Author's Note: Your comments humble me! I wish I could thank everyone personally, but I'll have to do it like this. Sure, we write for ourselves, but we post for others. Every single one of your reviews brings a big smile to my face (think Saiki-receiving-Teruhashi-postcard-style!). Thank you for your love.

Now please keep that love that you have for me in mind when you finish this chapter. :P

Please enjoy!

Chapter 11 - Spinning Out of Control

He felt her quiver as his fingers slid down the small of her back.

Her lips were irresistible, but then so was the rest of her. He slowly made his way down her neck, and then lower still. She pulled him close into her bosom. He kissed—

AN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TA-

Saiki whacked the alarm clock so hard that it fell off his nightstand. He groaned and rolled onto his back, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Then he remembered what — and whom — he had been dreaming about just a moment ago.

He'd been having more dreams of a suggestive nature lately. They'd only hinted at intimacy before. But this one... There was nothing implicit about this one. It had left nothing to his imagination. That was… they had been…

His heart was throbbing. He was used to that by now. It wasn't just his heart that was throbbing this time, though.

What's wrong with me?

This craving was repulsive. What was he, a lecher? A scumbag, for sure. How was he going to keep a straight face when he saw her in school today? Ugh. This was getting way out of hand.

Saiki hurled some more insults at himself before he finally calmed down enough so that he could get up and get ready for school. He felt like shit. Only two weeks into the new semester and he could already use a holiday. This splitting headache was killing him.

"You're not wearing your necklace today?" Yumehara noticed as Teruhashi was stuffing her books into her bag.

"Ah, no. My idiot brother broke the chain somehow." She'd been furious. Teruhashi wasn't sure if Makoto knew it had been Saiki's gift, but she still suspected foul play. How else would you tear it off with a simple hug?

"I still can't believe he gave you a necklace. That's so romantic," Yumehara squealed. "I do consider that my win. You're basically dating."

"Quiet!" Teruhashi hissed, looking around the classroom. People were leaving as it was the end of the school day, but there were still plenty of potential eavesdroppers around. "And we're not, so I'm hoping you've found yourself a nice wedding dress," she retorted in a low voice.

"Summer isn't over yet officially! You still have a week or so." The dirty blonde winked at her suggestively. "Better get a move on."

"Yeah, like that will make a difference," Teruhashi said sarcastically. Yumehara was standing with her back to the classroom exit, so when Teruhashi turned to look at her friend, she noticed that a certain pink-haired person was already heading down the hallway. He'd been standing with his friends in the back of the classroom just a moment ago.

"Sorry Chiyo, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight, okay?" Yumehara nodded. Teruhashi quickly grabbed her stuff and chased her hasty friend, finally catching him at the school gate.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you're avoiding me," she panted. What was the rush?

"Not any more than usual," Saiki replied flatly, not even turning to face her.

Yeah, right.

"Weren't we going to Café Mami?" she asked the back of his head.

"Got homework."

"What, biology? That's never stopped you before." He didn't answer.

What's up with him?

"Saiki-kun?" She grabbed him by his arm gently and stopped walking, making him stop as well. "Are you okay?" He was looking at her from the corner of his eye now.

He had been yo-yo'ing like this for a while now. He would have great days where he was funny and sweet and a downright tease. The connection with him seemed deeper then, somehow. Sometimes he would catch her staring at him, although that in itself was nothing new. The new thing was that she would now catch him staring back, with this look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was into her. She didn't though, because then there were these days where he was ice-cold and avoidant. And they were happening more and more often lately. It was driving her up the wall. She'd wanted to ask him about it, but she didn't think he'd reply truthfully.

"…yeah. Sorry." His eyes softened a little. "Just a lot on my mind."

"You know I'm here if you want to talk about it," she smiled hopefully. He just gave her a polite nod and turned.

Well, it was worth a try.

"Kokomi-chan, that's so delicious!" His mother was pretty much in tears.

She did it again.

He truly didn't stand a chance against her anymore. Not without his powers. Possibly not even with his powers anymore, either. If he'd still have them.

Saiki was sitting backwards on a chair in their living room, watching the two most influential women in his life put together his favorite dessert. Her being here had had nothing to do with the promise of coffee jelly, though. Seriously. He hadn't caved in this time. She hadn't even suggested it. She'd just followed him home. He had kind of wanted her to, so he hadn't stopped her. Like so often lately. There was something addictive about her presence.

