Chapter Text
Wilbur found himself rolling on his side, moving away from his opponent as he tried to get his feet back underneath him. Before he could even properly balance himself, he was already on the backfoot, desperately trying to protect his face and chest from an unrelenting assault of punches and kicks. Just when he finally managed to duck a telegraphed punch, he thought about going on the counterattack.
He readied himself to swing back with a sharp uppercut into the ribs of his opponent, but as if on queue, he found his world tilting on an axis. His feet disappeared from underneath him yet again, and he slammed onto the floor, groaning as he lay there.
“Nice leg sweep Penny. You stopped his counter before he could even execute it.” Violet said, walking onto the mat where the two were sparring.
“Thanks Vi. I guess those martial arts lessons while I was still an actress are paying off in the long run.” Penny replied, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead.
“For only a week of training, you’re showing a lot of skill for not having practiced in years-”
“Oh yeah, don’t worry I’m alright too.” Wilbur said, propping himself up on his elbows, “Thanks for your concern.”
Violet rolled her eyes, walking over to Wilbur before kneeling down in front of him, “Hey, you let yourself get put on the defensive. If you were a bit more aggressive in your approach, you wouldn’t be on the ground.. Again.”
“Yeah yeah, it’s just a spar anyways. It’s not like I’m gonna be facing Penny during fights.”
“You’re right. You aren’t going to face Penny out there, genius.” Violet said, smacking Wilbur lightly on the forehead, “You’re going to be facing armed criminals. Likely hired guns, mercenaries and other lowly people that learned not to play fair out on the streets. They aren’t going to exercise caution when fighting you. They will take every and any opening possible to try and kill you because that’s their job.”
Violet turned over to look at Penny, “That goes for you too Penny. Just because you can beat Wilbur in a fight pretty easily, doesn’t mean the same will happen in a brawl with Tanaka’s men. You both need to learn not only how to fight, but how to play dirty in a fight. Nothing is off limits once bullets start flying and punches get thrown. Got it?”
“Got it.” Penny and Wilbur replied. Penny outstretched her hand to Wilbur, who took it as Penny helped pull Wilbur up onto his feet. Violet stood up once Wilbur was upright.
“Okay, we can call it there for today. In the meantime, Wilbur I need you to get the comms online for tonight's patrol. Penny, you help him where you can.”
“Alright, let’s get to it then.” Wilbur said, rolling his shoulders as they were tense and sore. His whole body was as a matter of fact.
This had been the routine for a week already. They were already into the middle of December, and outside a couple of small busts, they had mostly been focusing on training. Violet did all the field work, along with actively training Wilbur and Penny nearly every waking moment in their makeshift headquarters.
It was intense, as Violet ran a tight ship during their training. Penny and Wilbur were always on their heels, keeping up with the training regiment, whether that be in conditioning, combat scenarios, sparring, stealth training, the works. She knew what they were signing up for, and she wanted her friends to be as prepared as possible for anything. Because she knew all too well that she wouldn’t always be able to throw up a conveniently timed force field every second they were on a mission.
Penny found herself stopping by the Lucky Cat later that evening, since Wilbur mostly just gave her a rundown of how working comms actually works. He cut her loose after that since he normally handled Violet’s patrols solo anyways. So Penny decided to pay her local genius a visit, considering he was laid up now.
The bell to the cafe rang as she walked inside, immediately being greeted by Cass who was closing up shop for the night.
“Evening Cassie- I mean Cass. Sorry, it just feels weird saying it out loud the more I hear it.” Penny said, nervously gripping her arm.
“It’s fine dear, whatever you feel comfortable with. Now what brings you here this late?” Cass replied, leaning a broom against the counter.
“I came by to check on Hiro. See how he’s doing and maybe annoy him a bit.”
Cass chuckled lightly, “Oh he’s where he always is. The garage. I swear, that boy could be in a full body cast and still find a way to work on something in that mini lair of his.”
Penny sighed, clearing a couple strands of hair out of her face, “Of course he’s working. And somehow I’m still surprised by it.”
