Showing posts with label elly x hizashi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elly x hizashi. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2018

King of my Heart - 4

"King of my Heart - 4"

orig. 11/29/2018
BNHA Elly (Cheshire) x Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic)
Inspired by "King of my Heart" by Taylor Swift 
Non-Canon based off manga/anime
PG

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Hizashi was early to pick Elly up for their date. He slouched against the hotel outside, sending a quick text message before heading in.

I'm here early! That ok?

He had barely waited for a few seconds before it chimed.

Great! I'm ready early, too lol

He slid his phone back into his pocket and, after a brief introduction at the counter, was walking down the first floor hall to 15b. He took a deep breath and then knocked. Elly opened it at once. He got the impression she had been standing close by and grinned. 

"You look great," he chirped happily, taking in her outfit at a glance so as not to stare too long. She wore jeans and a t-shirt again, nothing too formal. He pointed at the design on the shirt. "That's one of my favorite shows!"

"Mine, too!" Her ears flicked towards him as she closed the door. "Remember when they had the party for his sister and Jimmy had chicken pox -"

"But he went downstairs anyway and got em all sick and the kids thought they were turning into chickens!" Hizashi burst into laughter, pounding on the wall next to them until someone yelled angrily. "Whoops."

"It's okay," she chuckled. "We'd better leave before we upset any more people here, though." She grinned. "I'm feeling very vocal today." 

"Yeah, baby!" He waited this time until they had stepped out into the cool afternoon air. He swished his fist around, missing her head only because she was so much shorter than him. 

"You're super tall," she noted as they began to walk.

"Huh?" He blinked. "I guess?" He didn't pause his stride, but made a measuring gesture in the air against her. "I'd say that you're a pretty little thing, myself."

"Flatterer." 

"Is it flattering to be told you're short?" He laughed when she mock-swiped at him. "Hey - that's the cafe I told you about last night when I texted ya." He quickly leaped forward and held the door open for her. 

She smiled and walked inside, inhaling deeply with some pleasure. "It's a bakery!"

"Sort of, yeah!" He motioned to the counter. "It's got coffee and baked stuffs..." He suddenly squealed and she had to press her hand to her mouth to stifle a huge attack of the giggles as he plastered himself to the display case. "They've got those strawberry things! I love those!"

"Good god, you're cute," she said softly in english as he was ordering.

Hizashi turned to look back over his shoulder at her. "This cute guy is also getting you whatever you want." He winked at her when she blushed and pointed at a corner of the pile of freshly baked goodness. "I recommend that one, though."

They got their food and some coffee and sat in a seat by the window.

"I thought we could go see a movie," Hizashi said through a mouthful of pastry. He'd taken two bites before they had even sat down.

"Ooh, what's playing?"

"Ahhh..." He swallowed mightily and tapped on his phone. "Crap. I got some goop on it." She handed him a napkin and he grinned his thanks. "Here we go! There's a comedy adventure, some kind of romance movie, and..." He paused. "Uh, another romance? Geez." He scratched the side of his head, looking puzzled. "That's a lot of romance movies."

"How about the action one?" She sipped her coffee. "I love comedies, too."

"Sweet! I'll order the tickets online."

"So..." Elly peered at him over the rim of her cup. "Uh, here's something I wanted to ask you."

"Mmmn?" He had strawberry filling on his mustache. She struggled to hold back the hand that wanted to wipe it off.

"Um, you've got..."

"Oh yeah. The crumb catchers. Among other things." He swiped a hand at the Errol Flynn points, wriggling his upper lip comically. "Gone?"

"Yep." She was biting her lip to stop the even worse attack of the giggles that wanted to break free and finally just blurted out her question. "Um, what - what should I call you?" 

"Ohhhh. 'Cause it's different in America."

"Yeah. We use first names, but I know here it's considered very informal to do that, or, um." She flicked her ears coquettishly. "Very friendly."

"I like friendly." He boldly reached across the table and touched her hand. "I think I'd like to hear you say my name. If you don't mind me calling you Elly." His pronunciation of the L-sound in her name made her smile.

"I don't mind at all, Hizashi."

He made such a face that she couldn't hold it in this time and bent over the table laughing. "Oh, oh my god..."

"B - but that was so cuuuutee!" He drew the last word out so comically and with such a high pitch a few other people glanced their way. Elly laughed even harder. "Aww." He pouted, his lower lip jutting out.