But then he would soon get nervous and he'd want to get away as fast and as far as he could. He could just not get used to his body and mind being in this uncontrollable overdrive. It would happen at the weirdest times and it was seriously starting to freak him out. Saiki rested his head on his arms that were folded across the back of the chair.

It was a goddamn pain in the neck.

"I'm just following a recipe," Teruhashi smiled at his mother. "I've made it for Saiki-kun a couple times now, so I know it by heart."

"Ku-chan's so lucky to have you!" His mother was cupping her own face in pure bliss.

She should watch her blood pressure.

"Don't you need to head off soon?" Saiki asked her before she was going to say something even more embarrassing.

"Ah! Yes!" His mother darted around the house to get her stuff. "I'll be out for a while then. Be good now kids~!" And she was gone. Teruhashi chuckled as she finished up. Saiki sighed. His mother meant no harm, but geez.

Unfortunately, Teruhashi's little godly gifts had to be chilled for hours, so they'd helped themselves to some store-bought coffee jelly from the fridge in the meantime. There had only been one left, so they'd shared it. She'd let him have the majority though. She truly was amazing.

Hey, she had insisted.

After that they'd started with their homework. Saiki may have exaggerated the workload a bit — it really wasn't that much, or that hard. Teruhashi was having more difficulty with it than him, and even then he suspected her to play it up just so he would come up with ridiculous examples to explain. He didn't really mind though. He'd abused his little devil persona to illustrate dominant and recessive genetic traits with Punnett squares just now.

"So if showing the glasses is recessive, and both parents don't wear glasses but still — quite literally — carry the gene for them…" Saiki drew a pair of glasses hanging out of the two little devils' pockets, "then that means there's still a 25% chance they'll have a little near-sighted baby Satan. You see?" He filled in the square for her, drawing a baby devil wearing a diaper and, of course, glasses.

"Sorry, you lost me at two devils mating," Teruhashi laughed.

Saiki's dream from this morning flashed before his eyes, but he pushed it away quickly. He really could not afford to think about that right now. For various reasons.

"Uh, yeah. That does sound a little weird," he mumbled, trying to focus on his homework again. It was hard.

They continued to do some exercises. Saiki had made sure to sit across the table from her, at a nice and appropriate distance, but then she'd moved next to him when he was drawing out the squares. He couldn't really move away without making a statement that could only be taken the wrong way, so here he was, stuck. Which was problematic, because she was so close that he could pick up a whiff of her scent. It was something sweet that made his heart flutter, just by catching the slightest hint of it.

He glanced at her. She was working on an exercise and absent-mindedly pushed her hair back, exposing her neck. It reminded him of what he'd been doing there in his dream, and now his heart was racing. To top it off, she had noticed that he was watching her, so now she was looking at him too, with that smile that made him forget everything. He averted his eyes, focusing everything he had on the book in front of him. Good goddamn grief.

His telepathy had never picked up any of this craziness from her, back when she would still daydream about him. Was he losing his mind? This couldn't be normal.

"Is he blushing? I don't think I've ever seen him blush. That's so cute..."

"It's hot," he huffed. Well, it was. Maybe he should take off his overcoat. She remained oddly quiet though. He glanced at her, only to realize she was staring at him, wide-eyed.

What's up with her?

"Did I say that out loud? No, no I was just thinking it… I would never call him…"

No...

Did it happen again?

"Can he hear me? Oh God, did he hear me earlier?"

He wasn't really sure how reassuring it would be to tell her that he hadn't. He tried to keep a straight face while his mind was figuring out what the hell was going on this time.

Why is my telepathy back again?

He didn't exactly want it back, but at least it was just that — his telepathy. It was noisy and often way too-much-info, but it could also be convenient. He could deal with just his telepathy being back, he told himself. He should stay calm, it really wasn't the end of the world if that was all—

Then he noticed a grey scale-like pattern was slowly spreading across Teruhashi's face. He looked down. Her hands had already turned to stone.

"S-Saiki-kun? What's happening? I'm so cold…" she asked with a trembling voice.

No…

A sense of dread spread through Saiki's body, much like the grey plague that was overtaking Teruhashi.

No! No! NO!

He jerked his head away from her and jumped up from his chair, knocking it over. Saiki bolted out of the room. It seemed like he was taking five steps of the stairs at a time. If he was taking any at all. He may have been flying.

