Chapter Text
Lots of noise, a lot of flashing lights, too many people, way too close… How a cat girl could stand this environment at all, let alone prefer it was far beyond Emi’s understanding. The only thing making all of this bearable to Emi was the drinks. Sweetly numbing her senses, making all of the noise, all of the people in this club just a little more bearable.
Emi Fukukado had known Miki Nekomata since they were little kids. She was the first person Emi ever made laugh without using her quirk. Miki taught her to be brave, outgoing, and to speak her mind when she wants something. For those lessons she has to thank the cat, without them who knows if she would’ve ever broken through to Shota Aizawa. As she sits at the bar, watching Miki rule the dance floor, she thumbs at the woven ring that decorates her finger. There’s a whisper in her ear, hot breath reeking of alcohol invades her space, an unfamiliar man, far too close. “How’s bout a dance, gorgeous?”
Without a word, Emi puts her ring between them hoping that will be enough to dissuade the drunk.
It’s not. The man looks around her, almost falling out of his stool as he does so, then he so confidently declares, “If you was with someone-” He barely holds his drink down, “Why you here tonight?” He reaches for her-
As intoxicated as Emi is, she is still far from helpless. She grabs his hand before he can touch her, and starts to squeeze. She smiles and tells him, “Cause tomorrow’s a school night.”
He starts to laugh at that, though he didn’t think it was all that funny- He quickly discovers he can’t stop laughing. He falls out of the chair, nearly wretches up his drink, and still he cannot stop laughing.
Emi leans back against the bar and kindly informs the bartender, “I think he’s had too much to drink.”
The bartender nods, and gestures for security to come take him out.
The moment Emi turns her back to the dance floor, Miki pounces on her- “Emiiii!!!” So loud, “Thank you so much for coming tonight, this is the best birthday ever!” She nuzzles against the side of Emi’s head, a purr rumbling deep in her chest.
Emi sighs and scritches under the cat’s fuzzy chin, “I’m glad you’re having fun at least.”
The purring stops so abruptly, as Miki asks, “Aren’t you having fun?”
Emi hates to spoil the night for her, and if she was sober she’d probably be a lot better at keeping that mask on, but she says, “You know I hate this sort of scene. Honestly if Shota was a party animal like you, I don’t think I could marry him.”
Miki immediately sobs, “Emiiii that’s so mean!”
“-Ah, I didn’t mean-”
Her claws dig into Emi’s shoulders, “Honestly, ever since you got with that guy- No! Ever since you became a teacher you’ve been such a square!” She shakes her with every syllable as she pleads, “Where’s my fun round friend!?”
Midnight suddenly stands up on the bar, bottle in hand, she shouts, “Where’s my young single boys at!?” A crowd cheers around her, and she takes a dive off the bar- Fortunately falling into Thirteen’s arms.
Thirteen sighs, “Nemuri, you’re done.”
Midnight cries, “Anaaaan. I haven’t found my soulmate yet!” She reaches to touch literally every guy Thirteen walks her past.
Anan rolls her eyes and leans to Emi and Miki, so apologetic, “I gotta get Nemuri home, so if you guys need a ride-”
A blonde wolf man taps on Thirteen’s shoulder, “I can get her home, Thirteen.”
If he hadn’t used her hero name Anan probably wouldn’t have recognized him out of costume, “Oh Hounddog. You don’t have to do that-”
Midnight puts her hand over Anan’s face, and reaches for “Don’t worry bouta thing Anan, Ryo’s gotten me home plenty of times before.” Anan lets Ryo take her, much lighter in his arms than hers. Midnight smiles at him, and pats his snout, “He’s such a good boyyy.”
Ryo bristles with a deep blush, and takes her away. “You’ve gotta stop doing this…”
Miki snatches the bottle from Midnight’s hand as he does.
Anan sighs and sits beside Emi and Miki. Where Emi and Miki were both wearing dresses fit for a dance club, Anan was wearing a button up shirt, and pants, that weren’t exactly flattering. If it wasn’t for her face, and voice, people might mistake her for a man. This wasn’t something that really bothered Anan, but she did always feel rather out of her depth in places like this. Even more so than Emi. That was how they’d become quick friends over the past year. Anan says, “So, clubs, am I right?”
Miki finally leans off Emi to lean more on Anan, “Anan!”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever seen Emi drunk?”
“I’m looking at her right now aren’t I?”
