A Complicated Web

Chapter Nine:Just Blew It

Here is a bonus chapter for the holidays. Normal chapter posting rate will resume next week.

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Hiro felt a little overwhelmed as he tried to carry four bags of food. He just felt glad he'd discovered the sandwich shop close to the auditorium. That he he didn't have to go too far and risk getting lost again. It would be harder to find his way back than on previous occasions if he had. And with a handful of cash from his friends, he'd managed to purchase a decent lunch for all of them. But man did he wish he had something he could use to carry all of this stuff instead of hoping he didn't drop anything. At least he didn't have to bother with drinks. There were plenty being dispersed to the students at the showcase to keep them hydrated. There was no way he could have juggled the four sacks and a drink carton.

Okay, so maybe he should have asked one of his friends to go with him. His mistake. Those bags were getting heavy. The fact that he'd had to make their orders as specific as possible, especially Wasabi's, didn't help matters. Oh well. It was one way to work his muscles while on this trip. At least Fred didn't care of his sandwich did or didn't have pickles and onions on it, or radishes, for that matter.

Hiro took a moment to pause outside the auditorium. His arms were getting tired so he put the bags of food down on a convenient bench. He already felt ready to head back to Stark Tower and maybe take a nap. What harm would sitting down for a few minutes cause? It wasn't like they were expecting him back quite yet. And even if they were, chances were pretty good they'd lost track of just how long he'd been gone once they got going on putting their displays together.

Sleep had not been very forthcoming, even with Baymax playing the familiar sounds of home in the background. Still, he was tired and there wasn't any way to deny it. Maybe sitting down on the bench hadn't been that great of an idea. Hiro's eyes slid closed before he even realized what was happening. He had just entered a fantastic dream filled with swirling clouds and him flying on Baymax's back when someone called his name. His eyes flew open, heart pounding. He didn't recognize the voice right off the bat, or his surroundings for that matter.

Without thinking, Hiro thrust his hands out as if to ward off an imaginary foe. It took him all of three seconds to realize he'd made a horrible mistake as his eyes registered a very surprised teenage girl staring up at him from the ground. "Crap!" he uttered as he jumped to his feet to help her up. "I am so sorry!"

Kally couldn't help but stare up at him in shock. Here she'd just given up hope of running into this guy, only to find him dozing just outside the auditorium. And when she'd tried to gently wake him, he'd given some kind of strangled yell while pushing her to the ground like some kind of sleep-deprived ninja. It decidedly took her a moment to get her breath back, by which time Hiro seemed to have come back to reality, thrusting his hand towards her as a peace offering.

She couldn't help but look at his offered hand with a mix of surprise and confusion. His added inquiries about her current state also immediately went over her head as her mind tried to process what had just happened and how she'd been taken so off guard. It didn't happen often. She usually had some kind of inkling before anything went down.

Hiro reached out again as she stared at him like a fish out of water. He took her hesitant hand and gently helped her to her feet, looking more than a little embarrassed. "I'm really sorry," he apologized again. "I didn't mean to, you know, knock you over. It's just sometimes when I doze off I dream about things and well, I..." he rubbed at the back of his neck, looking a little more thoughtful now. "You know, I don't even know your name."

Kally looked into his brown eyes and saw heartfelt earnestness. She felt her own cheeks flame a bit, realizing he was still holding her hand. She quickly slipped her fingers from his, hiding her hand behind her back. "Kally," she responded as if on auto pilot, "Kally Carmichael."