Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

While Kokomi didn’t particularly hate Makoto, she would find herself praying that he wasn’t home from time to time. She brushed these thoughts off as she just needed some time alone, in her personal space.

But couldn’t she already do that while he was home? Retreating to her room rarely made a difference, though. Was it supposed to?

She seldom questioned her relationship with her brother. They never fought; in fact, they got along way better than most siblings out there. As expected from the perfect Teruhashi family!

The last time she actually thought about their interactions was when she… walked in on Makoto sniffing her bedsheets…? What was he even trying to do back then? And why?

Well, to say the least, she knew for a fact her brother loved her deeply. She just greatly misinterpreted how he loved her. The doubts crawled their way back into her mind rapidly, as she froze and stared at the scenery of her room from the doorway. She definitely forgot to tell him her extracurricular club was canceled.

"O-Oh…! K-Kokomi, this isn’t how it looks like!!"

"Right… So what exactly is going on here?"

Despite the shock, her tone was surprisingly calm. As if she didn’t fully believe this was real, maybe a dream. Or he had a really good explanation somehow. Like if nothing at all, she could convince herself that walking in on your clothes lying on your bed and floor with your own brother standing by your open drawer is a completely normal experience.

"Well… uh… why are you even home early?!"

"Do you REALLY think that is the better question here?!? Tell me what's going on!!" came out stronger this time.

Kokomi paused for a short while, along with Makoto’s silence.

"GET OUT." Who knew the perfect, pretty schoolgirl could lose her composure like that? I mean, her brother knew, obviously, this isn’t the first time she had to yell at him like this. Wait, how many other times were there?

"…b-but—!"

"NO! Just… just get out. please." She ended in a whisper.

She didn’t even bother looking at her brother’s face as he swayed past her and softly closed the door behind her. She expected it to slam, she expected her brother to make more of an effort to defend himself, she expected him to be at least a little mad that his little sister was accusing him of something like that. She had hoped she was wrong, and that Makoto would have come up with a great reason he was snooping through her stuff, and she would facepalm and beat herself up for even doubting him for a second. His silence broke a large piece off her heart.

She didn’t know what to do. She sat on her bed near the pile of sweaters. How would she even start fixing everything? Did it need fixing? She desperately attempted to think it through, but to no avail. She couldn’t even form an organized line of thought. Should she just pretend nothing happened? That's what she would have done usually. Makoto would prefer that outcome, but his opinions aren't important. Not right now. The other option was heading downstairs to talk it out. But what would she even say? She desperately wanted to be able to shove the issue back under the rug, but the lump would be too big to ignore this time.

It was all too much, and she had no motivation to get a move on any of her chances to repair her relationship with him. Has everything always been this way between them? She recalled the times he would sneak up and hug her from the back, sniffing her hair. Times she would find him "taking a nap" on her bed. A shiver ran down her spine. Eurghh.

Her face was starting to ache from the tension that went on for a little too long. She was gonna form wrinkles at this point, damn it!!

She took a deep breath, trying to relax her furrowed brows. She whispered to herself as she exhaled: “Ahh, I just want to get away from it all…” Her face took on a sadder expression, replacing the stressed one.

The mess in her room eventually distracted her from her thoughts. Her room was always clean and organized; she wasn’t used to a living environment like this at all. She moved to the floor to fold her school uniforms first, before they could form crinkles. A perfect, pretty girl like her would never dare to go to school with flawed clothes. Not the Kokomi they know. Even a slightly folded-up skirt could crack her neat persona. She couldn’t let her classmates witness her slipping up, not even in her lowest!

Not only her classmates. Even strangers would be horrified to see her as anything other than the perfect girl she always presented herself to be. She lastly picked up the maxi skirt from the backrest of her chair and clipped it onto a hanger. That had felt nice; maybe chores would help take her mind off… things.

She was quite handy with housework; she always prided herself on it. Only another aspect to her perfection, though. She would be a great wife someday, as she was told by many. She finished wiping her room down in a short time and quickly set her study materials back onto her shiny desk. The next stop, laundry!

Kokomi made her way to the basement with her laundry basket resting on her forearms. She set it down with a hum and began unloading the machine. What came out were Makoto’s white button-ups. At least he was competent enough to throw his clothes in the wash. Kokomi cringed as she hung that man’s clothes to dry.

Andddd start! She closed the detergent slot and wiped her forehead with a sigh. Then came a sound she couldn’t distinguish whether it was water pulling from the machine or her stomach grumbling. Damn it, she shouldn’t have skipped lunch to help first-year students move their club room. She had been so preoccupied that she forgot to eat when she first came home, too! All his fault…

Ugh. Sure, she liked cooking, but today was not one of those days. While she kind of lacked the energy, her main reason for not wanting to go near the kitchen was… well… her brother. The kitchen and the island were connected to the living room, where he was supposed to be hanging right now.

