Chapter Seventy Seven: One Last Order of Business

She'd been right, Kally mused as she looked across the quad of the university campus. It was weird being back. She felt so different, like she'd lived a whole lifetime between leaving and coming back. And, in a way, she had. She wasn't sure how she'd relate to everyone else after this, especially those who didn't know.

"Welcome back, Miss Carmichael," Professor Othin greeting as he walked up to her, hands behind his back as usual. "It has been some time since I last saw you running around campus."

Kally began to at least try and explain things but he brushed her explanations aside with a wave of his hand. "I understand you were otherwise engaged in a worthy cause. I cannot fault you for that. In fact I have given you a passing grade in my class. "

Not sure how to take that, Kally could only shake her head. "I wasn't even there for all of it. And none of the other professors gave me a passing grade. They just gave me the option to retake the classes." She didn't want to think any kind of favoritism had come into play. After all, the professor had shown more interest in her than in any other student, not to mention her dreams of him while captured.

Othin chuckled. "Not all lessons are learned in the classroom," he reasoned. "And I believe you have learned a great deal during your absence. I could not, in good conscious, keep you from moving forward."

A blush crept up Kally's cheeks. "I have learned a lot," she admitted. "I'm more aware of my surroundings, like you said I should be. I've changed a lot, but can't help but wonder if that will make things harder for me in the long run."

"Perhaps they will," Othin replied, starting to walk, indicating for her to fall into step with him. "I know more of your recent struggles than most and I do not envy those who would try to bully you in the future. You have come a long way, and yet you still have a long way to go. Keep moving forward and you will get there."

Kally wasn't sure if he really meant he knew more than most about her recent ordeals but decided to take it at face value. "I think I'll just head home for the last week of the semester," she admitted. "It's not like I can take all the finals." She stopped to stare directly into his visible eye. "What will you do?"

Othin paused as well, staring intently back before looking away. "I believe I will retire. I have walked many paths in my lifetime, taking on many roles. I've made my mistakes, lost people I love. I think it is now finally time to go off on my own and reflect on my life."

"But where will you go?" Kally protested. Out of all of her teachers, Othin had been the most inclined to push her in just the right ways to make her grow. The idea that he would be leaving made her feel almost empty inside.

The professor now looked almost as if his thoughts had traveled elsewhere. "I was thinking perhaps Norway. I have a friend who is more than willing to help me get there. And perhaps, one day, I will see my family again. We shall see." He moved off without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Kally to wonder as two ravens flew overhead.

Several more days passed before Hiro was allowed to leave for real. They'd fitted him with a boot for his right leg, keeping his left in the full length brace. He could, with a little practice slowly make his way around with the use of a crutch. He definitely needed it to maintain any semblance of balance. Thankfully, his bones had healed enough the doctors didn't think putting weight on them would be a problem. And they'd finally taken away his arm brace, admonishing him to take it easy with things.

The night before they were scheduled to head back, Cass came to visit with him. She'd given him some space the last few days but thought it was high time she broached his secrecy. She'd hesitated earlier, not wanting to complicate his recovery. But now felt as good a time as any. He'd be relying on everyone for a good while yet and it would be easier to take care of this before they headed home.

Cass seated herself on her usual perch, having turned the chair to face Hiro's bed. He still wasn't allowed to spend the night outside of the medical suite. She'd had a lot of time to think things through, and while she was more okay with things than she had been, she wanted to hear his reasons for keeping silent. "I just want to understand what you were thinking," she confessed. "Why didn't you tell someone about Callaghan when you first learned about it? You could have been killed! Why didn't you come to me?" She completely ignored the fact that Baymax had at least hinted that they'd tried to tell the police.

Hiro hadn't been prepared for this confrontation, but he supposed it was inevitable. "I tried to tell the police, but they wouldn't believe me!" Hiro protested. "No one would believe me. And I didn't know how to talk to you about it because it hurt too much and I didn't want to hurt you more. I know you were putting on a brave face for my sake and I wasn't about to take that away from you."

His aunt let out a heavy sigh. While his heart was in the right place, his logic hadn't been. "I still wish you'd come to me. Maybe I could have done something. I could have at least supported you. You didn't have to go through it alone."

The teen shrugged. "I wasn't alone," he reminded. "I had the team. And sure we had a few screw ups, but we figured it out."

But Cass just shook her head, the frown still creasing her face. "I still wish you'd told me."

Hiro couldn't help but fidget a bit. She was right and he knew it. "Are you mad at me?" He looked up at her through his too long hair. He really should at least trim it.

Cass wrapped him up into a big hug, his earnest eyes reminding her so much of when he was little. "Oh no, sweetie," she assured. "I'm just mad you didn't let me know. All these people knew and here I was, sitting in the dark. I couldn't be more proud but I wish you'd trusted me enough to let me know what was going on. Maybe it would have made things easier. At least you wouldn't have had to tiptoe around me just to keep it a secret."

