Author's Note: What a heartwarming response on my last chapter. It's good to hear that people are still enjoying the story — I even received some fan art! How cool is that?

I've gotten terribly slow with writing, unfortunately, but at least I'm writing again, right?

Please enjoy.

Chapter 21 – Coming Clean

Saiki softly shut the door, leaving the hubbub of the dining guests in the other room behind him. Normally the waves of unfiltered phrases would continue to flow into his mind relentlessly, no matter how many doors he put between himself and the rest of the world.

Not this time, though.

Right now all he could register were her subtle sobs. Her shaking frame in the corner of the entry hall.

It had felt like the right thing to do, to go after her. Now he had no idea what to say. He wasn't good with words. Obviously. He wouldn't be in this situation if he was. Being avoidant by nature, he'd rarely gotten into fights before. He'd never cared enough to bother with the effort of arguing, and disengaging had always worked just fine. He had little faith in his coping strategy of choice this time, though.

He would have to talk to her.

Does she even know I'm here?

She was still flaying him inside her head. Yikes.

Maybe I shouldn't.

Saiki hesitated. He might just make it worse if he said the wrong thing now. Could it even get worse?

...she could leave.

He'd always figured that she probably would leave, sooner or later. He had only been of interest to her because she couldn't have him, after all. But… now she did. With the thrill of the chase gone, she'd surely lose her fascination for him at some point and move on. It was bound to happen. He'd just need to hang in there until then. Until he would be alone again.

Another reason not to get too attached.

And yet here he was, trying to make things right again. He wasn't even sure what right was, anymore. He just knew that her tears weren't.

Life had been so much easier before he'd tried to seal away his powers. Good grief.

He took a step towards her, but at that moment he heard the buzz behind him getting louder again. Turning around, he found himself standing face-to-face with the vile waiter that had been harassing Teruhashi earlier on. His thoughts had been obscene before, his internal schemes bordering on legality.

They paled in comparison to what he was planning right now.

"Leave," Saiki growled. He got no more than an annoyed glimpse in return, though.

"Hey miss, need a hand here? Is he bothering you?" the lowlife shouted over Saiki's shoulder, whilst simultaneously trying to figure out her cup size.

Something welled up in his chest. Something hot, fiery, molten, almost like lava. A hundred ways to set the guy straight flashed through his mind. Saiki gritted his teeth. Good grief, he'd better control himself. He looked past the subject of his anger, back into the dining area as the door had been left ajar. His eyes landed on the tray with broken glass that was sitting on the bar counter. The sleazeball must have put it there before he'd rushed after Teruhashi.

Its placement on that countertop seemed a little unstable. Hazardous.

The waiter tried to step past him, but Saiki moved in to block his way. Right at that moment, the loud noise of clattering glassware resounded through the restaurant for the second time that day.

"Best clean that up. Before someone gets hurt,"Saiki rumbled.

The waiter gulped, not fit to deal with the pressure of Saiki's icy-cold glower as well as the thundering roar of what he presumed was the lecher's boss. He turned and left the hall, tail tucked between his legs.

Saiki took a deep breath. Good grief, he really couldn't stand perverts. He brought his hand up, which had balled into a fist. He unclenched it slowly, revealing his palm.

What's up with my telekinesis today?

That had been the second time he'd been able to use it without needing a boost from her. Did it just require her proximity now, just like his telepathy? He tried beckoning the door — left ajar again, of course — with a wave of his hand. It closed with a soft click obediently. He frowned. How long until he would be back to the way he used to be? Unable to see or touch anything without his powers interfering? Hiding in the shadows for fear of exposure?

No shadows with her around.

She was beacon of light, after all. Not right now though.

He sighed and turned back around towards her. The commotion had drawn Teruhashi's attention, as she was peeking at him from over her shoulder, with her back still towards him. Her face was barely visible from his point of view, but still he could feel the stab of her piercing glare hit him right in the gut. Saiki swallowed nervously. Handling a displeased Teruhashi Kokomi was likely to be more difficult than stopping a volcano. At least he had been capable of doing the latter.