"No, no, seriously. You're killing me." She reached out and tweaked his nose. "Beep."

His green eyes widened. "D'you just beep me?!"

"Yes! I thought it might distract you for a minute, there. Reprogram the nerves."

"Oh." He thought for a minute. "I guess it did." He checked his phone as it started to play what had been a popular 70's song as a ringtone. "Good thing too! Almost movie time!"

They cleaned up their mostly empty plates and cups. "Is it nearby?"

"Oh, yeah." He pointed down the street. "It's one of the reasons I suggested it. They put a lot of stuff close by in this district. The kids don't have access to cars usually, and a lot of us just don't use them."

"Like New York," she murmured.

They arrived at the movie theater and they got comfortably seated, settled in and chatting before the movie started. Once it began, he was thrilled to be in close quarters, in the dark, with her. The chairs were comfortable and he was acutely aware she was close by him. Hizashi peered at her through the darkness. She was relaxed and smiling, her ears twitching from the louder-than-usual noises the theater produced. He reached carefully out and curled his arm about her shoulders. She glanced at him, surprised. Just as he was about to apologize, however, she flashed him the biggest smile she had yet and curled cozily into the warm curve of his body. His face flushed with success, he squeezed her enthusiastically and felt more than heard her purring response.

They stayed that way the rest of the movie, through all the final credits until they were the last ones left in the now-lit theater. Hizashi sighed and removed his arm with much reluctance. "That was good."

"It was." The twinkle in her eyes suggested that she meant far more than the movie. He led the way out, standing close to her when a huge group of teenagers started staring at them. He hadn't thought they stood out that much, but there weren't too many Americans here, really. She was a bit of a novelty at the moment and they were looking a little too long for his liking. He wrapped an arm around her once more and she didn't hesitate this time, just reached up and touched his hand. He immediately forgot the kids and they left to begin the walk back. They talked some length about the movie and it was clear they both had really loved it, although they disagreed about which were the best parts and some other trivial things. He found that he really enjoyed being with her and the time flew even faster than it had before, so it seemed only a few minutes before they were back at the hotel. He fidgeted nervously as they got closer to her room, realizing this was the end of the date and he had a big choice to make.

"I hope you had a good uh, t- time," he stuttered anxiously. He was suddenly sweating.

"I had a great time," she said firmly, and he could see she really meant it. Her tail swished to one side, and slowly back. 

He had the sense that she was stalling, and that gave him courage. He placed an arm on the doorframe and leaned over, creating a little curl of privacy between them. When he was within an inch or less of her face he stopped, however. "No biting?"

"Not you," she breathed. "Unless, of course, it's a request." Her lips quirked in a smile.

Hizashi dropped his gaze to stare deeply into her eyes. "Naughty," he chided, wiggling a finger. "Just a smooch." He did just that, kissing her softly full on the mouth but not pressing further. 

They parted, both whispering "Wow," at approximately the same time. 

"G'night, baby," he managed to choke out through his excitement.

"Good night," she echoed dreamily back. He noticed her eyes were glazed over, almost starry. Had he caused that? Hizashi stood there for a moment even after the door had shut. A huge grin slowly crept across his features and he spun about, whipping an arm back in a fervent "yes!" gesture.

Monday, November 26, 2018

King of my Heart - 3

"King of my Heart - 3"

orig. 11/26/2018
BNHA Elly (Cheshire) x Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic)
Inspired by "King of my Heart" by Taylor Swift 
Non-Canon based off manga/anime
PG

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"What?"

"Is Mr. Aizawa okay?"

"Hey, she won - but what the hell happened?!"

The students crowding the sidelines were chattering away. Midnight prodded Aizawa's inert form and sighed again. She wasn't about to ask the blond-haired fool to bring his friend to the nurse. At the moment, the idiot looked like he didn't know which foot to stand on.

"I'll take him," Snipe said quietly. She jumped; she hadn't even noticed him there. But she nodded gratefully as the big man lumped Eraser over his shoulder and strode off. Mic stared after them for a moment and then also left, rounding the opposite corner as he stomped angrily off.

Elly groaned dismally. "What a mess." 

"Well, time for damage control." Midnight chuckled. "It's not so bad. Although, I must admit I'm surprised. I didn't know the scruffy guy had that in him!"

"Ugh." Elly's ears drooped even further. She could still feel his lips pressing so urgently to hers - and they had certainly not been the ones she had dreamed of the other night.