“He’s just like his brother. Always working on the next big breakthrough when he should be asleep. But what am I gonna do, he’s become so great at it that I can’t deny his calling.”
“Well maybe I can deny him that calling for at least a night. I’ll see if I can get him to sleep.” Penny said, already making her way towards the entrance leading to the actual Hamada household.
“Thank you dear, see you on Monday.” Cass called out, getting back to her closing duties.
Hiro was sitting in front of an active 3D printer, his busted leg propped up on another chair with some cushions. He was watching the printer do its work, a sizable object being formed. There was obvious wear and tear in his demeanor, but he knew that this had to be done as soon as possible.
Although, the tired nature of his body forced him to not hear the opening of the interior door of the garage.
“Hiro Hamada, why on earth are you still awake? You should be resting, not working on another invention.” Penny said, raising her voice an octave to announce her presence.
Hiro turned his head far enough to see her in his peripherals, “Oh, hey Penny. Sorry, I just- this needs to be finished.”
“Is it really that important that you aren’t upstairs resting like we agreed on?”
“Yes, it kinda is. It’s- you know what, just come see for yourself.”
Penny sighed, walking over to his side. Her eyes immediately locked onto the printer, its hulking size producing- whatever exactly it was printing.
“Okay, what exactly is that Hiro?”
“It’s Wilbur’s chestplate. I’ve been trying to get all the armor pieces for your guys suits done. Mainly so you can field test them and report anything I need to adjust.”
Penny’s face shifted, a hint of guilt forming inside her, “Oh.. I didn’t know that’s what you were working on. I just thought you were doing something else to just get out of resting.”
“I technically still am, but I just want everything ready for you guys. Can’t let my best friend and my girlfriend do my job without protection- Wait, you’re fine with me calling you my girlfriend now, right?”
Penny nodded, although the red in her cheeks made it seem otherwise, “Yeah, that is what we are after all. I mean- we don’t just say we love each other because we aren’t a couple now.”
“Yeah, true. I just- This is all new to me and well- I just wanna make sure we’re both on board with this stuff going forward.”
Penny shuffled over, moving behind the chair Hiro was sitting on. She draped her arms over his shoulders, bringing her chin to rest on his shoulder, “I like how considerate you are about all this. It just solidifies how much of a good person you are.”
Hiro sighed, leaning back into the chair as he felt her hair brush against his cheek, “Is this a ploy to get me to stop working for tonight and go rest?”
“Maybe. But since we’re here, I suppose we can hang around here for now.” She whispered, tracing her thumb along the design on Hiro’s t-shirt.
They stayed in the garage for a decent half hour, waiting for Wilbur’s chestplate to finish being constructed. As soon as it was done, Hiro powered off the printer, before propping himself up onto his crutches. Instead of leaving the garage however, they moved over to the couch, sitting down. Penny took the end against the armrest, while Hiro sat beside her, leaning against her in order to prop his leg up onto the couch.
Penny quickly pulled out her phone, tapping on the screen for a bit with one hand before turning it off and putting it on a table next to the couch.
“What was that?” Hiro asked, yawning as he did so.
“Just texting Violet that I’m here and not at the apartment.” She said, wrapping her arms under his arms and around his chest, pulling Hiro closer.
“You don’t have to-” He paused, yawning again, “stay here you know..”
She moved around slightly, finding a comfortable spot to sink into the couch, “I know. But I want to stay here. For tonight anyways.” She whispered back.
Hiro sighed contently, bringing his hands up to hers, resting them on top of her hands, “Alright then.. Goodnight Pen.” He muttered, leaning into her embrace further.
“Goodnight Hiro.” She whispered, resting her head against his as sleep quickly consumed them both.
Violet checked her phone, quickly reading through the message before turning it off. She set the phone down on a table, rolling her neck around as she walked over to sit down.
“Well, Penny is staying at Hiro’s place tonight. At least she texted me this time.”
“Is that so? Jeez, it’s been a week and they’re already at that stage.” Wilbur huffed, a grin forming on his face.
