Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nekoji was walking with his friend Gem in the rain. “So, Catboy,” she grinned once they made it to a bus stop, “I had fun hanging out today. Same next week?”

Nekoji shrugged, “If I get through my school work then yeah. My teachers are threatening to sign me up for Saturday school.” he groaned.

Gem just laughed, “You’ve gotta get your head in the game stupid, ah my bus is here.” She closed the umbrella they were standing underneath and dashed towards the vehicle, “Bye!”

“Bye.” Nekoji smiled and waved at his friend as she shuffled past people. Sighing, he hugged himself and checked his watch. He sorely missed the shelter of Gem’s umbrella but his bus wasn’t too far away-

The rain suddenly stopped and Nekoji looked up to see someone stood beside him. They looked down, frowning, and Nekoji’s heart missed a beat.

“Sorry, am I too close?” The boy took a small step to the side. Nekoji was briefly lost in the stranger’s dark eyes and entranced by their British accent but smiled at him.

“Oh, no. Not at all! It’s quite nice being under an umbrella.” Nekoji gestured towards the parasol the person was holding and they stepped back to where they were before. Nekoji’s tail whipped around and he felt slightly nervous.

They stood in silence for a moment until Nekoji got too unrestful. “What’s your name?” He grinned up at the stranger.
“Uhm, Ginsuke. But people call me Silver.”
“No wonder- your hair is so cool!” Nekoji stuck his thumb up happily.

Silver did look ‘cool’. He was tall with deep brown eyes and silver hair. Nekoji suddenly felt conscious of how he looked, short with ginger hair. Oh, and cat features on top of that, hence the nickname ‘catboy’.

“So, Catboy is it? Sorry, I overheard that girl you were with.”
“Yup! Catboy alright, though I am called Nekoji but that’s not as fun. Just…call me Neko if you want!” Nekoji laughed and Ginsuke cracked a smile.

The sound of a bus approaching cut short their brief exchange and Nekoji smiled sadly up at Ginsuke, “This is mine, but I’ll catch you around.” He bounded forwards and felt a pair of eyes watching him.

Once on the bus, Nekoji turned and waved at Ginsuke who seemed hesitant but waved back nonetheless. As the vehicle pulled away, Nekoji felt the need to message Gem about the nice guy he had just met. He always loved making new friends but this guy…he was different.

After a couple of minutes, Nekoji decided against sending a text to his friend. Why should he? Ginsuke was just a random stranger Nekoji would probably not see again. Sighing, he stared out the window at the gloomy world outside.

Nekoji arrived at his college apartment complex and walked in silence. Strangely, he regretted not asking Ginsuke for his number. A new sign had been pinned to the entrance wall and Nekoji squinted to read it.

- dorm pairings will be sent out to new students online -

Nekoji walked past the poster. He wasn’t a new student but he was on his own in his dorm so he was probably going to get a roommate.

He didn’t know if that excited him or scared him but nonetheless, he rushed to go clean his room.

Nekoji rolled out of bed slowly in the morning. “Uhm, hello?” A person stood over him looking confused. Nekoji almost jumped out of his skin when he realised who it was.

“Gins- Silver?” He gawked. Ginsuke nodded with a small grin, “Yeah, fancy seeing you here Catboy.” Nekoji quickly sat up and stared at the guy before him.

Now, in the early morning light, Ginsuke looked even better than the evening before- if that was possible. His hair glowed and his chocolate coloured eyes shone inquisitively.

“Need a hand up?” Ginsuke stifled a laugh as he peered down at Nekoji. Nekoji grinned, nodding, and took his new roommates hand.

“I don’t usually sleep on the floor,” Nekoji chuckled, “sorry, this is rather a bad first impression of me.”
“Second, but nah your good. I’ve had much worse roommates before.”

Ginsuke smiled again and Nekoji felt his brain short circuit- he had never really made a new friend this fast. He noticed Ginsuke holding a suitcase and quickly ducked away, “Make yourself at home- I’ll just be getting ready!”

