The Invincible Couple floated into the Saiki household as if gently carried in by the breeze outside. The air in the house as the door softly shut was different from the way Saiki remembered it. Even something as mundane as hanging their outerwear carried a new meaning to him. There was a lightness to it, his mind silent to the person… girlfriend next to him. That was going to take some getting used to. He glanced at her briefly as she shrugged the coat off of her shoulders to remind him of the scheme that had set the pleasant thrum in his chest before he did the unthinkable.

He did do it. He had no idea how, but he did. Perhaps the outfit was god's final gesture to help ease the blow to his ego. How thoughtful.

"Why two coats and a sweater?" he mused, eyeing the plaid jacket.

"You know exactly why. I already know your game."

Maybe she was a psychic. It was either that or she had cheated by asking god. Probably the latter.

His face twisted to a dour scowl. He didn't know how long it would take to get used to being given a full course of his own lunch.

"That can't have been comfortable, not to mention silly looking."

"I was saving it for a special occasion, it wasn't my fault that it happened in the winter."

"What if someone had seen you?"

"They did, I just zipped the coat up. I didn't care about being perfect today. And no, you don't need to comment on the irony."

He felt a heat of annoyance rise in his chest, but it was quickly replaced by an amused, satisfied chuckle.

"So, did it have the effect I thought it would?"

He knew the question was coming, but struggled to find an appropriate level of denial.

"No."

Good enough.

"You're lying. I could tell when you noticed it. The fact that you didn't catch that further proves my point."

Not good enough.

"You know, for someone who can read minds, you're an awful liar."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Your penance is a hug."

"Fine."

Time slowed as he watched her giddily approach him, followed by the comfortable hum she brought to his senses as she tenderly wrapped her arms around his back and nestled her head into his shoulder.

"Victory for Kokomi…" she whispered into his shirt.

He didn't bother to object to her declaration or her habit of referring to herself in the third person, instead letting a silent contentment wash over him as he gingerly placed his hands around her. Were they too high? Too low? Tight enough? She didn't seem to care either way.

Her thoughts were indecipherable, so he could only guess at when she wanted to let go. He felt her shift a bit, so he took that as a cue to loosen his arms.

"No."

The rest of her curt refusal involved her tightening her grip around his back and ducking her head further into his chest. There was nothing he could do about it at this point. Stopping a hug from Kokomi Teruhashi wasn't considered illegal because the laws of the universe prohibited it. It was asinine to even consider violating a concept that held as much weight as the law of gravity itself, so he was going to be here until she was done.

As they remained in their embrace, his normally keen sense of smell picked up a scent he couldn't quite decipher. It smelled clean and… floral? He glanced at her, quickly revealing the source of the scent: her hair. He became aware of his fingers on her back as they lightly creased her sweater, for some reason reminding him of the way she pulled her dresses under her when she sat? Why? He searched his mind for answers, only interrupted by the feeling of a small weight lifting off of his chest.

"Couch," she ordered, snapping her finger toward the furniture.

He gave a half-hearted sigh as he did what he was told. She wasn't helping anything as she refused to let go of him, making their journey to the couch an awkward shuffle more than anything else. He should have just used telekinesis if she was going to be like this.

"What am I, a pillow?"

"I'm cold, you're warm."

She was definitely warm, but the retort died on his lips. She had earned this in spades, but it certainly helped that he didn't hate it. The issue of romantic thoughts had passed since they were in a relationship, so he supposed touch was a formality at this point.

She stretched her arms and yawned. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep on your lap now." She was not tired. His reflexive groan was ignored as she moved herself into an appropriate position, curling her legs up onto the sofa and grabbing his hands to direct them to her head and to drape over her body.

"What was this about you being nervous about touch?"

"Shut up."

He simply shook his head and chuckled, sitting silently until the rise and fall of her chest fell into a relaxed rhythm and her breaths softened. She was asleep? How? She wasn't even tired before. Was she sick?