He also feared the eruption of the former much, much more.

'Hey, um...' he started as he approached her cautiously. 'Uh, look. I... I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to... uh, upset you.'

"What did you think we were?" she spat, her voice cracking. "Friends with benefits?" She still wouldn't face him.

'What? No.' He frowned. 'No... of course not.' She looked so stiff with her arms folded like that. He still couldn't make any sense of her thoughts either. What did she want? Need? Did she even want him there? He glanced around. Should he touch her? Would that just make things worse?

He hesitated. 'I... I don't really know what we are, though,' he admitted softly.

He might have stepped on a landmine here. She'd frozen completely, both posture and psyche. Was she going to hit him?

He just stood there, awaiting certain death.

No walloping came, though. No resentful words either. Her breathing was slowing down instead, still with the occasional sharp inhale from her crying. Her shoulders sank a little, no longer seeming quite as tense, and then she moved her arm to wipe her cheek with the end of her sleeve.

As far as he could tell, the tempest inside her had subsided. Either that or he was in the eye of the storm right now.

Saiki took a step forward, slowly, trying not to startle — or worse, provoke — her. Her own pride might be in the way just a little, judging from her wish for connection that glided into his mind. He stepped to her side, so he could see her face at last.

...ah.

That was unexpected.

Her mascara had gotten smudgy, and with her frowning at him like that from the corner of her eye, arms back into a tight fold across her chest, and those blotchy cheeks, he could only... She wasn't like a fiery volcano or a raging hurricane right now, she was…

She looks like an angry little kitten.

Something about that turned his insides to mush, although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps because she looked so harmless, and... well, cute.

He'd never really considered her as such before. Beautiful, sure. Sexy even, more often than not lately, even though he'd never admit it. Good grief, she was absolutely adorable like this thou—

"A-are you even listening? You're not—"

'Huh?' He blinked and shook his head. 'Y-yes. Of course. Sorry.'

Was that a pout? Good grief, it was. He'd thaw into a puddle on the floor right there if it weren't for that look of sulky annoyance on her face. Actually, that might be contributing to it. He had expected a different kind of defeat when he'd approached her just a moment ago.

This isn't fair. I can't think like this.

"…geez, what? I know I look like a wreck. Stop staring," she huffed, averting her gaze.

'Sorry,' he mumbled. She wiped her face again in frustration, only making it worse. Not much was left of her otherwise impeccable grace, and there was just something endearing about that to him. He couldn't afford to get lost in these thoughts, though. Not right now. She'd eat him alive if he zoned out again.

Perhaps he could utilize them in a different way.

'No one can pull off a sad raccoon as beautifully as you, though,' he said carefully, but warmly.

She stared at him, taken aback by his compliment for a second. It was like a cloak of hostility slid right off her shoulders.A moment later she let out a loud moan, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "I don't understand how you can be such an inconsiderate prick and then be the sweetest thing straight after." She sighed. "Maybe it's a guy thing," she huffed as an afterthought.

A nervous chuckle escaped him. 'Maybe.' His sweetener may have mellowed her a little, but she wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. He took a deep breath, gathering his confidence.

'Look, uh…about what happened back there.' He shrugged his shoulders anxiously. For some reason this felt more difficult than telling her about his powers back at that playground. This was so much more revealing.

'I… I don't uh… don't really know… how these things go.' She was watching him quietly, and something about that gaze caused him to struggle for words even more than he already was. He averted his eyes quickly. 'How you, how you define these things. Things like uh… dating… and stuff.'

He stole a quick glimpse, but she was just looking to the side now, hugging herself as she was biting her thumb's fingernail. She almost looked deep in thought, except there were none to be found inside her mind. Maybe she was waiting for him to continue. He coughed and started examining the floor again.

