Chapter Text
Today Saiki had planned out his day.
It was the school sporting events today, again, for the fourth time in this looped school year. No matter, this time Saiki was not planning on messing up like the times he had previously. Every tiny detail of the event was planned out in his head, and nothing could stop him from being as perfectly average and unnoticed as possible. He wanted to leave this sports day behind without a throbbing headache.
The first step was to exit the house, and walk to school. The easiest part of his thoroughly coordinated schedule.
“S-Saiki-kun!” Dear God.
“ Join me in–! Ah, um, I-I was wondering if you wanted to do the three-legged race with me? Please? ”
Damn it.
Saiki had been praying— mostly to his own powers— that he wouldn't come across him out of all people.
Lately, he hadn't been able to properly read Kaidou's thoughts. He had initially assumed Kaidou hit his head, or something , that would be logical enough to explain this. He vividly recalled jumping in his seat when Kaidou approached him in class the other day, spooking his peers around him. He rushed to the bathroom with some hurried excuse to test if his powers had disappeared. It didn't make a difference if he teleported, used psychometry, or floated on the spot, as these abilities were all flawlessly intact. The thoughts of strangers still buzzed in his mind that told him everything was as normal as always. Out of everything that has happened in his abnormally unordinary life, this has distressed him the most.
Of course, Kaidou was never a threat, so Saiki realistically shouldn't be freaking out over this so much, but he could at least argue it was disturbing not being able to reason with it.
A hand landed on his shoulder and Saiki flinched, “Ah, sorry! You seemed to zone out, I tried calling for you but it's like you didn't even hear me, haha,” Saiki gritted his teeth, “so what do you say about joining me?! If that's alright! ”
He couldn't agree. Not when he planned out a different outcome. But it was something about the hopeful dependence circling in the smaller, weaker boy's eyes that made his mind blank.
“Fine.”
“Yay! Thank you Saiki-kun! Ah, I-I mean, let's hurry before we're late!” He followed the white hair that bounced around, running to the school gates so immaturely. Even Saiki was embarrassed for him.
The three-legged race was last, which meant that Saiki could not feign sickness and go home to watch his show like he had originally planned.
“Kaidou.” He wasn't sure why he initiated conversation with him, and by the looks on the boy's face, it was probably the first time he ever had.
“Uh– yes, Saiki-kun?!”
“…Good luck on the sprint.”
Kaidou's face lit up in a dusty pink, “Oh– um, yes, of course, Saiki-kun!”
“Hey, Shun, you're up next! Make the rest of the class proud and NEVER GIVE UP!” Hairo yelled directly in Kaidou's face, angering Saiki somewhat. He didn't remember Hairo typically invading personal space to this degree.
Unsurprisingly, Kaidou came last. Though as Saiki saw tears prick at his eyes whilst everyone congratulated the winner from whatever class, he couldn't really help himself.
“Eh!?! What's this?!” A scream hushed the cheers in the crowd.
“Takami?! What the hell, man?!” The winner of the sprint turned to face Hairo, holding up girl's gym clothes.
“Care to explain why they're in your bag?! The name on here is a girl in my class! I won't let you get away with this!” A member of another class yelled.
Everyone was so quick to turn on him. Despite it being the only thing Saiki could come up with on the spot, it appeared to work pretty well. Takami shouted and begged for understanding, but he was thrown out by the principal hastily enough. With all the commotion going on, Saiki would have to manipulate everyone into thinking it was normal to carry on after the disruption.
Finally, after mostly avoiding too much effort put into the other activities, he and Kaidou were up for the three-legged race.
“Saiki-kun! Let's do our best!” It was strange, Kaidou's sudden courage to talk to him like that. Saiki didn't answer immediately, taking his time to stare blatantly at the redness blooming in his face.
“Of course.”
Saiki himself had no reason to try hard in the race. Besides, he could only really match Kaidou's pace unless he felt like dragging him by the ankle as he ran. It was a tempting thought. Apparently, he didn't need to think too deeply into replicating Kaidou's running whilst remaining unnoticeable, as Kaidou managed to trip and fall within the first two seconds.
Saiki was perfectly happy to leave that as is; it would save him the work of actually taking part. However, Kaidou's lips wobbled in disappointment once again. Saiki for one, wouldn't mind the blows to Kaidou's ego: It would make it a lot more simple to isolate him like that. Until he thought of an idea.
The psychic crouched down, holding his hands behind his back as Kaidou looked on in confusion.
“Hurry up.” And so, with the delusional teen on his shoulders, Saiki managed to sprint and come first, shocking his classmates, Kaidou, and even himself that he allowed his self-indulgence to take over like that. He couldn't seem to get the thought of gripping Kaidou's thin legs, or how excruciatingly easy it was to pick him up and run.
“Th-Thank you for your help Saiki, we won even though I didn't do anything…”
“Good grief. You know that I wouldn't have done that on my own.” His wording left Kaidou dumbstruck, but it almost made sense to him— a voice in the back of his mind insisted.
“O-Oh, right!”