Before Emi can make any sort of claim to sobriety, Miki shouts, “Nonono! Back when we were in our twenties…”
As Miki chases that thought, Emi clarifies, “We’re still in our twenties Miki…”
“HARDLY!!!” So loud. “You’re bouta get married- Oh my god, if you’re a square now- Just you wait. We needa find cool, fun, un-angular Emi!”
Seeing where this is going, Anan is very glad to be the designated driver. She jokes with Miki, “Where could that Emi be?”
Miki swigs the bottle she snatched from Midnight, and declares. “She must be at the bottom of this bottle!!!” She slams it down in front of Emi with such force it’s a miracle the bottle didn’t shatter.
Emi sighs, she didn’t like being the sour note, the boring, angular one. She came out because she wanted Miki to have a good birthday, and if this is what it takes to give her that, then… She gives in. A chug, and a few shots later, and Emi finds herself singing down the street swaying with Miki, Anan unfortunately between them.
As entertaining as Anan found her drunk friends to be, she thought it best to go ahead and take them home. She loads them into her backseat, even buckling them up since Emi and Miki are far too drunk to do so for themselves.
Miki leans onto Anan’s shoulder, “Nannn, anyone tell you how pretty you are?”
This is the third time tonight Miki’s asked her this, Anan giggles and just says, “You did.”
“I did?!” She snorts, “That’s so embarrassing…” She nuzzles the back of Anan’s seat, “Thank you for coming out tonight, and taking care of us, you’re da best.”
Emi yoinks Miki back to her, and says, “Shhhh!!! She’s driving- you’re driving her crazy Miki.” Emi gets so giggly when she’s really drunk, as if her quirk only works on herself.
Miki buries her face in Emi’s chest, sobbing, “Why you gotta get married??? We were ‘sposed to be Emimi foreverrr.”
Emi sways back and forth with her, also sobbing now, “You only like me when I’m drunk!”
“Nu uh!” Miki squeezes her so tight,
“Ya huh!” Emi squeezes her back even tighter, and says, “Shota loves me all the time- and he’s so fiiiiine.” She groans, “I don’t even know what he sees in me…” She laughs so abruptly, and forcefully.
Miki pulls back, “As your maid of honor! I know exactly what he sees!”
Tearfully, Emi asks, “What?”
“He suh-...hrrmum…” She passes out of Emi’s shoulder.
Emi whines. “Mikiiiii, now's not the time for a cat nap!” That joke, if it could even be called that, awakens a giggle fit in Emi that goes on for quite a while.
Anan is thankful she got Miki’s address before they went out. However since U.A. is closer she decides to drop Emi off first. Not wanting to keep Aizawa up too late waiting.
Aizawa waits for them in the parking lot, and scoops the still giggling, though now half-asleep Emi out of the back seat, “Thank you, Thirteen.”
“It’s no problem-”
“Wait!!!” Miki grabs Emi’s hand, digging her claws in, “You can’t take her from me! She’s my friend!!!” Her eyes are so red, and her face is a mess with tear stained fur.
Shota kneels down to her level, mainly so she won’t rip Emi’s hand off. “Nekomata, I understand you’re worried about her-”
If she wasn’t buckled in tight, Miki would be wrapped up on top of Emi right now, she sobs, “You don’t get it! She’s all I’ve got!”
He knows how drunk she must be to be saying all this, but he still tries to reason with her. “She’s not going anywhere, you just have to share. There’s a lot of people who need her. Not just me, but her students, and Eri, people she loves as much as you-”
Miki just melts back into her seat sobbing so mournfully. When Aizawa tries to say something else to comfort her, she slams the door on him.
Aizawa grimaces, and pities Thirteen as she drives off with her.
Emi wraps her arms around Shota’s neck, seeming to stir awake from her giggly nap, her hand hurting but she doesn’t know why. “Shota…” That question stirs within her more fervently than before, “Why do you love me?”
Since they’ve been together, since they got engaged, Shota’s just gotten so comfortable with having her around. The life filled with laughter she always promised that he always thought would be a nightmare wasn’t so bad, it wasn’t bad at all. Though the moments he’s loved the most with her, are the quiet ones. The moments where he is reminded that Emi isn’t so different from himself.
He’d thought he’d told her before plenty of times, but perhaps he’d grown complacent with how comfortable things have gotten, perhaps he’d been taking her for granted. He tells her so sincerely, “The thing I love most about you, Emi Fukukado-”
She snores in his arms.
He chuffs. I’ll tell her when she’s sober…