'We, we never talked about it, the specifics… I just didn't know.' He stuffed his clammy hands in his pockets. Why wasn't she saying anything?

'It's just… I don't generally conform to, uh, labels… I guess. It was just a genuine question. I didn't mean anything with it.' He glanced her way again, hoping for a response.

Is she even listening?

So much for being a psychic on the mend. He felt absolutely powerless. She sniveled, but otherwise remained silent. This might be worse than her yelling at him.

'I didn't mean to say that we, uh… W-what I meant was…' He looked away, shrugging awkwardly. 'I don't know what I meant.'

I don't even know what I feel.

'Um… I'm really sorry.' All he could hear was his own thundering heartbeat. This silence was killing him. He considered dropping to his knees and begging her for forgiveness.

…for a fleeting moment, anyway.

'…please say something,' he tried instead, sounding a bit more desperate than he'd intended.

She blinked and finally lifted her gaze, connecting with him again. "Sorry. I just… It's been like… three weeks now. I don't get it. Sometimes we feel so tight and then a moment later you do or say something… or you throw up your walls, shutting me out." She shook her head. "I get that the whole thing is still a little weird. It is for me, too. But when you act like that, it feels like... like you don't really want… this… with me."

...huh?

How did she go from being offended by a stupid question to… this? Had he missed a switch on her train of thought somewhere? Was she speaking a different language? He tried looking not as clueless as he felt. Putting on a frown usually helped, so he did just that. 'Uh, you know that my powers—'

"This is not about your powers!" she bit back, eyes ablaze again. Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut — figuratively, at least. She could call him out on any lie nowadays, anyway. Sometimes he wondered if she was capable of telepathy, too.

He nodded slowly, silently admitting defeat. Her eyes softened a little. "You go from warm and loving to ice-cold in the blink of an eye. I don't understand what sets you off," she muttered. "…it's like you're still fighting something."

Does she really want to discuss this here? Now?

"…and when I try to talk to you about it… if I'm lucky, you'll respond with a sneer, but usually you just change the subject or give a non-answer…"

Saiki tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He couldn't have answered her, even if he'd wanted to. If he'd actually had an answer for her.

"…or just nothing at all," she thought with a sigh. She eyed him up and down, as if she was scanning his inner workings. "You're so ambivalent. I don't understand what you want."

Neither do I.

"You said you didn't know what we were because we never talked about it. That's the thing though. We never talked about it because we, well… we don't talk."

'…I'm not much of a... talker,' he said defensively.

She smirked. "Oh, you talk. Trust me, you do. Just... not about the things that worry you."

He turned his head away from her. She was right. Of course she was. He had been dodging her attempts at deeper dialogue like he would dodge a cockroach. Ignored the questions in her mind like he hadn't heard them in the first place. Just thinking about them was unnerving enough. How could he possibly talk to her about the things that kept him up at night? This paradoxical whirlwind that he just couldn't get a grasp on?

If dating meant sharing everything with your significant other, from your smoldering secrets to your deepest doubts, then...

I wouldn't even know where to begin.

Then maybe he wasn't dating material after all.

"Saiki-kun?" His gaze reluctantly crawled back to meet hers. Those eyes, that look. It felt so familiar. Inquisitive and resolute, but gentle. Loving. And a little concerned. It went right through him, just like it had that day, at the end of summer. Right before she'd changed him forever with that one, single kiss.

He'd tried to keep her out then, too. That had really worked out for him.

"Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked softly.

Why?

She wanted reasons. Good, logical reasons. Therein lay the problem though. Because none of this made any sense. Not in a rational way, and that was the only way he knew.

She stepped closer to him. So close that he could smell her subtle perfume, and yet miles out of reach. His heart started racing, his breathing quickened — because he wanted her there, and because he wanted her not to be there. Just one contradiction after another.

I can't tell the difference between risk and rapture anymore.

