UwU

But instead (and seemingly without doing anything), he’s acquired a large group of friends who greatly admire and care for him. It’s undeniable that they could be troublesome, but he still goes the extra mile for them and even those he doesn’t know well. You were in Kusuo’s class and lived in his area, so he often saw you in and out of school, and just like the rest of his friends, you managed to meddle your way into his life. You’ve repeatedly witnessed his kindness and compassion, and each time you’ve confronted him, he’d brush it off and chalk it up as an interference to his peace.

Kusuo was pretty bland to you besides his funky accessories and bright pink hair, but you found he was an easy person to talk to, mostly because (and sadly enough, depending on perspective) the conversations you had with him were pretty one sided. You didn’t think much of Kusuo’s quietness, and took him to be a good listener instead of someone who was disinterested in what you had to say. 

Over time however, whatever irritation Kusuo originally had with you faded as you familiarized yourselves with one another. He found himself hanging out with you and contributing more to your conversations (telepathically, of course) out of his own volition. If he wasn’t forced to hang out with Kaido and Nendou, and maybe sometimes Aren, he was usually spending time with you. He seemed to tolerate you more than anyone else in his life because of your patient understanding nature. You were non-invasive, never forcing Kusuo to do anything he didn’t want to, and covered for him whenever he was confronted by others so as to avoid further attention. For your kindness, he’s subconsciously given you his time and attention and is a little more lenient with allowing you into his life. 

Saiki discovered with time that the two of you actually share a lot of common interests, such as a love for video games and manga. On top of that, he also greatly respected your determination, hard work, and open mindedness. 

“Why does Y/N get to…?!” his other friends would groan out or shriek in irritation when he enabled you over them, to which he’d deadpan, “because they’re not insufferable like the rest of you.” 

Even though you two have always been strictly friends, Kusuo just cannot help getting himself into tricky situations as well, and so no matter how hard he tries to make it seem like the opposite, somehow people are always getting the wrong idea when the two of you are together. 

It’s hard to tell who exactly was the first in Saiki’s friend group to suspect anything, but his friends all at once slowly started acting unnatural when the two of you hung around together or talked about each other.

The people who addressed the elephant in the room first were Toritsuka and Mikoto. 

Saiki and the two were dealing with a dangerous situation, which was surprisingly and maybe even alarmingly normal considering the nature of Saiki’s friends (being psychics and all), when you suddenly approached him in the midst of their chaos.

You called a greeting toward him and his friends and then started rambling about your day, completely oblivious to the danger the group was trying to tame. You brought up a low grade you got, an annoying teacher, and then asked Saiki if he wanted to go out to a cafe after school. 

But Saiki suddenly grabbed your shoulders and looked you firmly in the eyes, catching you and the other two psychics off guard, because they stopped whatever panicking they were doing to watch. 

A beat of silence. “Saiki?” “I’ll meet up with you at the cafe, alright? I’ll even treat you, just get out of here.”

And you’re confused on why he sounds so serious and urgent, on why his grip on you is so firm, but you’re patient, and so all you do is stare at him with a small frown and go “okay.”

You said your goodbyes and headed off with the group watching you do a double take before disappearing behind a corner.

And Kusuo immediately regrets holding onto you when he turns around to the stunned looks on his friends’ faces, who, after a moment of processing the sight, are in his face. 

“I knew it! I knew the two of you were dating! You don’t have a heart of stone after all!” “I wish you would’ve told us, Kusuo! They’re cute, too!”

He’s insanely annoyed by this, obviously, and immediately shuts down the mistranslation. “Quiet! I’m not dating anyone and stay out of my business. We have to continue…”

But from there, the situation only worsened. Everyone was thinking it, everyone was feeling it. It was only a matter of who was finally going to say something about it. And of course, Saiki knew everyone was thinking it, but he truly didn’t think it would escalate into something intrusive. 

And after the psykickers, seemingly everyone decided to speak up about it. 

You were talking to Saiki before class began, and when you were invited over to talk to another friend, Kaidou and Aren appeared by the esper’s desk. “Is it true?! Are you and L/N dating?!”

“No. Get out of my face.”

“I didn’t really see it at first,” Aren thought out loud to himself, ignoring his wish. “L/N’s pretty friendly with everyone, but the two of you oddly enough make sense. You look good together!”

Saiki stared exasperatedly. Saiki respected Aren for being one of the more level headed members of his friend group, but even he was on about this?

“What are you talking about Kuboyasu? My pal’s irresistible!” And now Nendou was joining the conversation, approaching Kusuo’s desk with his hands in his pockets. “Congrats buddy! They’re a real cutie!”

“Hey! What are you gents talking about?” Hairo’s voice boomed out. Him too? Why was everyone so interested in the conversation? 

“Saiki and L/N,” Kaido answered as Hairo joined the semi-circle formed around Saiki’s desk. Hairo's face lit up, immediately catching on just from the mention of your names. “Ooh! So it’s true, huh? I always suspected something! I’m happy for you both!”

“Enough! I’m not dating L/N! Where are you all getting this stupid impression from?”

“What are you talking about?! You two always come in a pair!” Kaido cried out in defense and stared at his friend incredulously. 

“Yeah, everywhere you go, L/N isn’t far behind. You can’t find one without the other.” Aren added almost hesitantly as Saiki stared with his mouth forming a small “o” shape.

This came as a surprise to him. He was always so keen on living a “normal” and peaceful life, finding others a threat to this aspiration and doing his best to block them out because of it. He didn’t socialize or attempt to make friends, but apparently he could live his “normal” life with you in it. You casually followed him-- and him you-- and he found comfort in and outside of your “normalcy”-- your presence, your everyday tasks and conversation; even your uniqueness. You became a part of his normal at some point, his peace.