“Shut up Wilbur. They both almost lost each other in a fire. Let them have this.”
“I was just joking around Violet. Plus, it’s not like we didn’t almost lose our best friends in that fire either.”
“I know that Wilbur! Why do you think I was the first one there once the line went dead!?”
“I’m aware of that Violet. Why are you suddenly getting so pressed?”
“Because I’m scared Wilbur!” She shouted, slumping back into her seat, crossing her arms, “I’m scared, okay..”
Wilbur’s expression softened, “You’re scared?”
“Yes. I’m- I’m afraid that- that something might go wrong again. And if that happens, we might not get lucky this time..”
“Vi, you can’t think like that-”
“I can’t help it, Wilbur! Why do you think I’ve been pushing you guys so hard in training? I’m scared that I won’t be able to protect you out there and- I.. I don’t wanna lose you guys.. I don’t wanna lose you Wil..” She sputtered out, tears brimming in her eyes.
Wilbur walked over to Violet, stopping directly in front of her. He knelt down, pulling her out of the chair and into his arms. He could feel her weakly sobbing, each one vibrating through his body.
“That’s not gonna happen Vi, trust me. Like I’ve said before, we’re a team. We’re gonna find a way through this whole mess, and we’re gonna do it together.”
“I know, but- What if my training isn’t enough. I just-”
“It’ll be enough Vi. Maybe I need to push myself a bit more, but it’ll be enough. You’re not going to lose any of us. And especially not me. Otherwise who else will drive you insane by ten in the morning?” He whispered, adding a hint of his typical jokester behavior.
Violet scoffed, burying her face into his shoulder, “God you’re so dumb.” She muttered, laughter creeping through the light sobs.
Wilbur held her just a bit tighter, smiling through the pain that he felt as well, “Yeah, I am. But I also love you too much to see you like this.”
“Maybe some of that famous Robinson charm does exist after all.”
“Well how else did I get you to be my girlfriend?”
“By doing this. Being there for me when I need it the most.”
“Heh, I guess so.. Now come on, I’m kinda hungry for a late-nite bowl of ramen.”
Violet sighed, pulling back far enough for Wilbur to see her roll her eyes, “Honestly, you could eat a whole elephant and I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“I’m buying.” Wilbur said, grinning in an attempt to persuade her.
Violet smiled back, “Fine.”
It was already pushing mid December by the end of Penny and Wilbur’s second week of training, and it had gone far better than week one. Wilbur had found a sudden fire in his step that carried through everything he did. Suddenly Penny would find herself on the backfoot during sparring matches, and Wilbur quickly started learning everything he needed to know.
He even found a sudden composure in Violet’s “two minutes drills”, which basically consisted of making Penny and Wilbur run a quick, simulated extraction where they had to neutralize a “guard” which was just a test dummy, quickly jailbreak a console and extract data from said console before the timer expired. Wilbur excelled in the two minute drills mainly due to being second to none behind Hiro in terms of tech skills.
Penny didn’t fare bad at all, but her specialty was in the stealth parts of their training. Sometimes, it seemed as if she was floating because you would hardly hear even a single footstep from her during the stealth segments. Penny liked to joke that “simulating” sneaking around super villain lairs on the set of Bolt was the key to her success. And honestly, she actually had a point, because she had to make it believable back then, so she developed a feather-like touch on her feet, and a slight of hand that you couldn’t pick up even if you were inches away.
Violet was pleased with how quickly they were getting the hang of everything. If she believed in fate, which she mostly didn’t, she would’ve assumed that Penny and Wilbur were destined to always be superheroes. But of course, that wasn’t the case. It’s just a role that found its way to be bestowed on them. Just like it did with herself and Hiro when they were younger.
“Alright, I think that’s wraps for today guys. Very impressive progress from both of you this week.” Violet said, jumping down from a crate she was sitting on.
Wilbur rolled his shoulders, loosening the tense muscles, “I am totally and utterly spent. I’m gonna take a fat nap here in a minute.”
“Oh- Uh, sorry Wil but Hiro actually wants us over at his place. He has something to show you.” Penny jumped in, clearing loose strands of hair from her face.
