The amount of awe that flooded him was almost overwhelming. Never in his life did he expect to meet someone like Hawkeye- an Avenger. They were, by far, the most well-known heroes on the planet. Hiro couldn't help but stare, eyes wide and full of wonder. True, Hawkeye wasn't the most interesting of the group, but Hiro's advanced mind wrapped around the capability of fighting off world destruction with a bow and arrow. If that wasn't super, then Hiro didn't know what was. He swallowed his words, trying not to embarrass himself by blurting out something stupid. The last thing he wanted to do was look stupid.

Hawkeye was staring at him and Hiro felt a swell of pride. He was young, barely seventeen and living the life of a wanted fugitive hiding out with another fugitive, though Scott was lucky enough to be pardoned. Hydra was still sniffing Hiro out, trying to find where he had gone. But, here he stood, staring at Hawkeye with a determined expression. He wasn't about to look anything but capable in front of one of the Avengers, especially Hawkeye.
"I'm here because we could use your help."
Hiro practically beamed at the statement, but Scott let out a long sigh.
"Help with what," he asked, ignoring the punch to his arm from Hiro.
"Trust me, I wasn't planning on coming out of retirement, either. But, Steve called, and you can't really say no to the guy. The issue right now is the Accords and Steve's actions. Stark doesn't agree, Cap's a wanted man- it all went to shit so fast. Not to mention we've got more assassins coming into the spotlight. Bucky was one thing, but having more than one soldier like him? That's a problem- a big problem. These guys are dangerous, and we need to stop 'em."

Hiro crossed his arms, listening as Clint explained the Accords and the events leading up to it. The news about Sokovia wasn't new to Hiro- he'd seen some of it live on television when Ultron was wreaking havoc. But, the reasoning for the Accords had Hiro's mind tangling in knots. Despite how much sense it made, it still made no sense. The mention of Bucky had him on edge, but he didn't want to ask any questions about him just yet. Thankfully, Scott spoke first.

"So, these Accords stop the Avengers from working," Scott asked, breaking Hiro's train of thought. Hiro wrinkled his nose slightly at the name, his brows scrunching together in the process.
"You know, for a self-proclaimed genius, Stark isn't very smart," Hiro said, huffing, "He's voting for the government to determine when the Avengers can help. That's putting people in danger in and of itself."
"That's what Steve thought," Clint replied, looking towards Hiro, "So, it put him and Tony at odds. I don't know if you know Tony very well, but when people disagree with him, he gets pretty bent outta shape."
"No kidding," Scott asked, looking to Hank for approval. Hiro rolled his eyes.
"I'm guessing this turned into a huge split of sides, huh?"
"It wasn't just the disagreement about the Accords. Steve, well, he made some decisions that clashed with the Accords once they went into effect. He doesn't think Bucky is doing anything the media accuses him of. Tony seems to think that Bucky is absolutely responsible. The argument grows from there."
"So, what, he started all of this fighting for the Accords and it got worse?"

Hiro chewed on the inside of his cheek, listening to Scott and Clint converse about the disagreement budding between Tony and Steve. This was much bigger than he had ever anticipated. Helping Scott with a few missions and city runs- sure. That was easy. Taking on members of the Avengers with nothing but his new suit and a hope that he knew how to truly handle himself? That was a completely different story. What Clint was asking of them was much more than what Hiro had ever done. He'd trained well enough, but he had never gone up against anyone like Tony Stark or a man who was apparently the King of Wakanda. The more Clint talked about the people on Tony's side, the more Hiro felt like staying at home with Hank. He didn't even know where Bucky was- Clint hadn't mentioned it.

"So, who's on our team then," Scott asked, sounding as nervous as Hiro felt.
"Wanda, Steve, Sam and myself. Sam brought you up and I decided to pick you up after I got Wanda. 'Course, I didn't expect Hiro to be in the same place."
"Me?"
"Well, Steve brought you up."
"Why...?"
"Bucky. The reason Steve is on the wanted list is because he's been keeping his friend from any type of custody. When they told me about you, they also mentioned a kid from San Fransokyo. Never been there myself. Kinda sucks I don't get to go. But, Bucky specifically mentioned him."

Hiro had a sudden burst of movement- a hand shoving Scott aside. "Bucky's safe? He's with Steve?"
"More like- well, sure." Clint shrugged. "As much as I'd love to tell you the whole story, it would be faster if we did it on the road." Scott shifted in his spot, looking towards Hank. The man seemed determined not to let him leave with the suit, knowing it could possibly cross paths with a Stark.
"Never trust a Stark, Scott. Never."
"We better get moving. We're on a tight schedule and we're delayed enough."
"Hiro."