"I…" he started, but nothing followed. She'd looked so hopeful too, when he'd opened his mouth. He clenched and unclenched his hands, and then stuffed them back into his pockets.

"What is he fighting?"

She knew the right questions, just not the answers. How could he answer her though, when she took away his cognition? His ability to think?

I shouldn't even be with you but I can't bear the thought of being without you.

She must be looking right through him with those imploring navy eyes. He felt transparent. He might be. It wouldn't be the first time that she triggered his invisibility by cornering him. He glanced down at himself, but he was still very much opaque this time.

I don't understand what's happening with my powers.

She looked so harmless with her mascara-stained cheeks, and yet her gaze was still giving him the shivers. Those eyes, that drew him in and scared him away at the same time.

I don't understand what you're doing to me.

She'd asked him for reasons. Reasons for his turmoil. They would form in his head, wreak havoc in his chest and then get stuck in his throat. There was no way he could tell her any of this.

"Why won't he let me in?"

It scares me that I can't keep you out.

"…I don't know how," he uttered, barely audible.

It was the best answer he could give her right now.

It took her a moment to process that. She frowned pensively, watching him with slightly squinted eyes. There was no response, but her mind was racing. At first she didn't understand, and that seemed to tick her off a great deal. How could he not know? Why the distance? How hard could it be to just tell her what was going on?

Saiki feared she was getting cross with him again. At that point something seemed to click for her, though. Her inner monologue was difficult to follow, not only because she was capable of skipping multiple steps when drawing connections, but also because he lacked the context of her memories and previous life experiences.

Something that she went through last summer. That was all he could make out.

She nodded slowly. Then she just stood there, silently observing him.

"Do you want me to help you?" she asked eventually, after what felt like an eternity.

Help me?

He might have gawked at her again. How... how on earth could she possibly think... she was the source of it all, there was just no way that she... she couldn't actually...

...could she?

He swallowed. '...maybe,' he said hesitantly, his heart in his throat.

"Okay," she whispered, her tone soft and warm. Understanding. Maybe even accepting. Saiki waited for her to continue, but she remained silent. She looked... surprisingly contented.

He blinked. '…really?' he asked incredulously.

She smiled. "Yeah. For now. We shouldn't be discussing this here, anyway."

'Uh, rather not,' he muttered. Rather not discuss this anywhere, really. But he shouldn't complain. It felt like he'd dodged a bullet there. 'So... we're good?' he asked carefully.

"Yeah," she said with a kind smile. "We're good. I'm uh... I'm sorry for shouting at you. I shouldn't have."

'Hm. It was a little awkward.' He tried to suppress a grimace, remembering the state they'd left their friends in. Another situation he needed to fix.

Ugh.

He couldn't really blame her for getting upset with him, but it hadn't exactly helped their case, either.

'I uh… I probably deserved it, though,' he continued with a shrug. 'Honestly I don't think I'm a great candidate for dating. You might want to reconsider. Before we go back in there,' he said with a slight smirk, nodding at the door.

She scoffed. "I'm reconsidering smacking you across the face. You were lucky that table was between us."

'Ninja kicks and face smacks… it's dangerous, being out here with you.' He narrowed his eyes. '...maybe I should reconsider.'

"I'm sure an esper can handle a mere high school girl," she retorted.

It was his turn to scoff now. 'I thought so too. I was gravely mistaken.'

They watched each other for a moment — him with his trademark scowl, her with fierce eyes. Something in his stomach made a little jump at the moment of eye contact. Seconds later they both broke into a chuckle.

"Anyway," she laughed, "we should really head back." She was about to step away from him, but then she remembered the state of her face. Panic flashed through her mind. "Ah sh— is it bad? How do I look?"

He could tell her that she looked stunning, but he knew she wouldn't believe him even though he wouldn't be lying. Her image needed to be that of perfection, after all, even amongst their close group of friends. He still believed the whole thing was silly, causing her more unnecessary grief than it was worth.

It was also part of who she was, though. This was important to her.