If she went up there, she had no way of ignoring him. Interacting with him was out of the question. She would have to at the end of the day, but procrastinating the confrontation seemed easiest. Call her lazy all you want, but she can not deal with his shit anymore today.

Does she really have to? Ideas she never thought she would ever consider ran through her mind.

She doubted her plan would count as running away anyway; she would just "have a sleepover" at one of her friends and not ask Makoto’s permission beforehand. If he tries to go to the police, claiming she is missing, she could just pull those angel eyes on the cops, saying her brother is oh so overprotective and paranoid that he totally forgot about her spending the whole week at her friend’s to study for the upcoming exam!

She turned around to glance at the wall clock. It read 6:20 pm. Perfect. She would grab a backpack of necessities and wear more layers to fit more clothes on her person. 6:50 pm. Then squeeze through the front door with the excuse that she was gonna meet up with friends for dinner at 7. Only using the excuse if Makoto asks where she is going, of course.

She started second-guessing the decision as she ran upstairs and slammed her door behind her:

'God. This is so, so stupid. I don’t need to run away because of some misunderstanding (surely…)! He is a good guy. A single creepy move from him isn’t enough of an excuse to label him as a creep!!'

She shoved another shirt in the bag:

'Plus, what if people from PK learn?! My reputation would be ruined!! "Perfect girl Teruhashi Kokomi ran away because she couldn’t handle her loving brother showing affection." AGHH!'

She put on a pair of jeans:

'Am I really overreacting, though? This isn't the first time something like this happened. So whatever the reason is behind him acting this way, it has been going on for a while... But if that's so, why didn't I leave earlier? Oh God, am I going to regret this?! I don't want to! This is not something to fully turn back from! But it is what I need right now..."

She finally zipped her jacket up over multiple shirts and blouses.

'I don’t… care about what they would think. All I need now is to get away from this house. And everything will be alright again. I can’t spend the night here, not with him around...'

One thing about Kokomi, she always knew her worth. She wasn’t going to sacrifice her needs and happiness just so some kids don’t talk shit about her. Besides, she was naturally likable. Even if she made the world’s worst decision, it would become the new social norm. That meant anyone who tries to speak badly about her would get jumped. Literally.

That also meant she had to keep her suspicions about her brother hidden. While he made her feel uneasy every once in a while, she still loved him. If she even brought his name up in a slightly negative context, he would become Japan’s most hated man in an instant. Which he totally didn’t deserve!! He wasn’t a bad person or anything…

'Okay! I’m done. Keep your composure, Kokomi! You got this… Alright.' She descended the stairs with her signature resting happy face. Huh… Makoto’s not here. Is he in the bathroom? Great! She wasted so much time beating herself up and feeling guilty for deciding upon this plan that she spent an additional 40 minutes past her planned departure. Heading out for dinner after the sky nearly got pitch black would be really suspicious. She quickly slipped her boots on and ran out.

…What now? Right. Food and a place to stay.

Chapter Text

Raising the world’s two greatest anomalies hadn’t been easy.

The parent handbooks worked for neither Kuusuke nor Kusuo. They were written by humans, for humans after all. Not that the boys could ever really be considered one. One was born with god-like superpowers that exceeded the human comprehensible range, and the other had a mind so evolved that he could analyze and reverse-engineer his brother's said powers using human means.

They pretty much gave up on raising Kusuo at all, around the time he was growing out of his toddler phase. They had to have their first serious conversation after 5-year-old Kusuo wiped out an entire nation for discovering his “skills”. “Self-defense” he called it. How could anyone expect having to convince a child that killing people is bad?

But the couple genuinely tried their best. Kusuo had to give them the credit for it. They were actually the best people to raise him too. A normal family probably would have gone insane and been locked up in a mental facility. Disciplining a smug-ass kid that could read minds, teleport at will, carry the whole statue of liberty and spin it like a basketball on his pinky, and much, much more? ‘Thanks Kuusuke, for desensitizing them before I came along.’

Having such children also came with its good sides; they were both very independent from a young age. While this put Kurumi into a constant “they grow up so fastttt :((“ mindset, it meant the couple could often enjoy private moments without concern for the kids occupying a large portion of their brain.

This time, they chose to go to an island halfway across the world, with the suspiciously large amount of money Kuusuke gifted them for their anniversary. Swimming in December must be fun.

Kusuo didn’t mind being home alone; not much would change anyway. If anything, it might be better, considering he could get a break from his lazy father’s daily nagging. He could also get away with exceeding his daily average of 17 coffee jellies by a considerable amount. His mother wasn’t here to be horrified at the empty cups dumped in the trash right after another… ‘Hey! Stop tempting me! Good grief…’

‘...That does sound good — I wonder how many I have left in the fridge…’

In a blink he appeared in front of the fridge. ‘Only 5 left?! It was 20 just this morning! I’ll just get dinner over with and head to the store later.’

