Aftermath (a BH6 crossover)

Chapter Fifty Eight: Established

"Dude!" Fred exclaimed as he leapt off his bed and rushed over to his friend. "I totally didn't mean to startle you. I just wasn't sure when you'd wake up and Hiro's already up and gone for the day, not that I didn't already talk to him because I did, but he's not there to ask anything else so I wasn't sure who else to talk to since the girls aren't up yet."

The struggling physics student held out a restraining hand as he continued to try and get his breathing under control, his face contorting with the effort. It took him another minute to get back to some semblance of normal, until what Fred had said caught up with him. "Hiro's gone?" His breath hitched in his chest again and he had to focus on that once more.

Still not sure what he could do to help his ailing friend, Fred simply hovered. "Well, yeah. I think he said something about having to go somewhere with that bodyguard of his. Tony's gone out too so I'm not sure if it's related or not."

Sometimes it was hard to make sense of everything Fred said and Wasabi wasn't sure if he meant Hiro and Samuel Jackson had gone off on their own, Tony following, if they'd all gone together, or each group had gone their separate ways. And he wasn't about to ask. "Why is he always running off?" he asked himself, mentally groaning since it was less painful. "Does Aunt Cass know?"

Fred shrugged. "No idea. But I was wondering if I could ask you some advice. I'm having a really hard time finding a moment alone with GoGo." He paused in what he said, remembering he hadn't exactly told the others of his plans just yet. "I mean... well, I was hoping I'd have the chance to talk to her in a less public way, if you know what I mean."

Wasabi stared at him, not sure where he was going with this. Then the gears in his brain began to engage and his eyes went wide. "Um... Fred... are you asking for advice on how to ask GoGo to marry you?"

Color flooded Fred's usually calm face like a geyser going off. He fiddled with his hands a bit as he looked down, not sure if this had been a good idea or not after all. "Well, yeah... I mean I've been trying to find a good time ever since we came down here but something always comes up."

Ever practical, Wasabi let out a sigh. "Sometimes there isn't a good time and you just have to take whatever opportunity you can," he advised. "And with our team always being caught in the middle of something, you just have to decide on a time and go for it."

Fred nodded as he digested what Wasabi had told him. "I suppose you're right." The color slowly faded from his cheeks as he mulled over what he'd just heard, comparing it to what Hiro had told him. A bit more romantic than perhaps anyone, minus Honey, he'd really hoped for one of those classic opportunities, but Wasabi was right. As a super hero, and a friend of someone who kept having all kinds of crazy things happen to him, there likely wasn't going to be an ideal time. "Guess you're right," he sighed. "I'm gonna have to think on that for a bit."

Before Wasabi could say anything else, Fred headed out of the room, looking more than a little thoughtful. And then realization hit Wasabi again. "Hey! What about Hiro?!" he called after him. When he got no response, he decided it was time to get up and go after the man for any answers he had.

....................................

Now that Tony had departed Lux, Loki felt no qualms in returning to his usual visage. "That was close," he understated; glad he'd been able to keep up the guise while the super hero was there. He turned to the others still in the penthouse, namely Dirk, Lucifer, Hiro, and Baymax. Maze, who had brought Tony up, had decided to go back down with him to make sure the man actually left the building.

"Before we go any further," Hiro spoke up, "I'd like Baymax to scan the building to make sure Tony didn't leave any part of JARVIS behind." It would be just like the man to try.