This, this can't be— is she…? T-that was— I need to—

Saiki stumbled into his room. He dug through the bottom drawer of his desk, throwing everything out on the floor. There they were. In the back, he found them. He fumbled for the green-tinted glasses, nearly dropping them as his hands were shaking so much. He put them on. The green world that he had so not missed was nauseating. Saiki thought he might be hyperventilating. He slumped down on his bed.

It definitely hadn't been at the level that this power had used to be. But he did recognize it all too well. His gaze had started the petrification process. His naked eyes had been turning Teruhashi into stone. He wasn't sure if the process had stopped once he had broken eye contact. He was afraid to go and check though.

He had been so sure his powers had been gone. But were they really? Or were they just dormant at best? There may have been a couple more instances where they had popped up recently, now that he thought about it. That vision with her postcard, had that been psychometry? The gust of wind on her birthday might have been his telekinesis. What about that headache this morning?

What, does that mean…

Let's just hold that thought for a second. He shook his head. His powers. Why did they keep coming back? What was triggering the leaks? What was the common denominator here? Saiki racked his brain, trying to work it out. Then it hit him like a truck.

Is it her?

He groaned and dug his face into his palms. He felt like tearing his hair out.

It really had been too good to be true. Thinking he might have had a shot at a normal life. With her. He had been a fool for believing it. He wanted to scream.

We can't.

He knew what he had to do.

Teruhashi wiggled her fingers. It seemed like her tactile sense was starting to return, now that the greyness had subsided. She touched her face — it felt as smooth and soft as a baby. Well, softer, because it was her face. If this had been his petrifying gaze, then it couldn't have been at full strength.

It wasn't the petrification that worried her. And honestly, it wasn't really the possibility of telepathy either. She'd hate for him to have picked up her thoughts, but she'd deal with it. They had just been a bit embarrassing, really. Maybe him knowing she was still checking him out would fix his incorrect belief that she was not interested in him anymore.

No, she wasn't really worried about his powers returning. She was more worried about her friend. Saiki had looked horrified. This incident must have crushed him.

It may have just been another random leak though. How long had it been since that party? Months? She should go and ease his mind. Was he in his room? She got up from her chair and picked up the other one that he had knocked over on his way out. She felt a bit woozy after that, so she slowly continued to the hall. She walked up the stairs, quiet as a mouse.

She wanted to knock on his door before coming in, but he had left it wide open. She quietly stepped in and found Saiki sitting on the edge of his bed, head in hands. He looked devastated.

"Saiki-kun…?"

There was no response, but his shoulders seemed to relax a little.

She wanted to ask if he was okay, but he obviously was not, so she stood there in the doorway for a moment, looking for the right words. She couldn't think of any.

"I-I um…" She took a couple of careful steps towards him.

"I'm going to sit next to you… if that's okay." It was probably not a good idea to startle him right now.

"…okay."

She quietly sat next to him. She was at a loss for words. They sat in silence for a while.

"I didn't think they'd be coming back at this point." His voice sounded thin. "I'm sorry about what happened downstairs. Are you alright?" He still wouldn't look at her.

"Yes… yes I'm fine. Here, take a look."

It took a moment, but he finally lifted his head and turned a little toward her. He was wearing his old green glasses. He quickly scanned her from top to bottom.

I love his eyes, but there's something familiar and comfortable about those glasses. It's bittersweet.

Saiki's eyes shot back up to meet hers. Then he looked away.

"Seems they're not at full strength then. Yet," he mumbled.

"It shouldn't hurt, right? The petrification process, I mean." She just wanted to reassure him that it was fine.

"Why, did it hurt you?" He seemed troubled by that idea.

"Ah no, it didn't. It just felt… cold. Like a chill that was spreading. It stopped as soon as you broke eye contact." That was a good thing, right? He appeared in thought. This guy was so hard to read when he put up his walls. Teruhashi pondered for a moment. "Do you think it's gone now? It might not come back, you know. It's been like, nearly three months? Since your powers last leaked at Chiyo's party. This may have really been the last time." She smiled at him, trying to bolster his confidence.

His eyes darkened. "…I can't take that chance."

She wasn't really sure what he meant by that. Maybe he'd just wear his glasses from now on, to be sure?

"Well, at least it's just the petrification this time… right?"

Her voice may have sounded a little bit too desperate there. She had to know if he could hear her thoughts. It was hard enough having to deal with them herself. The most inappropriate thoughts would pop up at the worst times, just because he'd look at her a certain way or because he was close to her when explaining some school work. Or just for no reason at all. She thought she could deal with him knowing, but she'd still much, much rather prefer if he did not.