Kusuo’s eyes fell to the remaining half of the pork chops on the bottom shelf. Kurumi had bought and cooked the first half 2 days ago, while he was dragged to grab ramen with his nuisances. It was one of his mom's best dishes, so he doubted he could surpass her cooking this time. Kusuo was still willing to try.

Talk about modesty! Even without his powers, godly kitchen skills ran in their genes. Not to mention he actually enjoyed cooking, so didn’t mind actually putting in the effort from time to time. However, he only ever did so when he was cooking for himself. His mother was known for her cooking skills and he didn’t like to compete with the people he loved.

He took out the pork from the fridge and coated it in spices. Floated the pan down from the shelf onto the stove and left the oil to sizzle. After a while of browning the pork's sides, he discarded the used oil in a bottle and replaced it with butter, thyme, and crushed garlic this time.

He was starting to contemplate skipping the sauce altogether. He nearly forgot how long the whole process took. Understandable if you consider he takes the time in the kitchen only once in a full moon. Once he was all done, he took 2 on his plate, pairing it with barbecue sauce and left the rest on the rack.

He set his plate down on the coffee table and sat on the floor. Alright, let's see how it turned out…

‘Mm, yea I’m definitely getting better at this. So good that it's almost as if the author just needed an excuse to try a new recipe.’ …Oh

Despite the background noise of a crowd thinking nonstop, Kusuo felt his world getting quieter than usual. This wasn’t like the other times he’s been home alone. For the first time in a while, he felt like he didn’t have anything on his plate — aside from pork chops. For a moment, there was no world he needed to save, and better yet, no one he needed to converse with. He wasn’t sure if the silence could be taken as boring or peaceful. 

“Lonely” would fit better. He was one of the few people who didn’t associate that word with a negative connotation. He knew it was because it meant he didn’t have any responsibilities toward someone, or felt he didn’t owe them anything.

‘I might be biased but routinely eating this instead of ramen is starting to seem like a good idea’

~~~

He looked down at his clothes as he stood in the hall: A slightly oversized shirt with sweatpants — the pants should look normal enough to wear in December. He never felt too hot or cold because of his automatic body heat regulation. The problem was figuring out which clothes were “normal” for the weather. He quickly threw on his jacket and wrapped a scarf around his neck.

He should be good to go. He grabbed his wallet from the side table and–

*wooosh*

~~~

There it was!

The LED sign hanging by the convenience store set a blue hue on Kokomi’s face.

‘How do those guys even live eating ramen every day!! Weren’t they talking about going out for ramen after school yesterday? And the day before that. This time they went for dinner. Really?!’

‘I was going to that place thinking I wouldn’t run into them at this hour… Isn’t God supposed to be on my side?! Now I’m forced to manage with just instant noodles… Come on!!!’

*wooosh*

Kusuo landed in the narrow alleyway right beside the store. He quickly glanced around to make sure no one saw him — a force of habit, when a familiar echo in his head stopped him from setting foot in the blue-tinted street.

‘This brand looks good… Maybe I’ll take a couple. I don’t want to burden someone with having to provide food while they are already giving shelter. It’s not that Chiyo would mind but I’m not that close with my other girlfriends.’

‘Wait, that voice! Is that… Teruhashi? Why is she here this late?’

‘Staying with one of them would be ideal, but it's not the end of the world if they refuse! I brought enough money to stay at a motel for at least 2 days! But then I’d have to return home earlier…’

‘Did she really run away? But what reason does she have to? Surely it's not a fight with her parents, they live abroad. Even if they were home, she’s not like other teens to have petty fights with adults. Unless it's about that guy.’

‘Oh wow. I knew he was a real weirdo, but I didn’t think he would actually act on his fantasies. How many times did he even make her uncomfortable that she would take such a drastic approach?’

He tried to hide but too late, Kokomi had already caught a glimpse of his pink hair as she grabbed the plastic bag from the cashier and turned around to leave.

‘Whoa! Is that Saiki?’

‘Crap.’

She put on her signature award-winning angel smile and pushed the glass door open. Holy crap! Her aura blended in with the blue light and the whole street turned a beautiful turquoise green color?!

“Hey, Saiki! What are you doing out here this late?” ‘He probably came to get 3 more packs of coffee jellies or something. He really has a sweet tooth, huh?’

‘No way out of this conversation. It’s scary how well she knows me… I really was going to get 3 more packs.’

“I could ask you the same thing. I came to get some snacks.”

“I, uhhh, same actually!” ‘I can’t have him getting suspicious! Why did I have to run into him now of all times!’