Nekoji crept into the bathroom and Ginsuke nodded, “Will do Catboy.”

Chapter Text

Ginsuke stood and watched the bathroom door close for a moment. A warm feeling took a hold of his heart and he smiled.

He had never really had friends before but Nekoji was so sweet and easy to talk to. Feeling slightly lonely that his new friend was in another room, Ginsuke started unpacking his things.

Nekoji paced around in the bathroom. He had washed himself and gotten dressed but he felt nervous for some reason.

He slicked his uneven hair back and stepped back into the room. Ginsuke was distracted on his phone so Nekoji quickly grabbed his keys and left.

He needed to get to his morning lecture, sure, but the thought of being with Ginsuke for any longer made him feel uneasy. He didn’t know why and it was driving him slowly insane but he collected himself and continued walking.

Nekoji’s day consisted of a couple classes about writing studies and a shift at the small café he worked at. To his surprise, he was selling drinks when Ginsuke entered.

Nekoji’s eyes were drawn to the man and glanced at him happily as he looked around. Nekoji’s heart pounded when they made eye contact.

Ginsuke smiled softly and bounded over to the counter. “Fancy seeing you here!” Nekoji grinned playfully as his tail flicked around.

Ginsuke shrugged, “Just looking around the area.”
“What would you like?”
“Uhm, coffee please.”
“Coming right up!”

After passing Ginsuke the drink, Nekoji put himself on break and joined him at a table. “What are you studying?” Nekoji asked, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows.

“Medicine. I want to be a doctor. You?”
Nekoji sighed, “I’m not too sure yet, which sucks, but maybe a writing teacher? Or an author…though an actor would be cool- oh, sorry- am I rambling?”

Nekoji laughed nervously and groomed his tail. Ginsuke just beamed warmly, “No, no it’s okay. It’s nice to have someone to listen to.”

Nekoji felt his face heat up and quickly looked down at the table. “So…a doctor eh? Got some kind of healing quirk?”
Ginsuke frowned, “No, I just find science interesting I guess.”

“Huh,” Nekoji pondered, “what is your quirk?” Ginsuke’s frown deepened and Nekoji felt like a fool, what if Ginsuke was quirkless? “But you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to-“

“My quirk is called Silver, but I’m not really sure what it is. I can’t explain it..uhm,” Ginsuke scanned the table and aimed a finger at his cup.

Instantly, silver tendrils of mist shot out of his hand and grasped the cup, lifting it off the table. Nekoji stared in awe at the show, “Woah, that’s so cool!”

Ginsuke placed the mug back down and hissed slightly, rubbing his wrist. “It’s alright I suppose, but it’s bloody hard to control.”

They paused for a moment before Nekoji huffed and ruffled his ears, “Aren’t you gonna ask me mine?”
Ginsuke shot him a confused look, “Isn’t it cat?”
“Yeahhh but asking is a part of getting to know people!”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to sound stupid.” Ginsuke rolled his eyes. Nekoji rested his face in his hands, “Buzzkill.” He grinned. Ginsuke smiled and took a sip of his latte.

Nekoji’s heart did a backflip and he gazed up at Ginsuke. He was strangely drawn to the silver haired boy and was glad to see him reciprocate his friendliness. “This feels a bit like a date.” Ginsuke murmured out loud.
“Pardon?” Nekoji’s ears pricked up and Ginsuke choked on his drink.

“Nothing.” He quickly sighed and swallowed hard, he had completely forgotten that Nekoji had good hearing due to his cat features. “Well, I should hurry along to my next lecture so I’ll see you soon!” Ginsuke quickly stood and waved goodbye to Nekoji.

Nekoji was a bit taken aback but waved and sadly returned to his shift.

Chapter Text

Over the week, the boys rarely got a moment to chat casually. Ginsuke was always rushing around between lessons and Nekoji spent most his time either in class or at work.