It was a more than valid point, Hiro had to concede ad she pulled back to look at him once more. "Krei knew because he was there on our first big mission," he admitted. "And the others found out because we ended up working with them. I just didn't want you to worry, which is why I didn't think about telling you. That and I thought you'd tell me I couldn't do it anymore."

The heavy sigh that escaped Cass's lips expressed more than words could as she slowly shook her head. "You're not giving me nearly enough credit on the understanding scale," she admonished. "After all, I always knew you and Tadashi would go on to do exceptional things. I admit my idea of what those things were has changed over the years, but I always knew you were destined for greatness. The others told me most of what's happened, though I'd like to eventually hear it from you."

Hiro had to chuckle at that. It hurt a bit, his abdominal muscles engaging in ways they weren't used to, especially after everything that had happened. He hadn't had a reason to laugh, and there were still the bruises to take into account. They'd heal in time. Part of him was a little surprise he could still laugh. "Yeah," he agreed almost bashfully. "So does this mean I can keep doing this? Being a super hero I mean."

His expression was so earnest and almost painfully hopeful that Cass couldn't help but cave in sooner than she'd anticipated as she brushed the hair out of his face. "Yes, you can still do your thing. But so help me, Hiro, if you get yourself killed doing this super hero stuff, you're grounded, you hear me?"

"Yes, Aunt Cass," Hiro replied, gulping just a bit until he realized the sternness of her tone was to hide the tears of pride she kept at bay. He reached over for another hug. "Love you, Aunt Cass."

Now that Hiro was more or less up and about, and getting ready to head home, Tony decided now was as good a time as any to pull Cass aside to have a little heart to heart. She still wanted to be by his side, but it wasn't like they were waiting to see if he'd wake up now. And, so far, the teen had handled things well, taking them in stride. Maybe he had too much to worry about to let things slip through the cracks just yet, but it would happen. The super hero knew from experience.

Cass couldn't help but feel a bit awkward with just Tony Stark in the room with her. He'd asked her to follow him to a small treatment room down the hall. And since she refused to sit on the examination table, he took the initiative so she could have the stool. With folded arms, she regarded him as coolly as possible, not at all sure why he'd wanted this audience in the first place.

Tony cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably. Strictly speaking, he was about to divulge a few things about himself that most people didn't know. He wasn't sure what she thought of him, outside of her disapproval of how things had been handled, and so wasn't sure how she'd react to what he had to tell her.

"I don't know what you have to say, but it'll probably be easier to just out with it," Cass said not unkindly. She was used to such behavior. Hiro exhibited it a lot. Part of her thought she now understood why, especially when he hedged about doing some kind of extracurricular activity. It was a good code for hero work and part of her wondered how he'd take her knowing about it from here on out, though she hoped he wouldn't have to use that code anymore and just let her know he had to go fight bad guys or something.

Tony let out his breath and nodded. "You're right. It's just this is kind of hard to admit." He scratched at one eyebrow. "I'm sure you remember the Battle for New York. Who doesn't?" He paused only long enough to confirm she knew what he was talking about. "What most people don't know is that afterward I had a severe case of PTSD."

Understanding filled Cass's eyes and she rearranged her hands in her lap. "I can see that happening," she agreed. Especially after hearing about everything her nephew's group had been through, knowing it was child's play in comparison to what the Avengers dealt with on a more global level.

He cleared his throat again. "I exhibited all of the classic symptoms. I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to eat. I didn't want to socialize. I had a few episodes of panic. All that aside, we already know Hiro's exhibited more than enough of these symptoms thanks to his experiences. And how he's got this kidnapping thing on top of it all. He's going to be one seriously messed up kid."

"Tadashi had some of that after his parents died," Cass admitted. "It was rough, but we got through it." She could only hope that things would be as easy to deal with as they had been back then. Of course things were nothing like back then. Hiro had, inadvertently, taken things to a universal level. Which meant that maybe Tony Stark didn't really understand the scope of what Hiro had been through after all.

Tony shook his head. "While I don't want to negate his experiences, I can't help but think things are going to be a lot more rough as far as Hiro is concerned. He might try to repress these recent events without even realizing it, which, unfortunately, can make things worse." He held a hand out before she could speak, realizing she was about to make a comment. "I'm not saying you should force him to talk. But give him permission to talk about all of it, the kidnapping, the hero work, everything, when he feels ready. It's one thing for you to hear about it from his friends. It's an entirely different matter to hear about it from his own mouth. They don't know what went on inside his head."

Cass paused and think about that and had to admit it was true. It put a lot more of his recent behavior into perspective. She'd thought it a part of his grieving but now knew better. "How long did it take you?"