“Are those instant noodles? You don’t look like the type to enjoy those as a snack.”

‘WAIT, DID HE MEAN I’M SKINNY?!?!’ ‘I definitely did not mean that.’ ‘He definitely did! I would be fat if I enjoyed them as a snack! Finally, he admitted I’m pretty! Heh. Even you can’t ignore my beauty forever!’ ‘How did you jump to that conclusion. Also, you would redefine beauty standards if you were fat.’

Trying her best to keep her composure, she blurted out, “E-Eh..? Nooo, I don’t eat them often… I just totally forgot to grab groceries today and didn’t have much to cook with, so this sounded like a good backup!”

Kusuo’s telepathy managed to pick up a stray thought floating in the back of her mind: ‘...I really should call Chiyo before it gets too late…’

Ah, that won’t do. He had already checked on Yumehara when he first caught Teruhashi’s thoughts regarding her. She was making an elaborate plan to score a one-to-one date with Kaidou. If Teruhashi called right now, she would get extremely embarrassed and flat out refuse. And her parents would get suspicious. How did Teruhashi not think this through? Probably started forgetting about the concept of “parents” since she has been alone for so long.

And the motel idea was a big no-no. Running away from a creep to end up in a swarm of them. For Kusuo nothing was ever considered dangerous, but even he was on top of his guard when he had to pass by one. As a guy, obviously the number of people potentially preying on him was significantly lower compared to a girl. Not to mention Teruhashi literally attracted every male within a 100-meter radius. Kusuo felt his blood drain from his fingers as he remembered why he avoided going out in his girl form. Men — even only their thoughts — were scary.

'Does Teruhashi even have any place in the world where she can feel safe? To think her own brother is a threat to her peace... How often does she deal with people like that that she started to normalize this treatment?'

'He's been silent for a while... Is there something on my face?! No, that's impossible, I didn't bore him out did I?! Oh no...' “Uhm, Saiki? You are zoning out, everything alright?”

“Hey, do you have a place to stay tonight?”

Chapter Text

Teruhashi briefly went numb, unable to process how exactly he knew what was going on with her. With the hint of her unreadable facial expression, Kusuo instantly picked up on how out of the place his words were, ‘Crap. Is there any way to get myself out of this slip up? Is my act finally over?’

Kokomi finally managed to squeeze out a “H-huh?”

‘He.. He saw right through me?! How?! How did I give it away, I’m supposed to be good at lying!’ ‘Hmm…’

“Uhm, sorry I kinda assumed you, well…” Great, more playing pretend. He kept going after a deep breath. Why was confronting her about this making him nervous? “I just thought bringing a bag that full was off for a grocery run. You didn’t mention anything about heading to a sleepover so I was worried you were… in trouble?”

He waited for a response, for her to make a move this time so he didn't have to worry about pushing and making Teruhashi uncomfortable. He gulped when all he got was silence, with her thoughts scattered all over the place. "Excuse me if I’m mistaken… it wasn’t my place to assume.” he managed to let out with a sigh.

“E-eh…? Well, actually…” ‘He is so… observant. Oh wow…’ ‘Are our roles reversed?’ ‘He was so concerned about me too. And even admitted it! Despite his cold, blank appearance, he really does care for people around him all the time. You are so kind, Saiki…’

Kusuo felt his face get slightly warm and had to turn to the side to hide his embarrassment. He wasn’t a good person like she made him out to be. His shoulders slowly relaxed and his face fell into a frown. Almost everyone that knew him would agree he had a shitty personality.

“You… you were right. I don’t want to bore you out with details but… I don’t think I can stay at my house for a while… D-don’t worry though!! I’m going to stay at Chiyo’s!!” She muttered from under her breath: “Probably”

‘Should I just go for it? There is no way she would pass up on this opportunity under normal circumstances… But she might be uncomfortable now. Plus I don’t exactly want her in my space. She is going to be screaming in her mind for a while and that is not something I want to flood my head with first thing in the morning…’

‘This really is the only way though. Staying with a friend would draw their parents’ attention and a motel is out of the question. I can’t let her go back home either, that guy creeps even me out. Good grief.’

'...I suppose she is a good companion. Who am I kidding, loneliness is not all that great anyway.'

Kusuo managed to spit it out before the silence could get unbearable.

“You can stay with me if you need to.”

‘Oh god. Why did I have to word it like that.’

‘S-stay… with him? Hehe…’ Images of her fantasy Saiki being protective over her with an out of character smug look on his face popped up in her head. ‘Wait this is real life! At his house? With him? He really just invited me over—overnight?! Calm down, Kokomi! Keep it casual!!’

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I meant. If you don’t have another option, my place is… available.” He paused, then added quickly, “You could stay in the guest room.”