Cementoss motioned to them secretly and they sidled over. "I hate to tell you, but Jiro heard." He paused, since Elly didn't know their names yet. "The one with the ear jacks. Pale girl, red teardrop makeup."

"Oh, shit." She clapped a hand over her face. "She heard me say..?"

"Yes."

"Quickly, then." Midnight snapped her fingers and raised her voice. "All right, everyone! We're gonna have another general assembly for 1-A and 1-B. Now."

Elly controlled her emotions and walked as fast as she could back to the room they had spoken to the students in before. She was in front of the kids before all of them had piled in and saw every one of 1-A's shocked faces - Aizawa was their homeroom teacher, after all. It was difficult to wait until the entire group was settled, but when Snipe arrived with the news that their teacher was fine and would be with them shortly they calmed down a bit. 

The cat woman cleared her throat. "Okay, then. Let's start off simple. My quirk is invisibility - " she smiled faintly when the invisible girl she'd noticed before cheered and got loudly shushed by her friends. "And although it's rare, mine is different than most invisible quirks. I control what I want to be invisible. Myself, my clothes, other items or people."

The door slammed open and she jumped, her tail shooting straight up behind her and her ears flicking wildly. The other staff made room for the English teacher as Present Mic made his way to one side, his face like a thundercloud. Elly bit her lip, her pale features seeming to turn whiter as her cheeks burned. Yet she pulled her chin up with an effort and continued on. "It's not enough to turn invisible if you want to catch villains, though. I have a degree in psychology, enough to suggest certain things while engaging people." 

She held up a hand, flexing the paw pads on her glove. "These have claws, just like a real cat." Several sharp, thin metal pieces slid out. "They're coated in a hallucinogenic drug. Nothing poisonous, just enough to keep someone tractable. Also easily suggestible to anything I may have suggested earlier."

One of the students raised their hand and she nodded. "But you asked Mr. Aizawa if he was afraid of anything."

She glanced aside at Mic, but couldn't tell if he was watching with the reflective shades he wore. "Yes." Knowing her audience and their ages, she knew what they would be focused on, so she continued before the inevitable follow-up question was asked. "Some people are afraid of losing control of their emotions. Others..." She paused, then risked a very open look at the fuming Hizashi. "...might not want to hurt their friends with those feelings."

He started back a little, obviously taken aback. "Hallucinogen?"

"He was drugged, and he did something he isn't entirely responsible for."

"And something she isn't entirely responsible for," Midnight added, staring at the shaken Mic. 

There was a weary sigh then, and the click of a door shutting. Aizawa was back, looking more tired than usual. Mineta hooted raucously and he snapped his head to the side, hair rising and eyes glaring red. The small young man whimpered and sank down in his chair. 

"I think," Aizawa said in his usual deadpan voice, "I need to say a few things." He walked over to Elly and exhaled once more, rubbing at his eyes. "I acted in a very irrational manner. I apologize for the liberties I took."

"Liberties?" His friend choked on the plural of the word.

"Relax, Mic," Midnight hissed. 

Elly accepted his apology rather formally, and he spoke to some length to the classes gathered - with quite a lot of threats when they started teasing him again. It seemed such a long time, but eventually the kids and teachers went their separate ways as the final bell rang. Elly thanked every religious icon she could under her breath that the assembly had been the last event of the day. She slunk sadly into the lounge to get her things and froze when she saw Aizawa waiting for her.

He held up a hand. "Wait - I am sorry. I promise you I will never do anything like that again."

"I know." She grabbed her bag from a locker nearby. "It's just..."

"Mic has been my friend since high school."

Her ears perked. "Wh - what?"

"He likes you," Aizawa said firmly. "I've never seen him so besotted with anyone." He grimaced. "I'm ... attracted to you."

"I know. You know, you intrigue me, if I have to be honest."

He laughed dryly. "You two will be better together. He comes in to get his things almost like clockwork, a few minutes from now. Be here for that."

"But - but he's so angry and I - what do I say?"

"You'll know." He shrugged and walked out.

"Well, crap." She sat heavily in one of those plastic chairs they had pulled up to the table in the middle of the room. Her striped tail swished madly about, slapping the floor in a restless beat. 

Aizawa ran into his friend as he was striding down the hall. Hizashi pulled up and would have ducked into a nearby room but he stopped him. "Knock it off, Mic," he grunted. "I said I was sorry. You know I was drugged."