It was the last day of the week and they sat in their beds doing coursework as the sun set. Nekoji groaned and slammed his laptop shut, making Ginsuke jump.

“You okay?”
Nekoji whisked his tail around, “No, I’m about to die of boredom.” He flopped onto his back and extended his arms upwards, “I can see the light…” he croaked.

Ginsuke huffed amusedly, “Rather overdramatic aren’t you?”
Nekoji rolled onto his front and faced Ginsuke, kicking his legs in the air.

“What are you doing this weekend?”
Ginsuke paused, “Uhh, nothing much. I might go see my mother but yeah, that’s all.”
Nekoji’s tail flicked excitedly, “We should totally hang out then!”

“You think?” Ginsuke gave Nekoji a lopsided smile. “Definitely! What do you want to do?”
“Hm…I don’t know.”
“Wow very helpful.” Nekoji rolled his eyes and grinned.

“Wait- I know! There’s a superhero convention that’s just down the road debuting tomorrow. We should check it out!” Nekoji grabbed his phone excitedly, failing to see the solemn look on Ginsuke’s face.

“..Sure.”
“What? You sound hesitant.” Nekoji looked up and frowned. “No, no, it’s just..I uhh don’t know many heroes.” Ginsuke stuttered.

“That’s fine! I can teach you about them.” Nekoji stared expectantly at Ginsuke and the silver haired boy just couldn’t refuse the adorable, grinning face before him, “Alright then,” he sighed with a small smile, “hero convention it is.”

Nekoji woke up really early in the morning and dashed around, getting ready. Ginsuke groaned at the noise, “Are you taking me out for bloody dinner too? It’s hardly sunrise yet.” He smothered himself with a pillow whilst Nekoji laughed.

“It’s already ten o’clock and the convention starts at twelve- do you want to get food before or are you going hungry?” Nekoji grinned contentedly as he watched Ginsuke sigh and sit up.

At eleven, the boys roamed the busy streets near their apartment complex. Many people bustled about and Ginsuke ended up getting shoved roughy.

“Hey! Say sorry to him!” Nekoji shouted at the stranger who had passed them. To his horror, they turned out to be holding a weapon- a large sword, and their mouth was full of pine needle-like teeth which they bared fiercely.

“You shut your mouth boy or there’ll be trouble.” The person hissed. Nekoji froze but Ginsuke studied the stranger.

“Weren’t you the guy who robbed a jewellery store the other day?” He said bluntly. “Silver!” Nekoji whispered and nudged him in an attempt to stop him talking. The person growled and aimed their sword at his head.

In a flash, Ginsuke pounced and put his quirk to use, disarming the criminal and binding him. They yelled frantically, causing a scene, and a police officer rapidly approached them.

“What’s happening here?” The officer barked. “The possession of a deadly weapon and antisocial behaviour. Isn’t this guy also wanted?” Ginsuke frowned.
“Shut your hole!” The criminal roared but Ginsuke constricted him with his power.

“Damn, guys! This kid caught a villain! Get the cuffs!” The officer waved to his comrades frantically. Ginsuke winced as the villain thrashed around but Nekoji just watched him in awe.

The officers managed to whisk the person away and thanked Ginsuke but he waved them off. The crowd which had stared to gather around them all cheered Ginsuke but he quickly rushed away.

“That was…epic!” Nekoji squealed. Ginsuke shrugged, “It was nothing.” Nekoji shook his head in disbelief, “I’m still dumbfounded why you didn’t chose to become hero, you’re practically made for it!”

Briefly, Ginsuke’s face darkened but he composed himself, “I just want to help out where I can. Where is this cafe you recommended?” He quickly looked around, changing the subject.

“Just over there.” Nekoji lead Ginsuke towards the shop in a happy spirit, but something deep inside of him took a strong notice to Ginsuke’s dislike of hero work. ‘I’ll get him to talk later.’ He told himself.