When did that happen? 

“You bring them everywhere with you, dude. I think L/N’s the only person who can get you to come out of your shell a little.” Hairo commented with a short laugh and scrunched brows as he thought aloud.

Saiki admits that he’s more willing to try new things or do something he initially didn’t want to if you’re there with him. He trusts you, and so if you’re involved, he supposes he doesn’t mind getting involved either. Sometimes when he asked about the two of you constantly tag teaming, he’ll say something like “they wanted to come along” or “Y/N convinced me to go” and Kusuo himself is a little surprised that he never realized how that looked and sounded like to his friends, who knew him to be pretty reserved and introverted. 

“Oooh! Are we talking about Saiki and L/N?” Oh no. Not…

“Teruhashi!” 

“Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but I couldn’t help but overhear you boys talking about L/N! They’re always telling me about you Saiki! It’s so nice how you do so much for them!”

Does he really do a lot for you? Yes, yes he does, and Teruhashi has heard it all. You don’t talk about it excessively or ever make it seem like a brag, but it slips up so casually in conversation that even Kokomi, with all her admirers, finds it endearing how natural Saiki’s urge to take care of you is. 

Trouble at work? Saiki’s on the job. He’ll get your annoying manager to stop bugging you or help you clear out the place faster after a long day. An item you casually mentioned you wanted? Knowing Saiki, he probably goes through hell and back trying to get it for you, but even so he never spends too much time indulging you in the details of how he obtained it. A classmate giving you a hard time? Saiki’s loyalty is more evident than ever. Even Teruhashi is taken aback when you share your experiences with him. 

“I’m so jealous! I wish I had someone like that!” Chiyo groaned out from behind the group as Kokomi and Hairo made space for her to join the discussion. 

With so many of his friends taking notice of these things, Kusuo is forced to acknowledge and reflect on them in that moment, especially when they’re suggesting something beyond friendship. 

He consistently swoops in to save you from bad situations, even when you insist that you can handle yourself. And Saiki knows you can, he doesn’t always doubt you, but he tries to make it seem that way or as if you were an inconvenience. In reality, Saiki never exactly knew what urged him to help you out so much. With his other friends, everything he did felt like a one sided favor. But with you, it was something more. He was okay with taking care of you. 

And he can’t help but smile when he sees how excited you are about something. Saiki’s cold demeanor sticks most of the time, but it’s typically in private or away from his friends’ prying eyes that Saiki’s shoulder relax a little and he lets himself enjoy your presence. With his responsibilities and burdens as a psychic, romance was absolutely off the table. 

But maybe…

“Hey everyone! What are we talking about?”

Both the conversation and Saiki’s daydreams immediately halt as everyone turns toward the sound of your voice. You slowly approach the group with a smile on your face. “Talking about that test?”

Even Kusuo is staring dumbly at you, but before anyone could open their mouths to answer, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. 

As the teacher called everyone to return to their seats and the group broke apart, Saiki briefly looked down and then toward you in the seat across from him, watching you unpack your supplies. 

Good grief. His troublesome friends really got to him. 

BONUS: 

“ImeanitssoobviousyouhaveathingforY/Nwiththewayyou’reconstantlytogetherhowcouldanyonenottellfromthewayyou’realwaysprotectingthemtoalwayshangingaroundoneanotherthoughit’sdefinitelyanoddpairingbutonethatyoutwoseemtomakeworkit’salmostlikeaclincheinaromancefilm!”

Translation: “I mean, it’s so obvious you have a thing for Y/N with the way you’re constantly together. How could anyone not tell from the way you’re always protecting them to always hanging around one another, though it’s definitely an odd pairing but one you two seem to make work. It’s almost like a cliche in a romance film!”

-You’re mindful of not only his privacy and comfort, but also of others’, and you do your best not to make anyone uncomfortable.

-Your sweet and genuine nature, even if not intentional, helps Saiki get through his days at school. Whether it be you mumbling to yourself about a low grade or debating with your friends about something, Saiki can’t help but smile or chuckle under his breath.

-Bringing treats over to his house as an apology when you drop in unexpectedly. He acts annoyed but he’s truly not bothered (especially when you’re bringing him desserts).

-Rummaging through his video games and marathoning shows with him on weekends and long breaks off from school.

-Though you don’t push a lot especially if you see Saiki upset over it, you definitely encourage him to be more social and allow himself to have fun with others. 

-Sticks closer to you in group settings because he knows you can help him get out of tricky situations.

-Thanking him profusely every time he uses his powers to help you with something. You always tell him it's unnecessary but are grateful that he helps you nonetheless. Even with your constant insistence, he still tells you it’s more efficient.

-Subconsciously reciprocating the affection and care you show Saiki by him also helping you out of uncomfortable situations and paying attention to your habits and tells. 

-Exasperated by your patience with others, but also finds it admirable.

-Impressed whenever you show off a particular skill by accident, even more so when you brush off any praise, especially if you demonstrate incredible athletic prowess. 

-His parents are enamoured with you, especially since on the surface, it seems as if you two are complete opposites. They’re thankful their son has someone so kind-hearted looking after him and always welcome you into their home with open arms.

-Never tolerates disrespect toward you, especially if you only ever want to help. He usually uses his psychic powers to get back at bullies or rude people in general. Makes sure to be subtle about it though, because he knows you would scold him about it if he got caught.

-Generally does his best to look after you, especially since you're always looking after him. And though he isn't very vocal about it, he appreciates your meddling into his life more than he's ever able to convey.