigh as he turned down the corridor towards his private lab. Exams and papers and small projects were done and turned in, and now he had an entire week to mess around with his main project and see if he could finally get it into a functional state. Thank goodness for professors who understand when things don't work as planned the first time, he thought as pushed on his lab door. He dropped his bag to the floor by the desk next to the door and turned around.

He frowned. "What are you guys doing in here?"

"The door was unlocked," Fred supplied unhelpfully.

"Uhm, okay? But that doesn't really answer my question."

"Hiro, we need to have a talk," Honey replied quietly.

"About what?" Honestly, he was starting to sweat. They never said that unless it was serious.

"I think you probably already know," Wasabi replied.

He swallowed hard, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier," he spoke quietly, voice shaking no matter how hard he willed it not to. "I had no right to snap like that."

"It's not just about that, little man," Wasabi continued, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, arms crossed in front of him. "I – we feel like there's something else going on here. We want to help you, but we can't do that when don't know what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong." And just like that, Hiro slid his perfect, practiced mask into place without even trying. Everything's wrong.

"You know we don't believe you when you say that, right?" GoGo raised an eyebrow at him. "We know you well enough to know when something is bothering you, and lying because you don't want to talk about it isn't helping anyone."

His body stiffened slightly. "I'm not lying." Don't believe me. "Besides," he plowed on, turning his gaze to GoGo, "you're the one who said you wouldn't push." Don't listen to me.

"You're right, I did," she stated simply. "And I meant it, but this is getting out of hand, Hiro. You're stressed from school, and we're all aware by now that the upcoming showcase is just making everything worse. You can't keep going like this, keeping everything bottled up until you explode. It's not healthy, and we aren't willing to just sit by and let it happen, either."

"Hiro, please," Honey begged. "We just want to help."

Silence, then –

"Get. Out."

"Hiro –."

"I said, get out," Hiro repeated, perfectly calm. "I need to get back to work, and you all sitting here, thinking that something is drastically wrong with me, isn't helping." Don't leave. Please.

Wasabi was the first to stand up. "Okay," he relented with a sigh. "But don't think we're done talking about this, because we're not."

Hiro stared straight ahead as they filed out behind him, the click of the door closing echoing much too loudly in the suddenly silent room. For what felt like an eternity, he didn't move, didn't blink, didn't even breathe. When he finally did break from his frozen position, he whirled around, grabbed his bag, and, after making sure he actually locked the door this time, made a b-line for the door that would lead out of the lab building.

He couldn't stand being there right now. He needed to get away, get his mind off of everything. As soon as he had stepped out of the robotics lab, he took off running. He knew just what he was going to do.

"We need to find a different approach to this," Wasabi stated, arms crossed over his chest.

"Ya think?" GoGo replied. "I told you ganging up on him was a bad idea."

"Well, one-on-one obviously didn't work very well either," Honey pointed out. "As much as I hate to say it, maybe we really better leave him alone and let him come to us if he wants to talk. Us trying to force conversation on him isn't getting anywhere, so that's really the only option we have left."

GoGo shook her head, snapping her gum. "I won't do it. I won't just let him wallow alone like that."

"Because making him angry is so much more helpful," Wasabi pointed out sarcastically.

"At least if we make him angry enough, eventually he'll just snap and tell us everything," Fred murmured. "I gotta admit, I'm on GoGo's side this time. Making him angry may not be the wisest course of action – and I don't think we should do it on purpose, by any means – but I can't just sit here and do nothing, either. To me, at least, it's kind of obvious that he's not going to come to us, so really, the only option we have left is to go to him."

"That…was strangely profound coming from you, Fred," Wasabi muttered.

The science enthusiast shrugged. "I have my moments." He paused. "And I just kind of feel like if Tadashi was here he would be hounding Hiro non-stop. And, since he's gone, I guess I just feel like we should step into that role. Not that we could ever replace him or anything, but…"

Wasabi sighed. "So… What's the plan then?"

The familiar sights and sounds and smells pressed in on all sides as he made his way through the crowd. Once upon a time all of this would have thrilled him, would have sent adrenaline coursing through his veins, would have let him forget himself and the world for a few blissful hours. He would have thrown caution to the wind, not caring about what could happen because surely it wouldn't. He would have come in making everyone believe he had never done this before – oh, how naïve they were! – and would have left strutting out like he owned the place when he was satisfied with the night's winnings.

That had been what he had planned to do again, but, just like everything else since the fire, it just wasn't the same as it used to be.

He leaned back against the cool brick of the building behind him, listening to the sounds floating out to him from the ring through the door a few feet away on his right. Glancing at his watch, he sighed at the late hour. He'd been roaming from bot fighting ring to bot fighting ring for the past three hours but had yet to actually join a fight himself. Every time he had plucked up the courage to do so, a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that if he pissed off his opponent his brother wouldn't be around to save him at the last moment this time. And every time he had backed away, pushed a path through the spectators, and left the building.

Hiro heaved an irritated sigh, pushing himself away from the wall. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just thrown caution to the wind and dive in head first like he used? …Of course, he already knew the answer to that. Tadashi's not here to save you anymore. But even if he was, he would be even more disappointed in you than he was the first time he caught you bot fighting. You're a college student now; you're supposed to be better than this.

He turned and started back towards the main road, his head bowed and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. Bot fighting wasn't the answer to his need for a distraction; it never had been, he realized, because no matter how much he wanted it, life could never go back to the way it had been before.

He would simply have to find something else to distract himself with now. Something else that would get his heart pounding and the adrenaline rushing. And, most importantly, something that would make him forget for a while, something that would take away the numb feeling that had somehow settled unbidden into his bones. He didn't know what that something was yet, but he wouldn't stop until he found it.