Author's Note: I apologize for leaving my trusty readers hanging — although I do admit I took great joy in reading your frustrations. It was hilarious. Lol. Sorry. I did consider posting an empty chapter for April's Fools yesterday, but I figured that would probably not go down well, so I did not.

I've found this to be the most difficult chapter to write yet. I must have rewritten it like three or four times. You'll probably either love it or hate it. I've tried my best to keep them in character (something I value highly, and I'm sure most of you do too) whilst also being able to progress the plot the way I want it to. It was not easy. Here's my best shot.

Please enjoy!


Chapter 12 - Without Thinking


He shouldn't. He really shouldn't.

This was a bad idea. Stop right now. Abort mission.

"Oh god, is he rejecting me?"

Saiki had a thousand reasons to reject her. Very logical, very good reasons. He just couldn't think of a single one right now.

He couldn't think at all.

"Please don't reject me."

Her kiss had completely wiped his mind. He couldn't think and he couldn't move. His heart was racing a million miles an hour. Maybe she did break him.

Teruhashi was starting to retreat, trying to maintain her composure and failing miserably. Her hand slowly slid off his cheek, tingling his skin. He could feel her resolve shattering. The growing gap between their faces left a chill.

Her lips had been so soft and moist.

Reasons. Think of the reasons. They were logical.

Logical made no sense to him right now.

It hadn't been a conscious decision to move in and kiss her, but that was what he did.

He would think later.


Saiki had leaned in to return her kiss. It had been a short kiss — cautious, inhibited and maybe a little bit shy. Like a wordless whisper, "Are we really doing this?", despite knowing there was no turning back from this. He'd taken her by surprise, so she had just stared at him with her big blue eyes, her mouth half open in disbelief.

Even her thoughts had been speechless.

But then she'd hesitantly come back for more, and he'd timidly met her halfway. It was a silent, yet unanimous "Yes. Yes, we are," when their lips met again, for longer this time.

Something in his stomach had started doing somersaults. Adrenaline whirled through him when she lingered, their lips brushing. Not for long. Another kiss. Slow, deep, intimate, passionate. Her warmth spread through his entire being, enveloping him like a soft winter blanket. Or maybe that was the sensation of her arms sliding around his neck. He wanted her close, closer still, but his limbs had turned to jelly. She might have known because she reeled him in. Saiki melted into her snug embrace, only barely managing to wrap his arms around her slender waist. If she never let go of him again, it would be too soon.

She tasted of strawberry lip gloss, with a hint of the coffee jelly they had shared earlier. It was intoxicating. The whiff that he'd caught earlier was filling his lungs now. It was the smell of coconut shampoo and some flowery fragrance that she must have put on before school this morning. And then there was this unique scent much sweeter than anything else in the world that could only be her. It was subtle, yet inhaling it made him feel euphoric.

Just when he thought their lips would never part again, they did just that. Teruhashi disconnected, breathing fast as she rested her forehead against his own. A little voice at the back of his mind was telling him to stop, so maybe he should. He tried to speak, but he couldn't think, let alone talk. He could only feel, and he was feeling so much that he feared he might drown in it all. He felt a landslide of emotions, the tickle of her nose brushing, her hand in his hair, the texture of her school uniform that he had dug his fingers into. Every touch would send electric currents through him, stop-starting his heart and his breathing.

Evidently his senses had gone haywire.

Maybe that was why he felt like he was overheating. Either that or his pyrokinesis was acting up. Saiki managed to unzip and shrug off his turquoise school uniform overcoat, dropping it on the floor.

In retrospect, he guessed that action might have created a slight misunderstanding between the two of them there.

Because he had felt something tug at him. Glancing down, he realized that she'd started unbuttoning his shirt. He froze. Wasn't this going too far? Where was this going, anyway? That voice at the back of his mind was gaining ground, scorning him for even considering it.

