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The sheer number of people I saw before I walked through the doors almost made me turn and run away. But I managed to ground myself and keep my anxiety under wraps. I saw a few familiar faces. Endeavor. Present Mic. Mt Lady. I even saw Aizawa, I didn't think he would purposefully ditch me with Fatgum just to go to a party. Then I saw Present Mic dragging his arm drunkenly over to the bar. That made sense, if he had to babysit Hizashi then that would be a reason not to bring me or need someone to watch me. I watched as Hizashi dropped Aizawa's arm and ran over to the DJ. I watched him fight with the DJ over the equipment as he tried to be the DJ. I lightly shook my head and headed into the crowd. I didn't see Taishiro and Nemuri was nowhere to be seen. I quietly made my way to the refreshment bar. It seemed like no one was around the bar so I was able to relax a bit. The only person there was the bartender, and he seemed to be lost in his own world. I sat down on a barstool and watched the party around me. I couldn't bring myself to actually party like the rest, it was already taking most of everything in me to not have a panic attack.

"Well, hello there! I haven't seen you around." A familiar voice chimed. I swiveled my head around to see Hawks. I hadn't seen him since around the time I got out of the hospital.

"Uh, hey. What's up?" I asked awkwardly. He simply smiled and sat beside me.

"Oh! It's you! I almost didn't recognize you. Haha! You're looking really good! How are things going?" He asked with a big grin. I shrugged and tried to settle my nerves.

"All right I guess. I'm not too keen on dressing up, but I didn't want to make Fatgum miss the party. Miss Nemuri helped me pick something to wear." I answered. Hawks hummed a response and flagged down the bartender.

"I'd like a beer and- hold on- Are you old enough to drink?" He asked me. I nodded and he continued.

"And a margarita for the lovely lady here. Thank you." Hawks ordered. The bartender smiled and nodded before running off to make our drinks. Hawks sat back on the stool and put an arm around my shoulders.

"So, I'd love to know how you escaped Midnight with this dress. I thought someone like her would've had you in something R-rated." He said with a laugh. I let out an uneasy chuckle and tried to shift away from his arms.

"She tried, but I managed to have the upper hand since Fatgum was buying it," I answered. Hawks tilted his head back with a laugh as he patted my back.

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One after another Hawks kept downing drinks. Soon enough he started to get a bit more handsy. His hands barely left my body and made me feel more uncomfortable being around him. "As I was saying- Midnight and Present Mic are the best party people to be around." I zoned back into what he was saying and just nodded my head. I felt Hawks' hands leave my body for a split second and took that as my chance to run. I lost him in the crowd of people and carefully navigated my way towards the back area. With barely anyone around I was able to settle down and calm my nerves. "Mic not now. I need a moment to myself." A familiar voice huffed. I peeked around the corner and saw Aizawa Sensei sitting in a chair and Present Mic standing beside him. "Do you want some water? Maybe something to eat?" Mic hovered over Aizawa like a nagging mom. I drew closer and cleared my throat. Both pairs of eyes trained on me, one happy, and the other scrutinizing me. "What are you doing here Ms. L/n?" Aizawa barely got the words slurred out. I shrugged and gave a lighthearted smile. "Fatgum asked me to come with. I agreed since this is an important event." I answered, a short chuckle escaped Aizawa as he stood up. He stumbled over and half leaned on me for support and half hugged me. "Are you enjoying the party? You seem... unsettled." He pulled me over to the chair and made me sit. "I am, for the most part. Hawks is a bit drunk, so he's gotten a little handsy. I stepped out for some air." He hummed and nodded his head. "Are you okay Sensei?" Aizawa plopped down on the floor beside me and put his head in his hands. "Yeah, Mic is getting me some water. He's probably getting some bread too." He huffed. I shrugged and relaxed into the chair. After a good thirty minutes, Mic returned with some water and bread. "Good! You're still here! Here, drink this and eat this." I stood up and made Aizawa sit in the chair. Aizawa took what Mic gave him and tried to sober up. It's kinda funny seeing Mic taking care of Aizawa. I heard the DJ announce the next song and a bunch of people cheered.