Chapter Text

The boys sat and ate some breakfast in the little cafe. “So, Silvi, how c-“
“So we’re doing nicknames now huh?” Ginsuke grinned. Nekoji ignored him but couldn’t fight the smile that crept onto his face, “how come you knew that guy was a criminal?”

Ginsuke shrugged, “Recognised him from the news. He was also being an idiot so…”
“Hm.” They went back to eating for a couple minutes.

“Why did you want to hang out with me?” Ginsuke suddenly asked. Nekoji raised an eyebrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ginsuke frowned and stabbed the pancakes he was eating.

“What I mean is, don’t you have other friends to spend time with? I’m pretty boring so I don’t know why you would want to be around me.” He sighed and Nekoji felt pitiful.

Putting on a calm but happy expression, Nekoji answered him, “I do have other friends but I’m always looking out for more, y’know?”

His smile then changed to a smirk, “Anyways, your not boring, I think your cool! And about being around you…I don’t have a choice at the end of the day, we’re roommates silly. Better to get to know each other than awkwardly avoid one another’s presence.”

Ginsuke smiled weakly and nodded, leaving the conversation to fade away. Nekoji grabbed his phone and flicked through it excitedly, “At the hero convention, I heard that not only is Hawks going to be there, but maybe even All Might!”

Ginsuke couldn’t help feeling warm when he heard Nekoji’s childish excitement over the heroes. At the mention of All Might, the idea of attending the conference seemed to get slightly better.

After finishing and paying, the boys rushed to where the conference was being held. “This is so cool!” Nekoji beamed as they entered. The hall was filled with people, all of which were taking endless photos and gathering around popular role models.

Nekoji saw Hawks and almost fainted. “I might queue for a picture with him, will you wait with me?” Nekoji asked, his tail wagging like a dog. Ginsuke laughed softly, “Sure.”

As they waited, Nekoji rambled on about different heroes, attempting to explain the rankings to Ginsuke, and Ginsuke listened intently.

When they got to the front, Hawks waved at them happily, “‘sup?” Nekoji jumped up and down on the spot subtly, “C-could I have a photo with you?”
“Of course.” Hawks grinned.

Realising he now had to be a cameraman, Ginsuke whipped out his phone and snapped a few pictures of them. For the rest of their walk around the convention, Nekoji was smiling like an idiot.

“I can’t believe I met Hawks! He is so cool- I mean he is one of the youngest heroes to start his own…” Nekoji’s voice trailed off as he realised he was rambling again but Ginsuke nodded at him.

“Go on, I don’t mind.”
Somehow, Nekoji’s smile widened and he carried on talking. After a while of looking around stalls and grabbing small bites to eat, the pair left and went on a stroll.

They found themselves on a bench in the middle of a park at three pm. Nekoji stretched and yawned as they sat. “Did you loose sleep last night over that convention?” Ginsuke asked.

“I guess.” Nekoji scratched his ears happily. “Can you send me those photos please?” He added.
“Well..I don’t have-“
“Oh right!” As if reading Ginsuke’s mind, Nekoji grabbed his phone and dialled in a number.

Ginsuke smiled as his phone was handed back, “Okay, I’ll send then when we get home .” Nekoji nodded happily and the pair sat in a comfortable silence for a while.

Nekoji was going through his news feed when Ginsuke spoke up, “It’s a shame All Might didn’t show up.” Nekoji hummed in agreement.

“Yeah, but he’s a teacher now at UA and apparently, those kids are always getting into danger.”
Ginsuke thought about Nekoji’s answer for a moment before turning and smiling at his friend.

“Thanks for taking me out today, I actually enjoyed it.”
Nekoji snickered, “Apart from the villain and the fact you’re not really interested in Heroes?”

“Despite those things, yeah.”
“It must be my charm then .” Nekoji grinned. As the sun began to set, Ginsuke stood and held his hand out for Nekoji, “Let’s walk back CB.”

Nekoji took his hand happily, “Lead the way,” he laughed, “but try not to get us lost.”