He watched her for a second. It made her tingle from head to toe. "…yes. Just the petrification."

I'm imagining you naked right now, Saiki-kun. Singing karaoke.

He didn't even bat an eyelash. Phew.

It was quiet for a moment. Saiki seemed in thought. Then he raised his left arm, pointing his open palm at his desk chair.

Oh, he's trying to move his chair.

That made sense. He was probably trying to see if he could use his actively controlled powers again. Not much was happening though. Saiki squinted his eyes, as if he was straining himself.

Then the bedroom door — not the actual chair — slammed shut with an ear-splitting bang.

…

They both sat there like statues, Saiki's arm still suspended in mid-air.

Teruhashi smiled nervously. "...ah..." She turned back to face to him. He dropped his arm slowly until his hand was resting on the bed in-between the two of them. He clenched it into a fist.

"I have no control over them… at all…" he spoke quietly, almost looking forlorn for a second. It tugged at her heartstrings. "Uh… look." He sighed, already trying to recompose himself. He cleared his throat. "We um… we should stop hanging out for a while."

It was like she got struck by lightning.

"…eh?"

He's kidding, right?

"I'm sorry. It's not because I don't enjoy your company. It's um… you're just too high profile right now." His eyes were everywhere but with her. "I'm really sorry."

He's not kidding.

"I… w-what…" she stammered.

"My powers could lash out in public next time. It's too risky with you near me."

Her mind was racing. This couldn't be happening.

I can't lose him.

"I-I don't think that's necessary…" She would beg him if she had to.

He glowered. "There are way too many eyes on you. You take the spotlight wherever you go, whether you want it or not. I can't be near that right now. I told you last time."

Teruhashi nodded hesitantly. He didn't want to stand out. She understood. But then she didn't understand. He was already in the foreground with her admirers. He had been for years. That wasn't just going to change. Her fan club was doing features on him in their club magazine, last she heard.

No. There's something else he's not telling me.

He winced. It was subtle and easy to miss, but she'd spotted it.

"What's going on? Really going on? Saiki-kun…" she asked softly.

"I…" He glanced at her before looking away. The panic on his face was quickly replaced by a frown. "…you should probably go." His voice was hoarse.

What is he so afraid of?

"Please leave." He wouldn't meet her eye.

Why is he pushing me away?

"Talk to me, please?" She put a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched and pulled away from her.

"Just go!" he snapped. She'd never seen him so agitated.

Let me help you.

Finally he made eye contact with her. His body language was just as conflicted as the expression on his face. He was half turned away from her with his hips, yet opened up towards her with his shoulders. He looked vexed, and helpless, and torn. She wanted to help him, to hold him, to comfort him. Anything, as long as she could stay.

"…no," she whispered.

I'm not leaving.

The connection she felt through their locked eyes was deep. Intense. She tried to suppress the sudden surge of emotion, without luck. She couldn't help it. He was vulnerable, with so much raw emotion, and endearing, and somehow that made him wildly attractive to her right now.

Maybe I could…

She didn't understand where the urge was coming from, so suddenly, but it was overwhelming. She could hardly breathe.

No. He doesn't need this extra complexity right now. This is not helping him. Control yourself.

He was eyeing her tentatively. For a moment she considered the possibility that he had been hearing every word she'd been thinking. Her heart skipped a beat.

So why am I doing this?

Teruhashi brought her hand up to his cheek. She felt him tremble ever so slightly at her touch. He looked anxious, but he didn't pull away this time. She held her breath as she tilted his head with the gentlest tug. He didn't resist. His skin was cool to the touch, with the slightest hint of stubble.

Her body must be moving on its own because she was leaning in. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Was this really happening? Her heart was pounding out of her chest as she closed her eyes. This was it. She softly pressed her lips against his.

One tender kiss. Saiki remained still, neither stopping her nor reciprocating. Teruhashi waited for a reaction from him, their lips almost touching but not. She could feel the warmth of his breath. His quick, shallow breaths were tickling her face. It sent shivers down her spine.

That was the only sign of life she was getting from him though. He wasn't moving. He wasn't saying anything. He was just sitting there, frozen.

Did she break him?

Author's Note: Hate mail and other frustrations can be vented in the text input below —v :P Now excuse me while I'll go enjoy my weekend~ :D