She continued looking at him with stunned eyes. This whole thing was so foreign to Kokomi’s impression of Saiki. He almost always had this signature disgusted face when people stepped foot into his house, and now he was willingly inviting her over. Sure she came over sometimes for cooking lessons with Kurumi but Saiki was either not home or she felt that he was trying to avoid her specifically. ‘She’s perceptive as well.’

“I-I wouldn’t want to cause trouble for you guys…” She mumbled, fidgeting with her scarf. Her cheeks were visibly pink now, and her lips twitching with excitement. “Are you sure having me over would be fine with your parents?” ‘please say yes please say yes’

“It's fine. They are out of town.”

God, when had he started talking without thinking it through? 

‘WHAT! I’m going to be alone with him?! Me and Saiki! And! And HE is the one that offered! I knew it! I knew he liked me! He must be so nervous right now! Asking a girl like ME to stay over! Even you succumb to my beauty at the end of the day!’

‘No… don’t twist things Kokomi… He is genuinely trying to help you out and you are over here comparing him to every other guy who would ask you to stay over with certain intentions.’ 

‘Not that I would have accepted any of their invites. Somehow I feel safe with Saiki, maybe because I know he wouldn’t… attempt anything weird. Quite the opposite, I feel like he would go insane lengths to protect me. He really has this… trustable energy. He really is not like the others—stop, that's cliche!’ He couldn’t help but smile at her thoughts. At least she had a fairly realistic idea of him.

Deep down, she knew how much Saiki cared for her, maybe even more than he himself knew. He never swooned over her, saw right through her appearance but was still there to support her wordlessly. The idea set a warm feeling in her heart, and she made up her mind when she looked up to see his fond smile that had formed while she was lost in thoughts. Her freezing up didn’t seem to bother him.

“If I won’t be inconveniencing you, I’d really appreciate it, Saiki.” She wore a sincere, soft smile on her face. Not like the ones she flashes to cashiers to get free groceries often.

“Okay, if this is settled can you wait for me to get coffee jellies?”

~~~

The walk back home was quiet. Kokomi was confused; she expected him to push her for answers, and he didn’t even look a bit curious about her story. While she tried to break the said tension by asking questions like where his parents went or what other desserts he liked, he shut the conversation down with dry answers. At one point she got so frustrated with her attempts not landing at all that she jumped straight to the topic she actually wanted to talk about.

“Thank you a lot, Saiki... Not many people  notice my problems unless I deliberately point it out.”

“The instant noodles were a dead giveaway. Also it’s alright, really. I don’t want you ending up anywhere sketchy.”

All she could do was to nod, turn her head back on her way and enjoy the rest of their lovely night walk. Maybe there was no need for words; this shared moment was enough.

~~~

“Alright, we’re here.”

Kusuo held the door of the front yard open for Teruhashi to enter.

‘Thank god she is taking this so naturally. She really needs to rest from the stress of whatever her brother put her through. Forget everything I said about wanting to be a pretty girl in my next life. Sounds like this shit sucks ass.’

The keys clicked as he opened the house door. Usually he opened it with telekinesis but considering the guest he had to turn to a more physically explainable way. Not using his powers for a while was going to be troublesome. Good grief, helping others was way easier when they didn’t know he was helping them.

Kusuo slipped his shoes off and gestured for her to do the same. Teruhashi left her boots neatly beside his, placing them perfectly aligned as if she was a complete stranger afraid to disrupt the air of the house.

“The guest room is upstairs to the right. You can set your stuff down while I warm up dinner for you. Assuming you like pork chops?” He took his jacket off and hung it before looking back at her to punctuate his question.

“I would love some,” ‘I wonder what his cooking is like… I’m literally so lucky. Twice as lucky if he inherited kitchen skills from his mom…’

Kusuo nodded in response and walked off to the bathroom to wash up. She looked after him, standing still in the hall for a moment before slipping her coat off too.

‘Upstairs to the right… Oh there it is!’

Kokomi pushed the door open and flicked the light on. This was oddly big for a normal guest room, usually people laid a single mattress in a cellar-like spare space and left it for the guest to claim. She doubted the Saiki’s had guests often, their house was big for just 3 people so they probably have a room or two to spare. She put her bag down and started peeling off her efficiency-based layers. The room felt a refreshing cool against her skin. The layers have been suffocating her.

She continued to explore her new room. A large bed nearly the size of hers at her own house, a desk and lamb perfect for maintaining her grades, and an empty wardrobe with a mirror attached. Looks like she will be staying here for a while, might as well settle in.