She must have noticed his panic, because one of her hands had found its way back up to his cheek, giving him the softest caress in the universe. She moved in and kissed him so tenderly, turning his insides to goo. Then her kiss deepened, with more desire. His world exploded, smothering the voice of reason. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Everything after that happened in a haze. He may have helped her undress. At least he was now aware that bra closures were impossible and should be banned from the world. In any case, their clothes — all of them — ended up on the floor.

His x-ray vision had shown her naked hundreds of times before, and yet it felt like Saiki truly saw her for the first time there and then.

Good grief, she was so beautiful.

Her arms had found their way back around his neck, like they belonged there. Maybe they did. Maybe her lips belonged against his lips as well. He didn't know anymore. The sensation of her bare skin set him on fire, which made no sense because she was so mind-blowingly soft. He didn't understand how. Her lips, her neck, her tummy, her thighs. Her breasts. How could she be so soft? Was she made of silk?

He probably should have known where this would lead. That burning desire was overwhelming, and growing stronger with every caress, with every kiss. But his mind was foggy, and this was all so new and unfamiliar to him. So when she climbed on top of him, learning what was on her mind still took him by surprise.

Did she seriously…? With him? Wasn't that… They probably shouldn't…

She bent over and whispered in his ear that she was on birth control. He hadn't even considered… he should have, but… Was this divine intervention? Maybe she wasn't just an angel. She must be a goddess. A slow trail of kisses down his neck and chest took the last of the little self-restraint he had left. This was happening.

And so it happened.

She may really be a goddess. She was breathtaking and enchanting and mesmerizing. He had never experienced anything like this. She was sweet, and soft, and sexy, and warm, and wet, and tight.

She was all he wanted, and he wanted all of her.

She was perfect.


What the hell just happened?

The two youths were both lying next to each other in his bed, facing the ceiling and catching their breath. They just lay in silence, while Saiki's mind was trying to figure out if this really did just happen. In the end it was Teruhashi who broke the silence.

"So um... what was that?" she breathed.

"...I'm not sure."

They both watched the ceiling.

"…I think I was telling you to leave." Saiki mused. He could see her smile from the corner of his eye.

Right, my powers…

Finally, at last, a logical thought occurred to him.

Shit.

This was bad. Really bad. He couldn't get involved with Teruhashi. Not now. Not with these out of whack powers. How was he going to get out of this mess? A kiss — just her kiss — would have been trouble enough. Why did he have to sleep with her?

What was he thinking? Oh right, he hadn't been thinking.

What have I done?

"Ku-chan~? You upstairs?"

Saiki catapulted upright. His mother had returned home, and she was coming up.

There was one rock solid truth in this universe, and that was that no teenager ever wants to be walked in on by their parent when naked with a lover. Saiki was in full panic mode. There was no time.

Teruhashi was sitting up now as well, pulling the blanket up to cover her chest. "Saiki!" she hissed at him, as if he was somehow responsible for this. He was obviously only about 2% to blame here. After all she had started it.

There was a quick knock on the door, immediately followed by the door opening.

"Ku-chan, look what I got from the sh-"

There was a soft whoosh and the next thing he saw, was pink. Too much pink. …actually it was more like a dirty brown due to the green hue of his glasses, but his brain had already adapted his color perception. Creepy.

"Wha… is this my room?" Teruhashi gasped in awe.

Saiki groaned. "Apparently I teleported us." Luckily their hands had been touching or he probably would have left her behind to deal with his mother.

"Wow… you're amazing, Saiki-kun," she said, still looking around in wonderment. They were sitting on top of her bed, his hitchhiking blanket still covering them. She had lowered the comforter, probably unaware that her entire upper body was in plain view. Or maybe she just didn't care. Saiki felt a sudden heat rush to his face. This was just too damn weird.

"Um… I should go," he croaked. He was about to lift the blanket to step out of her bed, when his eyes spotted the floor. The immaculate floor.

You've got to be kidding me.

"…my clothes are still at home."