Fatgum appeared in the doorway and his worried expression faded into a bright and relieved smile. "There ya are! I've been looking all over for ya!" He strutted over and picked me up in a bear hug. "I was looking for ya since I'm going to head out here soon... And I wanted to know if you want to dance with me?" His face looked slightly flustered as he tried to it off. "Sure! I'd love to dance!" My face broke out into a gleeful grin. Fatgum grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him to the dance floor. Everybody dancing seemed to have their own styles and didn't seem to care if other people were watching. I didn't really know how to dance so I tried my best to copy Fatgum's movements. He hummed along to the song and pulled me close. "You don't know how to dance, do ya?" his whisper was just loud enough for me to hear. I nodded shyly and pulled myself closer to him. "Yeah, I know the song at least. But I never learned how to dance." I joked lightly. His chest rumbled with a chuckle and he started to sway both of us. My mind focused on the fact that we were so close, and where his hands sat on my lower back. He swayed us and spun us around in circles. His smile never left his face and was just as infectious. My cheeks started to hurt from smiling, but I couldn't stop. Even though the conversations of passing people were loud, and the music louder, all I could hear was his heartbeat fluttering. His heartbeat fluttering was my tempo to dance, and it worked. I kept in sync with him as he spun me around and dipped me down. Everything else faded as I zeroed in on his face, I wanted nothing more than to lean up and meet his lips with mine. But it was short-lived as he brought me back up and the song ended. "Ah- that was really something huh!" Fatgum panted with a grin. I could feel my throat dry up and my heart dropped. There's no way he'd be interested in me... I mentally shook my thoughts away and smiled at him. "It was really fun! I'd love to go dancing again!" I started to walk off but he grabbed my arm. "Are you alright?" He tried to pull me close, but I kept a bit of space between us. He saw through the front I put up. "Just a bit tired is all, it has been a long day. With so many people around to meet, I'm just a bit drained." I reassured him. He took it and happily took my arm in his. "The party is about to end, would you like to go home with me?" I didn't even have to think about the answer. My head immediately nodded yes and both of us broke out in smiles.

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We waited till everyone had filed out of the party. I didn't want any more people crowding around me. I didn't happen to see Hawks again for the rest of the night, so that was another bonus. Fatgum gave me his very oversized suit blazer to protect me from the night air. He kept an arm around my shoulders as we walked under the darkened streets. The dimmed streetlights barely kept the streets lit, but it didn't seem so scary with him beside me. "I'm glad you came to the party. It meant the world to me. Did you enjoy yourself?" He broke the silence, I felt his hand slide off my shoulders only to grab my hand. I felt my heart pick up its pace and my face flushed a bit. "Yeah- it was okay. I was a bit nervous at first, but I really enjoyed it." I tried to keep my voice level. "What was your favorite part of today?" his voice sounded strained, but he kept his hand on mine and still smiled down at me. "To be honest... My favorite part of today was dancing with you. I've never had so much fun in my life!" Fatgum stopped walking to double over and laugh. "It was mine too! Today had been so boring till I pulled you out on the dance floor!" Nothing could stop the flutter in my chest and the grin making its way to my face. Once we both got a grasp on ourselves, we continued our way back to his agency.

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Fatgum's Pov

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Nothin' has made me this happy in my entire life. The sight of her in my arms, dancing to one of the sweetest songs I've heard, and a smile more than a mile wide splayed on her face. She more than deserved this party. I will admit, seeing her squirm uncomfortably when Hawks' hands wandered, made me damn near see red. Jealousy was new to me, and it woulda brought the worst out of me if I had let it. Even though the party was days ago, I could still feel it like it was just seconds ago. The familiar ring of a landline phone caught me off guard, I swiveled around in my chair and quickly scooped it up. "Hello, this is Fatgum with the Fatgum agency. How may I help you?" My customer service voice popped out of my mouth immediately. "Taishiro, I am having that feeling again. What's going on?" My mother's voice barked through the phone. Her intuition was always impeccable. "Nothing much, momma, just trying to figure out my own emotions-" "Oh! So you've found a girl you're interested in! That's all you had to say. I will be visiting this upcoming weekend! No ifs, and, or buts! Love you, see you then!" she cut me off and quickly ended the call. I rubbed my temples and dropped the phone back on its receiver. Nothing could stop that woman, Dad drilled it into me from the very day I was born. Momma is always a force to be reconned with. A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. Y/n's head poked into the room nervously before she slipped in and quickly shut the door behind her. She pulled one of the chairs all the way over to my desk and sat across from me. "Are you alright Taishiro? You look a little worried." Her voice sounded like soft tinkling. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinkin' about some things. My momma wants to come by this weekend, so we will have to stay at my apartment. It's got three bedrooms, so there should be more than enough room for all three of us to have our own spaces." I rambled on, I barely noticed her jump up and hug me. Her little arms couldn't reach around me completely, but she still managed to give me a good squeeze. "Hey, don't worry yourself too much! As long as I'm under protection, I'll be alright!" She reassured. I hugged her back and mentally sighed. This weekend is gonna be hell...