It was his fault that she looked like this in the first place, anyway. It was the least he could do for her.

So he slowly brought his hand up to her cheek, hesitating for a second before his fingertips connected in a featherlight caress. Showing this kind of raw, pure affection still tied his stomach in knots. Not so much anymore because he was rubbish at it, though.

Rather, because it came almost naturally to him, now.

"…you look perfect," he whispered softly.

It'd been a heartfelt statement. With the smudges of her makeup gone, her eyes no longer puffy and bloodshot, she looked exquisite. Her grateful smile might be contributing. He'd intended to remove his hand after casting restoration on her, but for some reason he lingered. It might be the whiff of her fragrance that had changed to that of the day before, catching him off-guard. Fresh and flowery, when she'd visited him and ruined his video game. The memories flooded into his mind, not helping in the slightest with keeping his heartbeat under control.

She was just as close as she'd been back then. Her body pressed against him, no more than a gentle nudge, and yet it was all he could register. A wordless invitation that he received loud and clear.

The same could be said for that pesky voice in the back of his head.

We shouldn't. We really shouldn't. We're in public. What if someone walks in? What if—

But at that moment they were already sharing a single breath, her lips so close he could almost taste her. Good grief, she was like a drug. Irresistible, mind-altering and overpowering. He closed his eyes and succumbed to her kiss, as he always did at this point. His mind blacked out, dimming all the other sounds of the world to nothingness.

That was, until he heard a crash so loud that it nearly burst his ear drums. Teruhashi basically jumped into his arms from the shock.

Damn it.

"…I think I just shattered all the windows in the building," he gasped into her neck.

"S-sorry," she mumbled, panting heavily. A moment later she pulled away from him, straightening her top in an attempt to recollect herself.

"What is your problem with glass today, anyway?"

"I knew they wouldn't be able to resist. The pull is too strong. To find out what's underneath... those layers," Kaidou said ominously, rubbing his bandaged arm.

It'd been madness. They'd gotten themselves mixed up in a panicked evacuation, because the only reasonable explanation for all those broken windows could be that a bomb had gone off somewhere. They'd all been swooped up by the masses and dragged outside.

Saiki had grabbed her hand, trying to use the commotion to split off from their group. They'd only been able to get around the first corner before they'd run straight into Nendou and the rest though. Almost as if they'd been wearing trackers. Saiki had silently huffed that she wasn't far off, as far as Nendou was concerned.

Now they were just walking back to the train station. Teruhashi and Saiki were walking in front, while Nendou, Kuboyasu, Yumehara and Kaidou were hanging at the back. Saiki must be thinking that he could outrun their friends' burning questions, because it was hard to keep up with his hurried pace.

It might be working though, because everyone was being awkwardly quiet.

"I should have known this would happen. The sparks, you know. I literally saw them flying. It was obvious…"

Well, everyone except Kaidou, who was still engrossed in the idea of the explosion being an attack from the Dark Reunion. As such, he was completely incapable of reading the current mood.

In fact, he may be adding to it.

"The gods only know what they've been up to in secret…" the chuunibyou cackled manically, "…testing their tools, those polished rockets locking onto their target, ready to blow—"

"Shun, shut up!" she heard Kuboyasu hiss behind them.

"Huh? Wha—" Some aggressive whispering followed. "Oh— OH…"

Teruhashi glanced over her shoulder. Four sets of prying eyes were boring into hers. Well, three. Nendou had been picking his nose and was admiring its contents. Ew. Kaidou had gone red as a beet, too.

"We um… we gotta say something," she told her nettled neighbor.

Saiki's frown deepened into a scowl. Not even that massive scarf could hide how displeased he was with the situation, even though the thing was covering half his face.

'I don't see why. It's none of their business,' he grumbled.

What was up with him? They already knew. Their secret was out.

Is he embarrassed?

"We can't just leave it like that. They deserve to know. They're… they're our friends," she pleaded.