"Damn it, Sho!" He ripped his arm out of his friend's grip. "I know that. I didn't know you liked her, though."

"She's a cat," he said as if that explained everything. 

"Yeah ... but you've seen cat anthros before. What the hell, man? I - I really like her, too." He glanced off to the side, face burning at the admission.

"We can all see how much you like her."

"Whaaa?!"

"You're not good at hiding your emotions, remember? No, shut up for once." He dug around in his clothing and found his wallet. "Here -" Mic's hand was suddenly full of money. "Take her out someplace. On me. Just don't mention me. Don't let this ruin ...that." He pointed back, over his shoulder at the lounge where she waited.

"Shota?"

"You're gonna have to ask her out." Aizawa turned on his heel and walked off as fast as he could.

"Shota, wait!" Mic's voice was filled with panic. "What if she says no?"

"Not going to happen," he muttered under his breath as he slipped out of view.

Hizashi's eyes were huge behind the orange shades he wore during classes. He fidgeted with his long leather collar, staring ahead at the door to the lounge. "Nothing to it," he swallowed hard, gulping past the anxiety he felt, "but to do it, I guess." He put his hand out and pushed the door open.

Elly was sitting on one of those thin plastic chairs in there, staring out the windows on the far side. She nearly fell when he came into the room, and Mic stumbled trying to support her so she wouldn't fall. He caught her arm by the elbow, stabilizing her for a brief moment, but then she swayed again when she realized who had touched her. 

"Yeek! Sorry, oh god, sorry." She placed a hand over her mouth, breathing hard. 

"No uh, I - I'm sorry." He pulled another chair out, spun it the wrong way and sat facing her. "I sort of got jealous today." He looked away, blushing. "Shota's my friend, and I - I really like you. It messed me up more than I thought."

She nodded. "I wish I hadn't scratched him."

He chuckled a little. "You won, though. Not a lot of people can take Eraserhead down like that."

"I just caught his flag. Not like I won a battle or anything." 

"Yeah, but it was still impressive."

"Maybe," she hedged. "I still wish it hadn't happened. Because I ... like you, too." She reached out and then stopped, hand wavering in midair. 

Hizashi raised his eyebrows. "S'okay..?"

Elly took a deep breath and lightly touched the side of his face. When she did, however, she forgot everything she wanted to say. He had dropped his head on his arms, and his glasses had slipped a notch, revealing those glorious spiralled pupils that she had gotten lost in the other night. 

"Hey," he said softly.

"Oh!" She gasped and snatched her hand back.

"It's okay." A big grin slowly spread across his features, banishing the nerves he'd been displayed recently. "Really. I mean, it will be if you'll go out with me tonight."

"Go out?"

"They have dates in America, right?"

Her ears flicked straight up. "Yes!" She giggled faintly, then nodded. "To both. Wait -" She grabbed her things and rummaged around in her bag. "Here's my number," she said shyly, waiting while he all but snatched his phone out of his pocket. "I'm at the local hotel right around the corner. Room 15b."

"6 o'clock?"

"That's great."

Mic's grin grew even broader. "Better than that! Yeah! It's awesome!" He leaped to his feet and pointed at the clock with a flourish. "Dinner and a movie?"

"It's a date," she agreed.


Wednesday, November 7, 2018

King of my Heart - 1

"King of my Heart - 1"

orig. 11/7/2018
BNHA Elly (Cheshire) x Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic)
Inspired by the song "King of my Heart" by Taylor Swift 
"First Meeting" scenario (PG)
Non-Canon based off manga/anime

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"So, she's here already?" 

"Is she coming in?"

"Somebody from America! I'm super psyched!"

Nezu swung about in his chair at the sound of the voices clamoring behind him. He steepled his fingers and grinned at the grouping of teachers clustered in front of his desk. "She arrived... ah, here we are," he murmured, taking his phone up to glance briefly at it. "In our district early this morning. She just texted me to let me know she'll be here after classes. To formally introduce herself to the staff, and in case anyone wants to get to know her better before she greets the students."

They thanked the principal and started to leave. As they walked out the door, the woman standing on the far left stopped, letting it close behind her. She pursed her lips, rolling a strand of dark hair between her fingers in thought. "We can go out to that karaoke bar around the corner!" She burst out suddenly, eyes lighting up. 

"Ugh," the tired-looking scruffy man standing as far away from her grunted. "Not that, Midnight. Anything but that."

