A Complicated Web

Chapter Eleven: Nothing's Happened

Hiro released his breath in one long exhalation through pursed lips. Okay, so maybe the evening hadn't quite gone as he'd expected. At least the guys had sent him back without them to catch up on some sleep. Apparently dozing off a few times during the evening's entertainment, post dessert, was enough to convince them their youngest member needed some down time. The others had opted to go finish prepping for the morning. It was sure to be busy, but at least the majority of participants seemed too loaded down with food to be much of a bother while they did their thing.

The teen fell back against the mattress, still fully clothed. He closed his eyes, images from that evening floating through his head. Why had he gone up to Tony during another lull and told him Kally liked the idea of Asian food? And why did he care so much about it? It didn't make sense.

The bed tilted as Baymax pressed against the edge, not enough to lift any part off the floor, but enough to bring Hiro back to the present. "Hey, buddy," he greeted the robot. Part of him wondered what the healthcare companion had done while they were gone but he chose not to ask.

"You seem to be preoccupied," Baymax observed. "Would you like to talk about it?" He blinked once or twice as Hiro stared up at him. How on earth did he manage to look so earnest when all he had was a set of eyes on his face? Better to not question it, Hiro decided.

Rolling to a sitting position, Hiro ran a hand through his hair. "It's just been a long day," he sighed. "And tomorrow is going to be a big one. I mean, probably not as big as when I give my presentation but it's still going to be something. I just don't know what to think about it all."

Baymax continued to watch his young charge, contemplating his emotional state. At the very least, he knew Hiro needed rest. But that didn't seem likely to happen any time soon, not if his emotional state didn't improve. "Did something happen?"

Hiro shook his head, not to deny anything but more because he didn't know what to say. "Not really," he finally answered. "I mean it wasn't anything big. The dinner was good, nothing too crazy. And Iron Man was pretty cool. He invited us to dinner tomorrow night, along with Kally."

The robot tilted his head to one side. "I do not know who this Kally is," he confessed. "Is she someone you met today?"

"More like yesterday," Hiro replied half-heartedly. "She's the one everyone keeps teasing me about liking. I mean, she's cute and all that but I really don't know what I think about her. And I kind of think I made a fool of myself dozing off a few times anyway. She probably thinks I'm a loser."

This was decidedly an interesting development, the robot thought. Hiro didn't often show interest in people outside of his typical group, let alone care what they thought about him. There were associations with professors and other classmates, but nothing like this. "Do your emotions confuse you?"

Hiro moved to change into his pajamas, his feet dragging. "I guess?" He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt, only to quickly pull on the pajama top. It left his hair looking more messed up than usual. "I don't know. I've just never felt like this before, not even when I was younger."

Baymax wisely chose not to mention any of his previous remarks from before the dinner. Apparently Hiro was having a hard time coming to terms with what he felt, which meant anything he said about the matter probably wouldn't help. Hiro liked to figure things out on his own. He was quite stubborn about it. And when he usually came face to face with a problem, he needed space to figure it out. "Do you wish to look for a new angle?"

The teen blinked at Baymax, realizing what he meant. He was tired, though, too tired for any of that. "Not tonight," he admitted. "I think I'm actually getting a headache from lack of sleep. I could probably sleep for a week with no problem."