Apparition
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Dainoo
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Genre: Magical realisim
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from J&A.
Summary: The first time Inoo met Daiki, he ended up on top of a bookcase.
A/N: This is set in the same AU as Special and Almost Normal, where J&A is a haven for superpowered boys and men.
The first time Inoo met Daiki, he ended up on top of a bookcase. And sure, technically he’d climbed up there himself, but it wasn’t his fault. How was someone expected to react when a stranger materializes out of thin air so close to you that they end up standing on your foot a little? All things considered, Inoo felt that jumping two meters into the air and promptly scrambling on top of the closest bookcase was a very acceptable reaction, and it did not call for the laughter his startled response got from the other boys. Even the kid that had just appeared next to him was laughing, Inoo slowly climbing back down with as much grace as his thirteen year old body could muster as he fought back an embarrassed blush.
The kid finally introduced himself once Inoo was back on solid ground, telling him that his name was Arioka Daiki, before immediately noticing Inoo’s ears peeking out of his hair, and the tail he had whipping the air in annoyance, asking excitedly if they were real. Inoo had half a mind to tell the kid to mind his own business, but he just nodded, the boy exclaiming excitedly that Inoo was amazing, telling him that he must have great balance with a tail like that. Inoo would have thought it was teasing, ready for some sort of fetishizing cat boy joke, but the kid was beaming, smiling at him in a way that seemed startlingly genuine, and it threw him off guard. Inoo pursed his lips, wondering how much longer he was going to have to tolerate this boy, when a manager peered through the doorway, and exclaimed
“Oh good, you’ve already met Arioka-kun! Take care of him, you will be working together a lot from now on!” Inoo had been able to feel an annoyed growl pitting itself in his throat as Daiki beamed up at him. At first Inoo expected Daiki to drop out; a lot of new boys did, not able to handle the group of misfits that the agency was, but the littler boy settled in faster than anyone Inoo had ever seen, more open minded and accepting than any one of them, to Inoo’s shock. And after a few months Inoo had to accept that Daiki wasn’t going anywhere. Despite Inoo’s initial distaste, as the years went by Daiki became one of Inoo’s closest friends.
As Inoo had been told upon meeting him, he and Daiki worked together a lot, and as Inoo’s original animosity subsided, he found that he really, truly liked Daiki. Liked him a great deal. They went through a lot together, from the things every boy growing up goes through to like growth spurts and middle school, to other more unique things like hiding their special abilities on stage, and group changes and debut, and Inoo found himself clinging to Daiki, the younger, smaller boy a steady shelter, always accepting Inoo, never calling him a freak, even if he forgot to shave his whiskers or he purred while the stylists did his hair.
As they grew up and Daiki practiced using his power the little teleporter’s abilities became more than a jump scare-it became a mode of transportation, and it opened up a new set of doors. Despite Daiki’s ability to come and go at will, he became one of the most constant things in Inoo’s life, and now, now that they were older it was great to know that when Daiki said he would be over in a second he was being literal. To know that if Inoo needed him, whether it be to get his tail out of a tight space, or to wipe away his tears, or to just spend a day curled up on the couch with, he was only a moment away. And fourteen years later, some days when Daiki was sitting on his couch giving him that overly bright genuine smile, Inoo felt like he never wanted him to leave.