Midnight pouted. "But Aizawa -"

"Yeahhhh!" His buddy beside him clapped him on the back almost as hard as he suddenly yelled. Aizawa stumbled and swore under his breath. "C'mon, 'Shou, karaoke! You don't have to sing. This new teacher likes music, right right?" 

"Damn it, Mic, you're an idiot." He rolled his bloodshot eyes, seeing where he was going with this. He strode out of the main offices and down the hall.

"Well, then we have to be polite." The other man lengthened his stride and caught up quickly. He ran a hand along his huge, slicked-back mass of blond hair jutting out the back of his head, preening slightly.

"You have to." 

"He's right, Eraser," the bondage-dressed woman stuck her tongue out at him, for once not seductively and only in jest. "Hizashi might be an idiot, but if we want to get to know her better this is a great way!"

"Hey!" The blond man narrowed his eyes at the teasing. "Cut it out."

"Oooh, it's gonna be forever before she shows up," Midnight whined, staring at the clock in the hallway they were heading down. 

Of course, time wound down like it normally did and before they knew it, they were standing in the teacher's lounge watching the doorway in anticipation. The students had left to go back to the dorms and most of the teachers had ended up gathering together to at least meet the arrival, if not party with her afterward. They all had gotten enough time to go home and change into civilian clothing and were comfortable and ready.

"Principal Nezu went to meet her with one of the staff cars," Midnight gossipped gleefully. "She must be important."

"She's a Pro Hero from another country," Aizawa said quietly. "It's probably not so much her as the status of our nation. We're playing nice as we always do."

"C'mon c'mon." Hizashi was impatiently snapping his fingers. "I can't wait to get out there and -"

He was cut off as voices were heard approaching. Everyone perked up as the door opened and Nezu walked in with his hand held up, smiling in welcome. "Here we are," he said. "This is most of the staff here at UA."

"Welcome," they said almost in unison as the woman stepped nervously in. 

She immediately bowed upon hearing their greeting. "Thank you for having me." When she straightened up again, Aizawa glanced sharply at his friend. He had gasped loudly, the sound unheard by most in the room. Hizashi's cheeks had taken on the brightest red color he'd ever seen and his eyes had a dopey gleam that he knew could only mean one thing. He'd only seen it once before in school, but he knew what it meant. His hand came up before his eyes and he sighed deeply. 

"Crap," he husked under his breath.

The woman was going about shaking hands and answering various questions. He watched from a distance as she moved about her unfamiliar surroundings. Hesitant, yet that was normal as she probably had jet lag and this was a different country than she was used to. Her Japanese was excellent, and she seemed to shake off what remnants of anxiety she had upon the friendly reception they had prepared for her. 

"This is Shouta Aizawa," Midnight was introducing them. He inclined his head briefly as she added, "Eraserhead," mentioning his hero name as she had done for all of them.

The woman smiled and nodded back at him, unperturbed at his lack of enthusiasm. "My name is Elly Sketchit. Hero name, Cheshire."

"Cheshire?" Aizawa's eyebrow raised. That made sense. She had cat ears sticking up out of her purple, short-cropped hair and a striped, double-tipped tail. Her outfit was simple, obviously as casual as theirs were. She wore a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt under a shorter one with the name of what he only assumed was some band on it. Minimal jewelry; one ring and a black leather choker with an eye cabochon on it that looked like a cat's pupil.

Her striking, dark purple eyes fell upon his friend and for a startling moment, the usually garrulous man was tongue-tied. "I'm - ah," he struggled to clear his mind while stammering. 

Aizawa smirked the tiniest bit. "He's Hizashi Yamada," he supplied helpfully.

The eyes widened. "Present Mic?"

Hizashi blinked, staring at her in a new light. "Are you a listener?" He asked incredulously. "I didn't think anyone knew about my station in America."

"Or cared. Ouch." As soon as Aizawa spoke Hizashi elbowed him, hard.

"I - um, didn't know what your civilian look was." Her ears twitched in amusement at his reaction. "Although I should've realized. I tune in every Friday."

The statement brought new life to Hizashi. He threw his hands in the air and yelled, "She's got good taste! Awwwwww-right! Let's go party!"

"Where are we going?" She was grinning broadly by this time as a small group ushered her out of the school. Only Aizawa, Nemuri and Hizashi were going out with her, although she'd been introduced to everyone. The others had claimed they had other business, though some, after having seen the odd behavior Mic had been displaying, had declined for other reasons. Three was enough; Hizashi clearly had only eyes for one.