'They're a bunch of halfwits that keep following me around.'

He is embarrassed.

Saiki just rolled his eyes for an answer.

"Well, what do you suggest? Wipe their memories?"

He was quiet for a moment.

'…too late for that.' The whispering behind them rapidly got louder, and Saiki's expression even darker. '…regrettably.'

"Oh? Partner's going where with Teruhashi-san?"

"Shhh! Going out, you idiot," Kaidou snapped.

They know we can hear them, right?

"I don't know, guys," Yumehara said in a low voice. "Kokomi would have told me. Sure, they kissed, but..."

"They WHAT?!" Kaidou shrieked. A moment later she heard some rustling behind her, Yumehara yelping, and Kuboyasu laughing loudly. Teruhashi looked back to see what was going on.

"Hahaha! I can't believe he fainted!" Kuboyasu doubled over, laughing at a now unconscious Kaidou that Nendou was holding up.

'...what did you tell Yumehara-san?' Saiki had stopped as well, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"N-nothing. She uh… she kinda figured it out herself." She shrugged her shoulders. "It was after we first uh… n-not that she knows about that… I think she'd faint too, if she knew." Teruhashi smiled sheepishly at him, but his expression did not change. She wasn't sure what to make of his penetrating glare. Was he angry with her now? "I uh… this was before we hooked up. You asked me not to tell anyone. I would never betray your trust."

"Nghh…" Kaidou moaned, slowly coming to while Yumehara was spazzing out next to him.

Saiki gave them a quick glance. '…I know,' he said, turning his back on the lot again. He stepped away, probably to continue his way to the station without a second thought like only he could do. She loved and hated him for it.

Time to stop running.

So she held him by his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looked startled by her touch, and troubled by her thought. She waited for a moment, until she felt him relax a little. He was still glowering at the nothingness in front of them, but then he gave her a curt nod. She smiled and gave his arm a little squeeze before she let go, turning around to face their friends.

Her legs felt a little weak. She'd fantasized about this moment before…. more than she'd care to admit. Imagined what it would be like, to reveal their status to their friends. See their reactions. She may have even rehearsed a speech once or twice. She'd envisioned them all huddled together in a place of comfort — Saiki's bedroom, for instance. He'd be a little shy, of course. She knew he would be. So his eyes would wander around the room while she'd make the announcement. Eventually he'd meet her gaze, though, and he'd do that thing where his eyes get all soft, squinting them in the sweetest way, with a smile tucked into the corner of his mouth. They'd all witness his precious smile, rare as it was, but he'd broadcast it for all to see.

She and Saiki would be standing proudly next to each other, hand in hand, the epitome of love.

She looked to her side. So here they were, on a dark, cold autumn's day, in the middle of the street. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked no different than when she'd engage his mother in small talk. Annoyed and a little on edge.

She inhaled deeply. She'd always thought she'd be excited to tell their friends about them. But if anything, she felt nervous. She'd gone over this moment so many times in her head, and now she couldn't remember a single word of what she had intended to say.

"Um, guys… about uh, about us…" She glanced to her side again. Saiki remained silent, of course. Not that she'd expected any backup from him, but still…

"It's um… it's still early days, which is why we've kept it to ourselves for now. We're uh… still working some things out." She let out a nervous laugh. "As you saw. Sorry about that. But I guess it's safe to say that, uh…"

She glanced to her side again. He'd stolen a glimpse her way, and apparently the moment of eye contact had made him uncomfortable, judging from the way he averted his gaze.

A moment later it crept back to her though. A sweet warmth filled her tummy, travelling up to her chest and possibly reaching all the way up to her cheeks as well. The day suddenly looked a little bit brighter. All but his eyes were hidden from sight by his scarf, and even then it was a challenge to look past his green shades, but she'd seen all she needed to see.

Because his eyes were so soft, and he was squinting them in such a way that it didn't even need the accompanying smile.

"Saiki-kun and I… we're dating."