No Touchy

Hizashi usually tied his hair back in some fashion when he went out. He even did this at home due to the sheer amount he had.

Tonight, however, was different.

He had left the massive tresses laying down about his shoulders and back. They glowed gold in the warm light of the bar where he was relaxing with a beer. People were milling about, chatting and laughing all around him. Comfortably clad in his soft khakis and red tank and black button down combo, he sat twirling his red beaded bracelet as he stared into the bubbles in his drink.

He had only been there a few minutes when he felt a hand on his head.

"Augh!" Wide-eyed, he turned his head sharply to see a woman, possibly in her early thirties, who stood close beside him with her hand outstretched. "I'm sorry, am I in the way or..?"

"Oh, no," she giggled loudly. "I was just admiring your hair. It's <i>gorgeous</i>."

He blinked, his mind struggling to process the fact that a complete stranger thought it was okay to do such a thing. She must have taken his shocked silence for consent, because she reached out and ran her hands through his hair again. "Wow. It's so shiny..."

Hizashi grimaced and moved his head away. "Please don't."

"It's a compliment," she sniffed.

"No." He turned away, but soon felt her touch again. "Look, lady, I'm <i>not fuckin' around</i>!"

"Well! You should be flattered to get this attention. I'm just admiring it."

He sighed and placed a hand over his face. "You can do that without touching."

"Really," she scoffed. "You could at least be nice about -"

She got no farther but suddenly flinched wildly back as her wrist was caught in a vice-like grip from out of nowhere. As she watched, her eyes huge in sudden fright, her hand was forcibly removed from the blond man's hair and returned to her side. She didn't fight it and felt no pain, but it had been a <i>very</i> firm grasp. She was also pushed out of the way as if someone had walked between them.

"What's happening?!"

"You're <i>leaving him alone</i> like he asked you to," a grim voice hissed inches away.

"But I didn't do anything!"

"I warned ya," Hizashi shrugged. "How would you feel if some lady started touching your boyfriend's hair?"

"B - boyfriend?"

There was a ripple in the air, and Cheshire slowly shimmered into visibility next to him. One of her arms was wrapped possesively around his waist as well as her double-tipped tail. Her ears were laid flat and her fangs bared.

Yet her eyes were the worst; all color had leeched from the pupils and they shone with a malevolent whiteness.

"You sexually harassed my boyfriend and continued to do it after he told you to stop."

"He didn't tell me he had a -"

"He didn't need to. No means no, stop means <i>stop</i>. That's fucking it. No. Stop. Complete sentence. And it's not a compliment just because he's a man and you're a woman, <i>it's still harassment</i>."

"S'okay now, babe," Hizashi murmured, squeezing her arm. She growled angrily despite his soothing voice and he raised his eyebrows at the touchy woman. "I'd suggest you apologize as sincerely as you can."

"I - I'm very sorry," she stammered. Had she known his girlfriend was the Insanity Hero she never would have approached him, let alone push farther. "I was a little, uh, drunk. I won't try anything like that ever again."

"Now would be a good time to leave," he said mildly. The woman hastily grabbed her purse and fled.

"Zashi..."

"<i>Babe</i>," he warned gently.

The cat woman's eyes drained of that terrible glow and her pupils showed again at the sound of his voice. However, her lips pressed together in an angry thin line and she huffed out her nose. She was clearly still fuming.

"Shhh, baby. <i>No</i>." His hand stroked hers and he hummed under his breath, her favorite sound in the world that he reserved for special occasions. "It's all better. Sit with me."

Elly's tail thumped heavily on the ground but she let him guide her onto his knee.

"There you go." He smiled sweetly. "Let's just get our food an' go, huh? Then you can play with my hair all you want." He leaned towards her and added in a much lower tone, "Or, yanno, I could play with <i>you</i> with my hair down."

She gulped and nodded, blushing a little.

"That's my girl," he grinned.