"Karaoke!" He chirped happily, pointing swift finger-guns around the corner of the street. "There's a place not far from here."

"Savvy business tactics," Aizawa approved. "They saw the need for a place for us to unwind, students and staff. Civilians go there, too, but it's often us."

"They have private booths and stuff, and you can order food. I heard it's different in America." Nemuri looked questioningly at her and she nodded.

"Yeah, we don't have private rooms for that kind of thing. It'll be fun." 

When they got there they ordered a larger room than usual and sat down to order food and drinks. Elly appeared to love their culture's food and was thrilled to get the chance to taste a lot of things she normally wouldn't back home. Midnight immediately leaped up to choose something to sing. When she would have included Elly, Hizashi waved her off with a slashing "no" gesture. Midnight giggled evilly and spun about, grabbing the mic from a corner.

"So, uh..." Hizashi adjusted his square-rim glasses and stared blankly at the menu. "Get whatever for me, Shou, okay?" He turned back to Elly with a broad smile. "That's awesome that you're one of my listeners. Really."

She nodded. "I sing a little, and folks back home said I have a decent voice. So I started getting into radio, doing a little frequency myself and broadcasting some songs here and there. When I first got interested, one of the stations I found was yours. I guess I just love this culture and you're always so upbeat, I love your show." Her ears flicked to the sides and she blushed. "I feel silly saying that. I'm not like, ah, a fangirl or anything. I mean, you know."

"Your jacket has his logo on it," Aizawa pointed out unhelpfully. The look Elly gave him had daggers in it, and he chuckled. 

"Whaaaatttt?!!" Mic screeched in shock. He reached out and pulled it from where they had stored them and sure enough, "Put Your Hands in the Air Radio" - right on the back. "Holy shit!"

Thankfully at this point their drinks arrived and she hid under guise of taking a long swig of beer. When she came up for air Midnight's song had ended and she was in the process of trying to drag Aizawa up to sing with her. It was not going well, but she'd managed to get him away from the table momentarily.

"Hey." Mic had propped one of his feet up on her booth and was staring down, his long leg cocked. 

"Nya?" In her confusion she uttered a cat sound. He had gotten up to stand closer! 

"Mind if I sit here instead of Nemuri?" The girls had automatically sat together but he evidently wanted to switch. She nodded and scooted over, and he sat with a big grin on his face. The cat miaow - adorable -- his heart was racing. "Your voice has great tone," he said softly. "You gonna sing tonight?"

"Maybe." She eyed him sideways, toying with the rim of her bottle. "I mean. it's my first night and I should be really scared and stuff, but I feel..." She paused, groping for the right word, and he laid his hand on her shoulder briefly. 

"Like you belong?"

When she looked up what she knew was going to happen did. Those eyes - she had seen photos before, of course, he was a famous teacher here. But the color and the concentric circles were a gorgeous combination, dizzying in intensity. And his hand on her shoulder was more than warm. She felt the fabled "electricity" her friends and all those movies and books had always told her happened in real life. She opened her mouth to say something, she didn't know what - but suddenly Hizashi was no longer there.

"Yerk!" He fell backwards as Midnight yanked him out of the booth. 

"Get outta here," she slurred. "It's her turn to sing!" She pointed her glass at Elly. 

"I guess so!"

When she'd gotten up, Hizashi lunged at Nemuri but Aizawa held him back. "Relax, Mic."

"That drunk wench just -"

"I'm not drunk," Nemuri said in a perfectly level voice. She pointed at the flushed and sweating man before her. "You. Sit. Now." Hizashi did as he was told, his friend plopping down beside him again. "Don't rush things," she told him seriously. "The woman likes you, sure. But we've got some time. Give it that."

"Arrgh!" He flopped forward onto the table, deflated for the moment.

"Listen." Aizawa poked him. Elly had begun to sing. Her voice wasn't spectacular enough to be a professional's, but it was better than your average amateur. Mic's glasses fell down his nose as he melted onto the table.

"Oh. My. God," he croaked. "That's so freaking excellent." Then, as was his wont, he perked up, pointing one finger at the ceiling. "I'll sing one with her next! Yoo-hoo, Cheshire baby!" He pushed himself up and leaped over them all to scamper over to her side.

Aizawa's hand met his face again. "God damn it, Mic," he sighed for the second time that day. 

"This is going to be fun," Midnight laughed.