The Fan Club

Elly was nervous as hell.

It was one thing being a fan of a hero. Being a hero yourself and having a huge crush on your colleague was awkward, but what made her situation more so was her crush was a celebrity hero. She slipped into the concert, able to blend in with the public with her striped, double-tipped tail wrapped tightly up and a bandana around her head to hide her ears. No one knew who she was, and she wanted it that way.

She had been secretly attending any gig or event Present Mic had been working for the past several months. She'd missed a few due to work, sure, and once had gotten sick and had to forfeit a night out at a local club, but she had gone every chance she got. Elly went not only to see him onstage, cranked up to his maximum capacity and heart-stoppingly adorable. No, she liked the music and the scene as much as he did. She wandered through the crowd and was wondering if she should get a drink as she passed through the stands along side when she heard a shriek.

Her head whipped about and she immediately noticed a small time villain trying to hold up the t-shirt stand. No one was around - the place had been filled over capacity and security was tight. She laid her ears back and got to work.

No one was hurt except the would-be thief, and even then not badly. It had been a fairly easy takedown. However, her simple shirt was covered in a nasty spray he had used, and her tail wrapping had been lost. She sighed, hiding temporarily behind the vendor from the crowd. She figured she was going to have to go home when the salesperson jumped to her side.

"You're here for the concert, right Cheshire?"

She nodded wearily and smiled wryly, staring down at her shirt. "This stuff has to be disposed of, though. Can't let it touch anyone by accident."

The vendor clicked the set of mandibles they had and shook their head. "Oh no. You pick out whatever shirt and a jacket, too, that you want. You saved my ass back there - and my stock!"

Elly's ears perked up and she thanked them profusely.

And so it was, a few minutes later, she was dressed in a fresh shirt and a spiffy new jacket, headed towards her seat again. Her tail and head wrap gone, she was forced to make her cat ears and tail disappear with her quirk. This wasn't as natural for her, since the long, striped appendage was still technically there and could be sat on, pulled or worse. She tried to curl it around herself but things did happen.

"Hey."

She blinked. In her path stood a diminutive teenager, bright blue eyes and wearing all Present Mic merchandise.

Oh no.

Like she was currently wearing.

"Hi," she said in an offhand manner. "Did you need something?"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "You a Mic fan?"

Elly raised an eyebrow and stared down at herself. She was sporting a black, fitted t-shirt with "#PYHUR" emblazoned on it in shiny gold. Her jacket was an expensive, liscensed replica of Mic's, the only one the vendor had for sale in fact. They had insisted she take it with their thanks.

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. You might even say his number one fan."

The girl squinted at her, mouth set in a thin line. She took in the quality of the jacket she was wearing and the shirt underneath. Evidently this convinced her, and she jerked her head.

"Come on."

"Um. Where are we going?"

The teen rolled her eyes, tossing her bleached hair back dramatically. "To our seats, duh. We got front row and one extra seat. But we're gonna quiz you for it."

Elly paused when she spotted the whole row was filled with obvious fans. They all wore Present Mic shirts, and most of them had long, blond hair - natural or otherwise.

"And you're going to quiz me." Her lips twitched. This couldn't get any more ridiculous.

Another fan puffed herself up. "We got an extra seat, and we think maybe if an older lady is here he might pay attention to us. But we're not letting just anyone in without checking to see if you're one of us!"

They randomly fired questions off at her and, shaking her head in disbelief, Elly easily answered them all. She kept her eyes open for a chance to find more concealing head wear, but it didn't look like it was going to happen. She knew she had to leave before the show started or there was a chance she'd be recognized again. Still, she couldn't resist tweaking the fans ever so slightly. They had caused a pang or two of jealousy in her as each proclaimed themselves to love him more.

"So, do you girls know what type of car he drives?"

They blinked at her.

"It's an antique. A Shelby 1967 GT-500 Ford mustang."

They frowned at her.

The stage lit up, though it was long before the show was to start. The row turned as one, holding their collective breath, and Elly winced.

Mic walked out on stage with a tiny microphone held between two fingers. He paused at the cheers and took a moment to look around, grinning.

The girls began screeching at the top of their lungs.

Since the stage lights weren't all on yet he could see the audience. He glanced down at the front row and his spiralled eyes went very wide. First he frowned a little, possibly thinking he was seeing things, and she sighed and gave up. Her ears and tail blinked back into sight.

"Ches? Ches baby!" Now his grin was ear-splitting, even for him. He dashed to the edge and held an arm out for her to climb up. Holding the mic by his side, he whispered to her lowly. "Hey, was there a call? Trouble?"

"No," she said truthfully.

Then he noticed what she was wearing, and the grin turned into a huge smirk. He slowly pulled the mic back to his lips and addressed the assemblage in a syrupy sweet tone.

"Hey hey everybody, looks like I got an extra special treat today." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her dangerously close. "My super special, number one listener came to see me."

Elly's throat closed up with shock and nervous excitement. His gloved hand was warm and strong, gripping her gently but firmly, as though he was afraid she would try to escape. The crowd whooped, the fans in the front row gaping now, a few recognizing her but unable to process what was happening.

"Everybody," he introduced her casually, "Cheshire. Ches ... everybody."

She nodded, still mute.

"Isn't that freakin' cute? She's speechless. Well, the band's gotta get ready an' stuff an' I think the Mic has been thoroughly checked..." He gave her a sly glance, "so we're gonna leave 'em to it, huh? Hang in there, it's almost time to rock!"

He turned to her, then, and, seeing the state she was in bent and picked her up in his arms. Elly hid her face, blushing wildly as the crowd exploded into catcalls and hoots. Mic, being the flashy performer he was, upped the ante by giving her a kiss on the back of her hands, causing her to drop them in shock. Elly's tail frizzed out and he chuckled wickedly, going in for her lips now that they were uncovered.

He was significantly more thorough on her mouth.