‘AHH what am I thinking?! It's not like I'm moving here! I don't want to look too eager either—l’ll just hang my uniform for now. It better not crease…’

~~~

The smell of pork chops was yet to come out. Kusuo went into the living room as soon as he found the spray bottle filled with the appropriate cleaning solution. He should wipe the tables down before Teruhashi comes down. He wasn’t expecting company obviously, so he had no reason to leave the room spotless before he went out. Luckily, he had time before needing to take the leftover dinner out the oven.

He came back and put the cleaning supplies back in their places. He quickly floated down a plate—he was going to need to cut back on this habit for a while—before creaks from the stairs moved any closer to the kitchen.

“Whoa, this smells really good!”

Teruhashi was staring from the doorframe already. Saiki nodded.

“I’m going to take them out in a bit. You can wait in the living room.”

She slipped past him to look into the oven instead, “Hmm? Tin foil?”

“Yeah. I wrap them up individually, it contains the moisture better.”

“I used to put them back on a pan, then switched to an oven. I thought about it but never tried tin foil though, no wonder they always dried out.”

She continued to stare into the glass door in curiosity, sitting on the floor. Saiki grabbed the oven gloves from the hanger in front of him. He moved and bent at his waist, staring down at Kokomi, as she flinched back from his sudden movement, “Back up a bit.”

Teruhashi wiggled her way to a distance she assumed was safe from the warmth that would be coming out soon and pulled herself up as if she just remembered she could stand.

The oven door clicked open with a muted thump, and a wave of savory steam curled upward. Teruhashi’s hair fluttered slightly from the heat, and she let out a quiet “woah…”

He placed the tray on the cold stove. She immediately leaned over like a cat sniffing something new. Saiki took off the gloves and grabbed the metal tongs. Softly peeling away the foil, he hummed. “I say they turned out fine enough, at least better than throwing them straight into the battlefield called the oven.”

Teruhashi actually found it funny and giggled. He felt relief wash over him, his poor attempt at humor fortunately didn’t fumble as embarrassingly as it should have.

‘Oh god this looks really good. How did he make such a simple dish look so fancy? Am I being blinded by love?!’ “Thanks…” she murmured, glancing down at the perfectly cooked meat. She quickly walked by him into the living room with short steps, before her confusion could get visible on her face. Saiki could only stare after her. Such a drama queen…

Saiki came soon enough, handing her the chopsticks and settling into his seat opposite her.

“These are… amazing, Saiki. Did you make all of this yourself?” He nodded, head resting on his fist, watching her softly chew the piece she stuffed in her mouth.

She swallowed and added before sticking the chopsticks back in her mouth, “I guess cooking skills really run in the genes… maybe you should teach me how to cook instead!”

What she said dawned on her mid-bite, with the low sound of his chuckle. ‘I WENT TOO FAR I WENT TOO FAR WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! I was too busy savouring these I wasn’t thinking at all!!’ ‘Okay I think I cook well but you might be a bit too biased…’

She quickly forced the bite down her throat to try and squeeze out better thought out words, but Saiki cut in before she could. “You might be exaggerating, Teruhashi.”

She opened her mouth again, growing more frustrated at words not coming out. The feeling faded as she glanced up to see his lips slightly curled up, a barely noticeable smile, and she gave up on trying to justify herself.

Teruhashi tilted her head, smiling herself in response. “Still… It's really good. Better than anything I’ve had at someone’s house before. I didn’t expect you to be this skilled.”

Saiki shrugged. Slightly embarrassed, “I like cooking. I’m not really motivated often, but when I am I try to pay attention to detail, you know...” He glanced at her, just for a second, to see her reaction. Her genuine appreciation made him feel… satisfied. He added as she took another bite. “Baking’s more fun.”

She didn’t feel the urgency to respond this time. She knew Saiki didn’t expect one out of her, prioritising comfort over forcing the conversation on was starting to feel oddly natural with him. She finally spoke after a long while of chewing.

“I’d really want to be your taste tester for sweets, then. Will I get to?”

Saiki sank deeper into his palm. “Sure.”

Chapter Text

Teruhashi stood in front of the guest room mirror, holding out the loose, plain shirt, staring blankly. She had to grab the most functional pieces in her wardrobe before fleeing. She sighed and slipped it on. She was used to only sleeping in cute pyjamas but hanging around someone else's house in such clothes would definitely be considered improper. She couldn’t possibly portray such manners.

Maybe if it was a girl… She was so nervous to even change into casualwear around Saiki, she would rather spend the whole day in uniform than him seeing her like that.

She reached in her backpack, its zipper nearly forced far enough to break. Thin fabric pants, only stuffed there to not take up much space—this should do the trick.

Not like she had any other choice. The bag could only take too much. She still had school the next day, so a set of uniform. Friday schedules class materials, wallet, basic cosmetics… Adding a pair of socks and underwear and the bag neared its limit.

Layering clothes was a whole another issue. She would have overheated and died in those if the angel named Saiki didn’t rescue her. She turned to face the stack of folded clothes she shed off earlier in the wardrobe. Would these really last her for a while?

Teruhashi sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress giving a squeak beneath her. For a second, she just stared at her reflection in the mirror across the room. Her bangs clinged to her forehead, her hair a bit tangled from the wind and humidity outside. Normally, that alone would have sent her sprinting to find a brush, she needed to look her best for Saiki!

But then, she couldn’t bring herself to move, not a big deal. Not like he would come in the room in the middle of the night and see her like this.

The mirror blinked back at her, as just a tired face. The face looked strange, Teruhashi Kokomi would usually beam a different shade of beauty whether she was mad, happy, or genuinely crying, really. Her ordinary glow was flickering, dying out, and strangely enough, she didn’t seem to care as much about it either. Here, she didn’t have to. She found that she didn’t even particularly worry about bumping into her new roommate in the morning, before she could get ready and look like her usual self again.

Because he… didn’t expect anything from her, it seemed. The reality was starting to hit her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

She fell to her side and let her head drop on the pillow. He didn’t demand the Teruhashi everyone else adored. She hated and grew obsessed with changing that for a while, yet somehow that was exactly why she felt comfortable in the moment.

‘You really are strange, Saiki…’ she thought, a faint smile at her lips. ‘Strange, but… kind.’

Her eyelids fluttered. Sleep crept up faster than she anticipated.

—

In the kitchen, Saiki stood over the sink, wiping down the last dish. Teruhashi initially refused to let him do the dishes. Her protests died out soon when she saw how certain Saiki was at handling it on his own, she didn’t have the energy to fight it at the moment anyway.

He could hear her upstairs — her heartbeat calm and slow. Not knowing what is going on in others’ heads must be tiring. The germanium ring was saved for important occasions for a reason. He was glad she seemed alright for now.

He wiped his hands dry and leaned against the counter.

Her thoughts earlier stuck with him. 

“Safe and trustworthy”. She is not the first person to think of him that way, but it carved an unfamiliar pit in his stomach. He was anything but trustworthy; sure he cared for his friends and defended them from the shadows and all but anyone keeping a secret this big shouldn’t be considered like that.

He couldn’t burden anyone with the knowledge that someone was actually out there witnessing the depths of their soul, the thoughts they themselves were ashamed to have. He can let others, Teruhashi, appreciate him for a while.

The alternate timeline where he had the chance to tell his friends about it. He seemed closer with all of them, and close enough with Teruhashi to actually be together. He only told them about his powers because he had nothing to lose; that reality would cease to exist when he returned, which was inevitable.

Still, he had shamefully wanted to stay there for a while. At least until the fact they accepted wholeheartedly at first started to take a mental toll on them. Until they began to resent Saiki.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say he had to grow up and get used to keeping this impossible gap between him and others if he wanted stable relationships. It was simple. Either hide forever or don’t get attached. Get over it quickly when you suddenly have to move away again. 

He turned off the lights and headed upstairs. The hallway light flickered faintly as he passed. He paused briefly in front of the guest room door, sensing her steady breathing inside.

He looked through the door to check, she was asleep. Good.

He reached for his own door handle. Just before turning in, a whisper, a sleepy thought drifted into his head. Barely conscious.

‘Thank you for knowing me, Saiki…’

His hand froze for a moment. Then he sighed, cheeks turning a light red.

‘You’re welcome, Teruhashi.’