Or was it he who was sick? He had watched plenty of her awful romcoms and seen his parents be annoyingly affectionate around each other many times before, and things like these happened quite often in both cases. This was something normal people did (albeit to a lesser degree), but it seemed as if there was some feeling associated with it that eluded him. He frowned. It vexed him to no end to be unable to do, to experience something the way normal people could. Somehow Satou had managed to develop a crush on one of the most abnormal people at PK. Then again it was obvious Satou's normality was a power in and of itself which paradoxically made him abnormal. He breathed an exasperated groan internally, as waking up Teruhashi would probably trigger cataclysmic destruction.

He needed to flush this frustrating stream of consciousness out of his mind, so he focused on something that had become an unexpected source of respite for him: her happiness. He watched her sleeping peacefully, observing her statuesque face's well-proportioned symmetry, the features that wouldn't be out of place on a model but somehow managed to feel warm and inviting. Wait, it felt wrong watching someone sleep, like you were intruding on someone's most private and vulnerable moment. He was many things, but a creep was not one of them. Since he couldn't move her, he might as well rest his head back for a bit.

Teruhashi jerked awake, letting out a loud squeak as the door suddenly opened to reveal her boyfriend's parents. Her face burned hot as she frantically to explain why her head was in their son's lap, tripping and falling there and happening to fall that way after a teleport among the more convincing explanations. Kuniharu-san's wicked grin made her wonder what expression Saiki-kun rebutted with, only able to guess as her eyes stayed glued on the interlopers.

"So, Kusuo, did my New Year's wish come true?" Kuniharu-san said dangerously.

"Hm, I didn't know about this! Feel free to enlighten me," Kurumi-san perked up, a nearly imperceptible vein bulging from her forehead.

"Oh, it's nothing, honey. I just know Kusuo heard my wish that he would…" A piece of duct tape that seemed to materialize out of nowhere stopped right in front of Kuniharu-san's face only to fall harmlessly to the ground.

"Thank you, Ku-chan. Please continue, dear."

A quick glance told Teruhashi that Saiki-kun's gaze should have been able to bore a hole in Kuniharu-san's skull, but he paid his incensed son no mind as he theatrically gesticulated before his proclamation. Her boyfriend's expertise in smug condescension definitely came from him.

"Is it so wrong to want your son to get a cute girlfriend?"

Kurumi-san cheered, her tone that of an excited child. "So is it true, Ku-chan?"

Saiki-kun's eyes shifted uncomfortably until they finally settled into a grimace. He slowly nodded.

"Yare yare, what's the big deal about it? It's just a relationship, what a pain," Saiki-kun stumbled.

"Ku-chan, did you imply that Kokomi-chan is a pain?"

His eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly. Despite the initial awkwardness, her telepathic boyfriend's flustered indignance was as cute as ever.

"Well I knew it was only a matter of time, but I'm going to take credit for pushing you two toward each other." Kuniharu-san said with a grin full of unearned pride.

"You actively made things worse."

"As your father, I'm entitled to use any method necessary to make you happy, even if you don't want it."

"That sounds like abuse."

"Well, it turned out alright in the end, didn't it?"

Saiki-kun's eyes shifted and his lips opened ever so slightly, only to close back again to facilitate a dissatisfied grunt.

"We're really happy for both of you, you deserve it," Kurumi-san beamed.

Teruhashi felt a warm smile spread across her face as she noticed Saiki-kun flash a subdued, contented smile. Maybe it was for the best that his parents knew; trying to hide their relationship from them would not be conducive to the cute couple things that had been dammed up for so many years. Saiki-kun was not going to tell them himself.

"Why do you think so lowly of me?"

"Because it's the truth."

"...I know I'm obstinate, but I'm doing the best I can."

"I know, and I'm proud of you," she thought back to him gently.

A tremor shook the ground.

Kurumi-san jumped. "Ku-chan, did something happen?" she implored, eyeing him with concern.

"I'm hungry."

Kurumi-san brightened and glanced at the clock. "It is around the time to start lunch. Kokomi-chan, feel free to join me in the kitchen."

"I'd love to, Kurumi-san," Teruhashi chirped. While the two of them started toward the kitchen, she took a brief look over her shoulder at the two men. She found it hard to distinguish the two contented, tender looks that watched the two of them go. Perhaps expressions were genetic as well.