“What is it? Some new robot that can make pancakes in a minute?” He said, snickering at his own joke.
“No, it’s something better- Well, maybe not better, but definitely helpful.”
“Come on, we’ll take my car.” Violet said, already fishing in her pockets for her keys.
The trio arrived outside the Lucky Cat not too long after, quickly scrambling into the alleyway and entering the garage from the actual garage door. Hiro looked up when he heard the garage door retract, a faint smile forming on his lips.
“Hey guys. About time you got here.”
“Alright Hiro, what exactly is it that you’ve got for us today? Penny here is making it out to be something pretty insane.”
“Trust me, it is. I just need you to open that container over there.” Hiro said, point over to a container with a tarp partially draped over it.
Wilbur raised an eyebrow, “What? Is this some insanely elaborate prank intended to be a rite of passage for joining your superhero escapades?”
“Just open the container dummy!” Violet mused, pushing Wilbur forward.
Wilbur rolled his eyes, walking over and undoing the latches on the container lid. He removed the lid and propped it on the side of the container, looking into said container finally.
“Woah..”
“Come on, show us what’s in there Wil!” Penny said, already having an idea of what was inside.
Wilbur reached into the container, pulling out a light blue chestplate with a yellow circle donning a dark blue thunderbolt as the crest.
“Like it?” Hiro asked, turning himself around in his chair with the use of one foot.
“Dude.. This- Is this- Where’d you even get the material for this?”
“I had some spare metal laying around from a Baymax suit I did a few years back. The shape of the chestplate I 3D printed, and then lined the inside parts with a lighter composite metal, the metal mostly being titanium.”
“Titanium? This feels super light..”
“That’s the composite part. I took some inspiration from Baymax’s internal skeleton which is carbon fiber, and found a way to engrain it with titanium. That way I found a way to maximize protection and mobility. I also fused some of the carbon fiber into the outer part of the chestplate to add some extra protection.”
“Genius move there Hamada.”
“Yep. Now put it on, along with the rest of it. I need field testing done as soon as possible.”
Wilbur quickly scrambled to put on the rest of the armor pieces, getting the chestplate on, along with the gauntlets and boots, all of which were light blue. Last but not least, he donned a yellow tinted visor with black earcovers that connected all the way around his head.
“Normally you’ll wear that with a nano undersuit I designed for when I use my suit. I made you one that is made of a more durable compound to prevent tears. In fact, it’s even bulletproof for rounds up to .38 special calibers.”
“That part was my doing. I happen to know someone that can get those materials rather easily.” Violet chimed in, looking Wilbur up and down.
“This is pretty amazing Hiro. You’ve outdone yourself.”
“Just wait till we’re ready to test out the abilities I packed into your armor. As for you Penny, Violet can fill you in on your suit.”
Penny turned to look at Violet, who just shrugged while smiling.
“It’s not gonna be as armor-like as Wilbur’s, but that’s because it’s made specifically to tailor to your strengths that I’ve seen in training.”
“As long as I have something. I have faith in Hiro’s design, and whoever your supplier for bulletproof material is.”
“Now spill the beans Hamada. What sick gadgets did you hook me up with? Some James Bond level stuff?!” Wilbur said, practically jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Day.
“Tomorrow. You’ll find out tomorrow when we test everything out at Fred’s place.”
“On another note, if your leg isn’t too much of a hassle, I’m really craving Noodle Burger right now guys.” Violet chimed in, getting a laugh out of Wilbur.
“You’re just as bad as me Vi!”
“Can in Wilbur. At least I don’t constantly say I’m hungry at least six times a day.”
The garage erupted into a chorus of laughter that seemed to linger for a minute after it subsided. After Wilbur got the armor off and they got Hiro on a pair of crutches, they left the garage just as quickly as they had entered. Nobody said it, but the realization that they were actually a team of superheroes in the making finally set in. Well- one super and three technologically gifted supers. But hey, it’s worked for Hiro this long, it’ll work for the others just as well.