Iron Man gave a half-hearted shrug. "I don't think I'm over it yet. Maybe I won't be for a long time. But you get better as time goes by. Each day becomes a little easier, so long as you don't give into the fear and the panic. It's probably a good thing he has that robotic companion of his."

Her eyes softened a bit at that. It was probably thanks to Baymax, and his friends, that Hiro had managed to keep things together as well as he had, keeping things from her on top of it all. "Baymax has been a lifeline to him," she agreed. "But even knowing he's there for Hiro, I know there will be times I'll have to deal with things in ways I'm not prepared to."

Tony couldn't argue with that. Even Pepper had gotten upset with him while he was trying to deal with the brunt of his own PTSD. "If you ever feel overwhelmed with trying to handle things, don't hesitate to give me a call," he offered as he got down from the examination bed to pull out a business card. "I've added my personal number on the back. I just want you to know you're not alone dealing with this kind of thing and I'll do whatever I can to help."

Cass took the card, noting his script on the back. He had a firm hand. And, considering all she'd heard about him, she couldn't help but feel a bit honored that he'd go that far as to offer her what support he could. "Thank you," she said as she pocketed the card.

Tony didn't wait long after that to make some kind of excuse about needing to go check in on Pepper, especially since he hadn't contacted her since the whole incident had started. Cass thought he seemed a bit anxious to leave the room but found she wasn't surprised. Well, if it came down to it, she supposed she would probably eventually ask for his help, but she'd do her best to try and handle it on her own until then.

The next day, all six Big Heroes, plus Aunt Cass, made their way from the airport. It had been a bit weird to fly in a private jet, but Fred made it feel more normal, stating he'd flown on one more times than he could count. And Wasabi was reassured his van would be returned to San Fransokyo via special delivery no more than a day or two later.

With Tony's help, they'd managed to take all of their equipment, experiments and all, back with them. The man had taken a moment to pull Hiro aside and ask him about becoming an Avenger. And, after a moment's thought, he turned the man down.

"No thanks," Hiro said earnestly. "I think we're doing just fine the way we are. I'm sure the rest of my team feels the same. But if you ever need our help again, don't hesitate to ask."

Tony couldn't help but give him a handshake out of respect. Though part of him had hoped Hiro would say yes, he wasn't entirely surprised. He'd also offered to help him upgrade his and his team's equipment, with the same response. Well, maybe he could pass on some suggestions through Fred. He was usually more than willing to share those kinds of things. He had no doubts he'd be hearing more of the Big Heroes and their exploits.

Honey Lemon pushed Hiro's wheelchair. He still wasn't used to using crutches and they wore him out a lot more than he let on. But they made it back through the airport and the limo Fred had called ahead for. Cass was more than a little impressed with this arrangement but didn't comment. Her nephew's friends seemed more than used to it.

One by one, Heathcliff dropped them off at their respective addresses, saving the café for last. With Fred's help, Hiro got out of the car. He felt a bit wistful that they'd never actually managed to retrieve his microbots, but at least he still head the transmitter. He could always rebuild them. And, with a little more help from both Fred and Cass, he managed to get inside while Heathcliff unloaded their luggage for them.

"Home sweet home," Cass sighed as they went in through the back door. The sounds of a busy café filled the air and she was tempted to go in and help but chose not to. They had to settle back in, after all. And, since they'd been gone for about a month, she felt more than certain the house part of the building could use a little love before she could feel satisfied about everything.

Baymax helped Hiro up the stairs to his room, Fred touting his luggage behind them. "Mr. Stark has referred you to one of the most prestigious doctors in the area," he reminded his young charge. "Your first appointment is scheduled in two days."

Hiro waved aside his banter, heading slowly to his bed, where he carefully sat down before lowering himself onto the mattress. "It's so good to be home," he sighed as he closed his eyes. The coming months would suck, but at least he was home.

Loki gazed out from the throne of Asgard. Fingers crossed, he hadn't caused any undo suspicions thanks to his absence. Heimdall had given him an interesting look when he'd come out of the Bifrost, but that was to be expected. He'd have that little hiccup taken care of before too long. For the moment, he was more than willing to kick back and let out a sigh of relief. Being altruistic was indeed draining.

There had been a few close calls back on Midgard. He'd run into Thor a time or two, thankfully in disguise. And, even more amazingly, Thor hadn't seemed to recognize him. It helped that his adoptive brother soon left the Tower after everything had been explained. Apparently he wanted to make up with Jane Foster over some nonsense.

Now, back in the guise of his adoptive father, he felt more than a little accomplished. He'd saved a half-Valkyrie from a terrible fate. Sure she might not ever think about him again, but at least they wouldn't be using her DNA for nefarious means. On top of which, he'd helped a teen genius escape a similar fate. All in all, it had been a good experience. There was only one last thing to deal with.

"Send for Scourge," Loki ordered one of his many minions. It was time to take care of one last order of business.