Chapter Text

The sun was already setting by the time they made it back to their dorm. Ginsuke holds all the doors open for Nekoji as they walk through their dorm building because the shorter boy was bounding around with an excited energy.

“I can’t believe I met Hawks!” He grinned happily.
“You’ve already said that.”
“But I can’t help it, he is so cool!”

Ginsuke smiled to himself as he recalled when he had first met Nekoji who had called him ‘cool’. “You like that word huh?”

“Cool is a cool word.” Nekoji huffed but a brilliant smile still adorned his lips. The boys entered their room and Nekoji flung himself onto Ginsuke’s bed. “Wrong one.” Ginsuke chuckled nervously.

Nekoji’s tail flicked around and he turned, grinning at Ginsuke, “We should watch a movie.”
“Random.” Ginsuke sighed but didn’t put down the idea. As he changed into some comfortable clothes, Nekoji flicked through movies on his laptop.

“My bed is it?” Ginsuke raised an eyebrow when he returned from the bathroom and saw that Nekoji hadn’t moved. “Duh, I mean, we can’t really both use mine.”

Nekoji gestured to the many pillows and random abandoned books that smothered his bed. Ginsuke sat beside Nekoji with his back pressed against the wall and peered over the boys shoulder.

“What movie are we thinking then?”
Nekoji shuffled back happily and pointed at his screen, “All Might- return of the turtle monster!”
“Wow, I haven’t seen that one in ages.” Ginsuke smiled nostalgically.

The boys settled down against the wall and Nekoji began the movie. To be honest, Ginsuke wasn’t too interested in the movie and just smiled down at Nekoji. His friend looked like he wanted to explode and he brushed his tail anxiously.

“Something you want to say?” Ginsuke murmured. Nekoji nodded and looked up at Ginsuke as if asking for permission. Ginsuke laughed softly, “Well? Fire away then.”

As soon as Ginsuke closed his mouth, Nekoji begun spilling facts and theories about the show nonstop. He moved his hands as he talked and his tail whisked around excitedly, both things made Ginsuke feel warm inside.

The soft light of morning crept through the window and Ginsuke opened his eyes slowly. Gaining his senses, he sat up and stared around. He was sat upright by the wall and Nekoji was curled up like a cat at the foot of his bed.

Grumbling, Ginsuke clambered over his friend and stretched once on his feet. Wait- what day is it? Ginsuke grabbed his phone and looked at the lock screen. “Sunday.” He said out loud.

He had promised that he would visit his mother! Quickly, he dashed around, throwing on clothes and washing himself. Nekoji woke up, startled as he heard a crash. “Silver?” He called out.

“I’m fine.” Ginsuke emerged from the bathroom rubbing his head. Nekoji tilted his head, “Are you sure?”
Ginsuke shrugged, “I forgot there was a cabinet over the sink and…stood up too fast.”

Nekoji snickered behind his hand, “That’s rough. Hey-“ he looked Ginsuke up and down, “where are you heading off to?”

“I’m going to see my mother, I’ll be back later.”
“Without me?”
“Huh?” Before Ginsuke could argue, Nekoji had jumped out of bed and was stumbling around, changing his clothes.

Ginsuke averted his eyes to his phone with speed, “Uhm,” he choked, “what do you mean?”
“I want to meet your mum!” Nekoji laughed, beaming brightly, before falling to the floor in an attempt to get trousers on fast. Ginsuke rolled his eyes but deep down, he didn’t mind spending more time with his new friend.

After bustling about, the boys left their dorm and headed down the hall. “How are we getting there?”
“Car.” Ginsuke held his keys up, jangling them. For a brief moment, Nekoji stared at the keys, entranced, before shaking his head. “Nice!”

In the college car park, a small car caught Nekoji’s eye. It was a dark red mustang which he hadn’t seen before, “Don’t tell me that’s yours.” He murmured at Ginsuke with his jaw dropped. Ginsuke smiled and headed towards it.