~~~

The faint warmth of sunlight pushed through the blinds, painting soft gold stripes across the room. Teruhashi stirred awake, blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling before the memory of the night before clicked back into place.

Right. Saiki’s house. That… wasn’t a dream. She sank her face deeper into the pillow and allowed herself a moment to snuggle in the soft blanket. They weren’t like the ones back at her own home in the slightest but how comfortable they were was worth taking a moment for.

She forced herself up at the end, sliding off the bed. She clumsily walked over to the mirror. Her hair was tangled, the pillow left marks on her face like she took a nap on the couch after school—in a good way. She touched her face, feeling the dents knowing they will go away in a couple minutes. Maybe she grew too dependent on her silk bedsheets.

…She was scared to even open her phone. She ran her fingers through her hair, taking apart some of the knots. She really didn’t want to deal with any missed calls or piled up texts from Makoto first thing in the morning. Especially if the morning was going this peacefully.

The 7:45 alarm on her phone went off. Oof. She could shut it off without checking the notifications and keep herself sane for the rest of the day. She got closer and swiped the dismiss button, looking away as if the device was a ticking bomb.

Shutting the phone off completely probably would be easier. She can deal with this issue later when she is actually ready for confrontation. Why did he even have to be this … uh…? Teruhashi couldn’t find the words to describe it. Whatever, she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this at all if he turned out a little different. She changed into her uniform before stepping out into the hallway.