He had no intention of walking home naked, and teleporting back was obviously out of the question right now. Who knew where he'd end up next. Teruhashi let out a giggle. Easy for her, with her wardrobe right next to her. Hilarious.

"Uh, yeah. Same for my school uniform and bag." She smiled at him. "I can probably get you some of my brother's clothes to wear. Don't worry."

"Is he home?" he asked sharply. Saiki did not want to deal with Makoto right now. Ideally not ever. The navy-haired siscon would lynch him for sleeping with his sister.

"Um… no, on Tuesdays my whole family is always out till late."

Well, that was convenient at least. This was complicated enough without having to deal with the rest of the Teruhashi family on top of it all. He just needed to get out of here as soon as possible and figure out how to fix this… clusterfuck. His head was spinning just thinking about it. Now that he could actually think again. He felt overwhelmed.

Is this even fixable?

He placed his hand on the cover, intending to lift it so he could get up. Another hand found its way on top of his before he could, though.

"So um…" Teruhashi said in a husky tone, "there's no rush, right?"

Saiki observed her from the corner of his eye. Was she for real?

She slid closer to him until their thighs were touching. He wondered if he was developing a heart problem. It was going bonkers.

She's not a goddess. She's a demon. A succubus.

He glanced above her. Apparently she'd triggered his favorability meter power just now. Annoying, but harmless. And broken. There were at least one or two digits too many in there. It was supposed to only go up to 99.

His gaze returned to her. How did she manage to suck him in like that with a single look? She was leaning in again, but not for a kiss this time. Her cheek grazed him as she whispered something in his ear, barely audible. His heart skipped a beat. She really was playing dirty now.

I shouldn't.

Something about this screamed déjà vu to him. Odd. Memories were so fickle when your brain stopped functioning.

Saiki willed himself to turn his head away from her. He should leave. Really. Something was telling him that it would be wise. He was in enough trouble already. Wasn't he? All he could think about was how she was nuzzling his neck right now. It tickled, making him shiver. Her hand, that had been on top of his hand a moment ago, had moved on to his chest. She might be trying to electrocute him with her touches.

Maybe he should stay for just a little bit longer.

He just didn't stand a chance against her. Resistance was futile. She had the upper hand after all.

He might be able to return the dubious favor of that teeth-chattering sensation at least. See how she liked that. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. It felt… natural. She was so warm.

Could I say no to coffee jelly if she offered me some right now?

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

It was a stupid question, really.

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. Maybe she did like it. He kissed her chest as he gently pushed her back onto the bed.

After all, this is better than coffee jelly.


He was like a fly on the wall as he watched her step out of bed. He might as well be invisible. Maybe he was. She just floated around her room, paying him no mind whilst pulling some underwear out of her drawers. His eyes followed her movements with intrigue as she stepped into her panties and put on a white bra, folding her arms behind her back to close it without giving it any thought whatsoever.

How.

She was humming as she slipped into the pretty dress that she'd just pulled from her wardrobe. She seemed even more light-footed than usual. It was like watching a reverse striptease. Fascinating.

Wait. What am I doing?

Saiki shook his head as he was suddenly overrun by feelings of anguish and guilt. It wasn't just weird, being here, with her. It was wrong. He knew his lack of self-restraint would get him in trouble some day. Although he had never quite pictured this kind of scenario.

His throat felt so tight that he thought he might suffocate. He had to get out of here. He needed to think, which had proven to be impossible with her around. How had he managed to screw this up so much? He shouldn't have given in to his desires. But he had. Twice. He'd gotten closer to her than ever before, when he should have gotten as far away from her as possible. The additional power leaks only confirmed his suspicions. He glanced at the metal trash can next to her desk. Its contents had caught fire while they had been in the middle of… Saiki swallowed. Fortunately there hadn't been much in there, so it had extinguished on its own quickly.

It's too dangerous.

His stomach tied itself up in knots, killing whatever had been fluttering in there earlier. He clawed into the sheets, clenching his fists until they hurt.

Whatever it was that they had… he would have to put an end to it.