Hiro turned, looking at Hank with a puzzled expression. He had his suit in his arms, stuffing the helmet under his arm and making sure he had every piece. Hank adjusted his glasses and sighed, walking forward. Suddenly, that sinking feeling of reluctance surfaced and he felt the desire to stay with Pym and his daughter. Saying goodbye to people was never easy for him and Hank was no different. He may have not been family, but he had taken care of him when he needed it- took him in and trained him; his suit existed because of Hank's resources and knowledge.
"Don't let Scott make too big of an idiot of himself," Hank said, scoffing. Hiro's shoulders felt heavy, but he returned the scoff with a lop-sided smile.
"I don't know, Mister Pym. Kinda hard with Scott. He's a natural born idiot."
A moment of silence between them. As Hank turned back towards Scott, Hiro reached out for his arm. He felt his words crowd his throat, clogging it and not letting a sound escape. Finally, he found the ability to speak easier and he swallowed down the jumble of words that had once risen.
"Thank you for everything, Hank. You have no idea what this suit means to me- what my time here means to me. I'll never forget it." He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Arigatou Gozaimasu." He bowed his head down in respect.
"Take care of yourself, Hiro."

"Hiro! Come on." Scott was waiting by the door, Clint already down the front steps. Hiro quickly strode across the hall and back into the brisk air. As he took a breath in, it felt colder in his lungs and he shivered harshly, clutching his suit tighter to his chest. He stared at Scott's back, heading towards the white van. Once he stepped inside, he knew it would be a drastic change to the life he was living. Clint was rounding the van, climbing into the driver seat. Scott climbed in first, immediately collapsing against a row of seats. The woman in the passenger seat glanced out of the window, ember eyes staring at Hiro. He stared back at her, swallowing down his nerves. He stepped into the van with another deep breath, setting his suit down on a seat he designated his. He grabbed the handle of the door and stared at the house, trying to memorize the smallest details. He always felt like he was running. Running from his past, constantly moving through life and never living like he'd promised. He slid the door shut, cutting off the scenery, staring at the dull black lining of the van's interior. He heard the engine revving and a sudden jolt reminded him that they were, indeed, moving quickly. This was it. The end of a peaceful stay and the beginning of something far more chaotic. He sat in his seat, fingers gripping tightly around his helmet, fingernails scraping at the metal.
"I hope you're all fine with flying."
"Flying? I thought we were driving," Scott commented, glancing beneath his draped arm at Clint's back. A set of sharp eyes stared at the two of them from the review mirror and Hiro felt a slight jolt in his stomach as they turned a corner and cruised downhill.
"We can't drive over the ocean, now can we?"

* * * * * * *

"The time difference here is gonna kill me."

Hiro glanced up from his seat in the van. The flight wasn't so bad, but that was mostly because Hiro had been distracted by the internal workings of the jet. He'd exclaimed, quite embarrassingly, how awesome Clint was and finally let loose, telling the man about his favorite stories of the Avengers and how honored he felt to be in a jet that was part of their special unit. It's like- before, I thought it was just a stupid dream. But, now I'm here and it's so... so awesome! Hiro internally groaned at his own stupidity. He must have looked like such a child in front of Clint and Wanda. Clint seemed amused at the time, humoring Hiro and showing him the controls. Maybe it was because he was a father and knew what curiosity resided in children. Wanda, however, smiled fondly at him as if he was reminding her of a distant memory. So far, however, she hadn't said a word to him. A child herself, Hiro thought she might have been shy- or socially awkward. Either way, Hiro felt he could relate.

He was in the middle of working on his helmet, ensuring it was connected to the systems on his suit. He installed, on request from Barton, a new communication line and struggled over a bumpy road to type in new programming and fight pattern recognitions to his visor. He was just about to finish when he felt a set of eyes staring at him. He glanced up and smiled nervously.
"Hey, Wanda. Is... something wrong?"
"Your mind is always busy," she said, her accented voice curious, yet serious, "Do you ever let it rest?"
"Heh, yeah. No such luck," Hiro replied, finishing his programming and saving it, "I'm always thinking. Always thinking about... you know. Just thinking."

There was something in Wanda's expression that Hiro couldn't quite read. Before he realized it, she was reaching out to grab onto his wrist. A sudden burst of electricity shot up his arm and he felt a strong pulse in his mind. Flashes of his life swiftly passed his wide eyes, muddled together with emotions that were both strong and overwhelming. Tadashi's smile, the washing machine turned flying rocket, meeting Baymax, wanting to go to college, creating the microbots, feeling pride and a swell of happiness. Flames erupted across his memory, consuming everything. Fear swarmed through his body, leaving it feeling like the static of a television.
'Tadashi, no!'
'Tadashi!'
'Baymax, destroy.'
'How could you do that? I almost had him.'
'Yes. No. I don't know- open your access.'
'Tadashi's GONE!'