Kokomi padded softly down the stairs, careful not to make the wood creak. Her plan was to sneak into the bathroom without being noticed. The smell of toasted bread and something buttery drifted from the kitchen, distracting her.

Her heartbeat picked up—he was up early and making breakfast?

When she peeked around the corner, she caught sight of Saiki standing by the counter, flipping something in a pan with practiced precision. He wore the same neutral expression he always had, focused and calm, as if this morning scene was nothing new at all.

Hehe... Look at him being all responsible.

She brushed her hair and rubbed her eyes in a hurry before making herself seen. “Good morning,” voice still slightly drowsy.

Saiki looked up briefly, meeting her eyes. “Morning. Uh. I’m making tea, do you want some?”

She searched for a response quickly as if he had just gone off script. “Y-Yeah sure, let me just… Wash up really quick!” She ended with an awkward giggle and took the chance to run to the bathroom. She put her hair up and splashed water on her face in a hurry. She didn’t get to take her skincare products with her while she was packing.

Kokomi couldn’t wash and blow out her bangs here like she did every morning. ‘Priorities, I guess. No one will notice anyway.’ They wouldn’t. Her hair naturally always fell over her face in a really chic way. Would Saiki notice? She took her hair down and ran her fingers through it again to give it some volume. ‘It’s gonna grease fast if I keep this up…’ 

‘Wait… My hair is going to grease eventually, and I can’t be stinking—Am I really going to have to… take a shower in HIS house?!’ Kusuo sighed from the kitchen.

‘It will be so awkward to ask for spare towels… oh god… and to think he will have to see me WITH a towel… This is all too fast!! I love you Saiki but this is too much!!’ She splashed water on again in an attempt to cool down her face. It wasn’t working.

‘I should probably offer her towels and other necessities before she starts to take her frustration out on people. She can’t juggle that many suspicious guys.’

She retreated from the bathroom, looking defeated. When she saw the tea already placed on the table for her, she went straight to the chair. She watched Saiki work on the kitchen counter with his back turned to her.

‘So calm… Even at this hour he looks like he’s had three coffees already… Wait, does he even drink coffee or does he only eat those jellies…?’

He plated the toast — golden and evenly grilled, with melted cheese slipping over the edges. She only got to see when he turned and made his way over to the table.

“Grilled cheese?”

He nodded, setting a plate down in front of her.

“It smells amazing,” she smiled, taking a careful bite.

He sat across from her, holding his tea in hand.

For a while, the only sounds were soft chewing and the hum of the refrigerator.

‘Why is it so quiet? Should I actually say something? No, no, he probably likes it quiet. But if I don’t talk, it’ll seem like I’m being weird! Wait, maybe he’ll think I’m being ungrateful–’

He would usually keep his composure to tick her off and tease her, but she looked like she genuinely couldn’t handle any uncertainties. Is he really going to make things easier for her? She could use a little comfort. “You don’t need to force conversation, you know,” he said, taking a sip casually.

“Eh?”

Uhm. “I can tell you’re overthinking.”

Her heart skipped. “W-what? No, I’m not!”

He raised an eyebrow, deadpan.

‘How does he always know?! It's like he can read minds or something—no, don’t be ridiculous, Kokomi!’ Cold sweat ran down Kusuo.

She huffed lightly and turned her focus back to the sandwich. “I like talking to you but can't find a way, you know...”

“We will have plenty of time to talk," he replied, not looking up. ‘I can’t use mind control for such an inconspicuous thought. I can let her consider that possibility. Besides, she will need to learn eventually.’

Maybe it will be okay when she does. Things will change, but maybe it doesn’t have to be unpleasant. The times he opened up during the time loops… She loved him regardless in every universe, sincerely.

He listened to the celebration music playing in Teruhashi's head. He practically finally admitted to like speaking with her as well, in her point of view of course. She really didn't plan on giving up on him, huh? The thought was forcing a childish grin on his face, and he was trying to suppress it in a panic. He even resorted to hiding his face behind his arm, embarrassed. Teruhashi could only witness his eyes glowing. She didn’t bother deciphering it.

When they finished, Teruhashi tried to insist on doing the dishes this time, rolling up her sleeves halfway.

“I’ll do them,” he said immediately.

“But–”

“You’re the guest. Plus you should head out earlier.”

“Hmm?”

“If we leave together, someone might see. Your fans… jump to conclusions.”

“Oh. Right… of course.”

He caught it again—the effort she put into her appearance. Her struggle suddenly didn’t seem all that big now that she was sure Saiki acknowledged it.

His signature deadpan face she was used to seeing everyday, felt a little warmer today. She smiled and ran upstairs to grab her bag, leaving Saiki alone in the living room.