Hero Conventions were noisy, cluttered events filled with merchandise and agency booths, with lots of opportunities in low staff jobs for those that needed employment. There topical panels and talks on various hero subjects and stage shows and advertising galore. The public loved getting up close and personal with top workers in the rescue profession and the reporters got hundreds of new interviews and scoops.
Elly, however, absolutely <i>hated</i> cons.
From her view, she had never been popular in the States, so it had seemed ridiculous to attend. In Japan, however, she was a favorite - and, unfortunately, she found this made things worse. The Insanity Hero was a target for nosy reporters and fans that went overboard in their appreciation, causing her to have to bite her tongue more than once. But that was expected of civilians and the press. What she wasn't ready for was the unwanted attention by her peers, namely, men that wanted to be seen with her to raise their status, among other unsavory things. She dodged and said "no" what felt like a hundred times, but one hero just wasn't having it. Every time she rejected him he came back stronger, more insistent.
Present Mic watched her carefully as she struggled to flee from the man, who was called Space Walker and wore a blue tracksuit and gloves. When she finally slipped off again Hizashi stormed over to the man, furious.
"Back. <i>Off</i>," he snarled, his eyebrows drawing his forehead up. He punctuated each word with a hard tap to the other man's chest. "I see what yer doin' and it's obvious she's not into you."
"Hey, Present Mic, right?" The other man laughed heartily as if they were sharing some sort of joke. "You're hilarious! I'll take my own chances, thanks." He eyed the Voice Hero up and down, gauging his strength and appearance.
Hizashi knew what most people thought about him. His black leather outfit and height made him appear more slender than he actually was. He set his jaw as the other man dismissed him all at once, turning away to stride off into the crowd. <i>That rat bastard</i>!
Of course he found her again almost immediately.
Hizashi crossed his arms as he stared at the pair. Elly was leaning away but he was not taking her body language as a hint. His pout grew as the outsider sidled closer and closer and he started tapping his foot, snorting angrily.
<i>I'm gonna hafta DJ Punch this bitch,</i> he thought angrily.
"Excuse me, Mic?"
"What!" He jumped, startled. "What, uh, what's up?"
"Everything's fine," the small woman in front of him shook her head. "We need you for an interview, that's all."
"Oh. Okay."
He barely heard the questions as the diminutive lady asked them. Elly's situation was escalating rapidly, and he was growing more concerned.
"You can't pass up a chance to go out, Cheshire," her aggressor said firmly. "So come on."
"No." She denied him simply and firmly, staring him right in the eyes while she spoke. After a brief moment, she turned to walk off again but he grabbed her arm, causing her to stumble and fall, twisting her ankle as she did. Elly's tail spiked up and she hissed, though not loud enough to frighten the civilians all around them, some of which were children.
"Now you're just being stubborn."
When he tried to pick her up she laid her ears back and bared her fangs at him. "<i>No</i>," she repeated. "Do <i>not</i> touch me."
Hizashi saw her arm get snatched out of the corner of his eye as he was talking to the reporter. His face went flat in a dead rage, the thin circles in his eyes blurring. "Excuse me," he said between clenched teeth. "I see a friend of mine that needs my assistance."
He rushed over in several long strides and tapped Walker on the shoulder. The man still had his hands on her and Hizashi caught his shoulder, spinning him around.
"Wh - you again?" He snorted with derision. "Look, buddy - "
"I told you to leave the lady <i>alone</i>," Hizashi snarled before he pulled back and decked him solidly on the side of his face.
Or so he <i>thought</i> he said.
Elly heard differently, and upon watching the recordings on YouTube and various other media outlets later, Hizashi was shocked to hear what he'd actually said.
"I told you to leave my baby <i>alone</i>!"
She blushed, but the Voice Hero was on her so quickly she didn't have time to reflect on his slip of tongue.
"Ches?" He offered her his arm to help her up. Reporters were rushing directly over in droves and the clicks and whirrs of cell phone cameras surrounded them. Elly pulled herself up but wobbled unsteadily when she tried to put weight on the ankle. Hizashi quickly grasped her around the waist without thinking, and a collective gasp rippled through the crowd when she fell easily into his arms. He popped the catch on his neck speaker, slipped it off and into his left hand while he picked her up with his right. "You okay?"
She sighed. "I've been better," she muttered truthfully.
"We need to get that looked at if you can't stand. It could be broken." He looked up into a sea of video cameras and shutters all shining in his face. "Uh... uh oh."
"<i>Excuse me, excuse me - what happened just now</i>?"
"<i>Are these men fighting over you</i>?"
"<i>Mic!</i>"
"<i>Are you okay, Space Walker</i>?"
"<i>Mic! Cheshire! Are you two a couple</i>!?"
"Back off, bad news media," Hizashi grumbled under his breath. Then, louder, "She's hurt, yeah? Lemme through already!" He shoved through the gaggle of press and sought out the medical booth.
Luckily it turned out to be a bad sprain, nothing too serious. All she needed to do was stay off it for the rest of the day. Elly was given a small ice wrap on the swollen appendage and Hizashi carried her directly out of the convention center into the parking lot.
"Are you planning on lugging me all the way home?"
"Yer not walkin' on that as long as I'm with you." He shifted her on his free arm and she laughed, tightening her hold around his neck. "I'll drive us back."
"You know I could have handled him, right?"
Hizashi bit his lip and nodded. "Uh huh."
"All right. That said, I'm glad Present Mic was my hero tonight." She lifted her head and nuzzled him on the underside of his chin, all she could reach in her position. "Thank you."
His heart thumped heavily in his chest and he started to sweat nervously. "I - I, uh..."
She laughed gently at his sudden awkwardness. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
This time he spoke without thinking. "I wish!"
Elly tugged on his long leather collar. "You don't have to wish... Hizashi."
He looked down the blush burning across the bridge of his nose to find her looking at him with starry eyes. "No <i>way</i>," he breathed.
"Yes way," she answered back immediately with a shy smile. "Kiss me?"
There was nothing he could say to that, so he didn't.
He answered with his lips in a different way, instead.
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