Hiro let out a loud yelp, yanking himself away from Wanda with a fearful cry. He fell from his seat onto the floor, scrambling away from her and pressing against the van's wall. He was breathing heavy, chest rising and falling, heart slamming against his ribcage. His gaze was unfocused, not seeing the concerned look Wanda was giving him. Everything was slowly going dark, a tunnel forming in his eyes. He couldn't see anything out of his peripheral vision, his eyes only seeing his helmet. He couldn't catch his breath- all he could taste was smoke and ash, causing him to cough and seemingly choke. He reached out for his helmet, fumbling to grab it. There was fire everywhere, roaring and consuming everything. He could hear Tadashi calling for Callaghan, pained voice getting worse and worse.
"Tadashi," Hiro called, reaching out a hand for him.

The fire disappeared. Everything was gone. His vision suddenly cleared, and he felt a wave of air rush into his lungs. He gasped, taking gulps of air. Sweat was sliding down the back of his neck, his body shaking with fear he hadn't felt in a long time. He glanced up when a voice called his name. Scott was crouched down by the seat, reaching out for Hiro.
"Hey, kid. You okay?" Wanda lingered behind him, looking guilty. She looked away and then, after a moment, looked back at him.
"I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to dive that deep. I just wanted to see..."
Despite how angry he should have been, Hiro didn't snap at her. He lifted a hand and silently urged Scott to back off. He moved to sit up and grabbed the seat, hoisting himself up. He laid down across it, cheek pressed to the uncomfortable fabric. He clenched his fingers into a fist and turned, his back facing the rest of the van.
"Everything okay back there," he heard Barton ask. Scott replied with something, probably a joke, and sat back down. Wanda didn't say anything to him after that and he was grateful for it. He tightly shut his eyes and grit his teeth. He just wanted to sleep for the rest of the ride.

* * * * * * *

Scott was snoring. Hiro frowned and rolled onto his other side, tiredly looking across the interior of the van. His headache was gone, but there was a lingering pain in the back of his eyes. He rubbed them slowly and moved to sit up, his hair a complete mess. Hiro could see Clint's eyes in the review mirror, watching him. Wanda was quiet, staring out of the passenger window.
"Looks like you're up," Clint said, "There's a coffee and snacks back there for you. We made Scott save you one. We'll be there in about five minutes or so." Hiro hummed in thanks, but didn't move. He sat up, shoulders slouched. He hadn't thought so deeply about Tadashi's death in such a long time. He rubbed his eyes again and moved to stand, making his way to the coffee and pastries. He didn't eat, however, finding that the pastry reminded him of the Aunt he'd probably never see again. He sat in his seat once more, staring into his coffee cup, the steam twisting against the plastic rim.

He felt the van lurch and he nearly toppled over, his hands holding his coffee cup. He stared at the parking garage through the windshield, frowning. Clint had parked, and Hiro wasn't sure where exactly they were. He glanced at the band around his wrist, seeing different languages swirling around the screen. He set the coffee down and fidgeted in his seat. He watched Clint and Wanda get out, each greeting someone. He jumped as the van door suddenly slid open and muffled voices became clear.
"Had to put a little coffee in him, but he should be good."

Light flooded the van's interior and Scott suddenly jumped up. Sleep was still apparent on his face as he sat up, squinting. Hiro watched him move forward and saw Clint's arm reach in to tug him out.
"Man, what time zone is this?"
"Come on."
Silence. Hiro cringed at the silence.
"C-Captain America."
"Mister Lang."
"It's an honor." Silence. "I'm shaking your hand too long."
Hiro groaned and firmly buried his face in his hand. He shook his head, listening to their exchange.
"They tell you what we're up against?"
"Something about some... psycho assassins?"
"We're outside the law with this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man."
"Yeah, well... what else is new?"

Hiro finally moved to stand, inching his way towards the van door. He could hear the idly chatter between the team mates, the familiar air. He could see Wanda's side and part of Clint's back- he could see Scott's nervously fidgeting shoulder, moving in and out of view. He felt nervous, unsure if he wanted to step out of the van or sit back in his seat. His fingers curled around the edge of the door and he carefully leaned over. His head tipped, and he peeked out, large eyes staring at Steve Rogers. He immediately pulled himself back in, his adrenaline pumping. Steve Rogers- Captain America- was standing right outside of the van. He couldn't handle it. There was no way he'd compare to these people. He was just about to come up with an excuse when he remembered what his brother had always done. Take chances.

He took a deep breath and settled his nerves. He nodded his head and moved around the van door, stepping down from the vehicle. His determination wilted once he was in front of everyone, all eyes on him. Steve's abject surprise and concern was almost painful. Hiro lifted a hand, waving awkwardly in the air, a nervous smile on his face.
"H-Hey everybody. I'm Hiro... Hiro Hamada."