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It was no secret that Saiki wasn't a fan of animals. He found them irritating and needy, and he certainly didn't have a soft spot for their supposed cuteness. In case you've forgotten, his psychic powers made it hard for him to find anything cute, since behind the fluff was wrinkly skin and bones and guts, and what most people found to be endearing behaviour he saw straight through. Most pets were smug, spoiled, and rude. It's a shame that non-mind readers couldn't tell.
So the last thing he wanted after a long day of dealing with nuisance after nuisance at school in the form of his friends (yes, he'd finally accepted they were friends, even if they were incredibly annoying) was to have to walk past the shelter that had just opened on the way home. Walking past without stopping to look at the fluffy cats and dogs in the window was sure to gather attention ("what's wrong with him? What sort of person doesn't like cute animals?"), so every day he was forced to stop and stare blankly at the pets behind the windows. The least irritating of the bunch were mostly thinking about how fun it was to tussle with their littermates, the worst of the bunch were thinking about how they couldn't wait to be broken out of their cells and tear up their future owners homes.
Good grief.
Wait a minute. Who said that? It wasn't Saiki, and that was his catch phrase.
Ah! The pet shop. Maybe a bored parent who had been dragged along? He glanced towards the shop, feeling something like sympathy for a kindred soul, before he saw clearly where it was coming from.
A fluffy, brown poodle, sitting stiffly in a crate. Surrounded by puppies, it looked old and tired as the little creatures crawled over it and tugged at its ears.
Well. He should just keep walking. He didn't care about animals anyway.
Look, it would practically be animal cruelty to leave that guy alone. Saiki wasn't entirely heartless.
What's this teenager doing? They're always such a nusience.
[Now, that's rude.]
The dog jumped, sending some puppies rolling across the ground like gleeful little slugs.
The dog's tail stood up straight as it glared at Saiki, bristles standing straight along its spine.
You can talk to me?!
[Clearly.]
Ugh. Spare me the flattery. I never want a teenager's attention. You're all smelly and overbearing.
[And the puppies aren't?]
Good point. But they'll be adopted. And then I'll be happily alone again.
Saiki approached the counter, pointing at the dog.
[I want this one.]
Look. He wasn't an animal person. Even if he was, the dog was ugly. It had cloudy eyes with gunk in the corners and its fur was matted. It also did not like the idea of some sniveling kid dragging it home and trying to bond with it like some cliche trauma anime.
Pick some stupid puppy instead. I hate fetch. And I hate cuddles. I won't even lick you. Leave me alone.
"Uh... The one that's growling?"
[Yes.]
"That's Koko... She'll be 1500 yen. Good luck."
Don't.
Saiki put down a big bag of treats. [This too.]
"Oh, of course— 1800 yen."
... Carob treats?
[Obviously.]
Koko was herded in to a carrier (because apparently she wouldn't walk and she'd bite people if they tried to carry her), which led to some very mournful puppies which forgot about her the moment a new toy was placed in their cage.
He let the dog out on to his bed, staring at it and being stared at in return.
... I don't intend to snuggle with you.
[Gross. Look, I'm just going to play video games. If you want treats, just let me know.]
Good Grief. Can't I just have them?
[No, or the cat might steal them.]
They both agreed they hated cats.
-
Have you ever heard of twin flames? Mikoto had told Saiki it was, essentially, when one shared a soul with another. Like a mirror, or a soul's "other half". Saiki Kusuo's just happened to be an angry little dog. A deep connection was built by mutually ignoring each other and doing their own things. And, as a plus, Koko kept away the cats. He didn't like the one his brother built, and he didn't like how it kept coming in to his room, and after one brutal bite from Koko's (toothless and gummy) mouth, it left the pair of them alone.
He even let Koko sleep at the end of his bed— they both gave each other space, anyway, and having a friend didn't hurt when they weren't overbearing.
"Saiki! I didn't know you had a puppy?" Kaidou moved to give it a pat, yelping and jumping back and latching on to the door frame with big eyes when she bit his hand. He whimpered to himself, before clearing his throat and pretending tears weren't welling in his eyes.
[You need to ask first.]
"Www... Okay." He sniffed, climbing down from the door frame and dusting himself off. "I wasn't scared. I just couldn't risk using even 1% of my power on her, or I would crush her."
[Good grief. She's a tiny poodle, do you think that's a brag?]
Nendo bent down, humming curiously at the tiny creature. Koko was quick to let Saiki know that she thought this guy was weird.
Then he offered her a treat. "Koko," he said, reading her collar. "I carry these for Koriki No. 2, but I'd be so happy to share with my best buddy's littlest buddy."
Saiki. I love him.
She sat still while she let him pat her, gladly accepting the treats that were fed to her.
That day, Koko made another ally, and Kaido stopped bragging about being able to beat dogs.
-
Kusuke was still welcome in the house. After everything he did.
"Kusuo!"
He took big strides towards his baby brother. Obviously, Saiki teleported out of the way.
Kusuke pouted, hands on his hips. "You're so fickle."
[Because I don't like you.]
"Come on, little brother, you know I can't hear you when you speak telepathically. Use your voice."
Mmm. No. Instead Saiki said the same thing in sign language, earning a twitch from his brother's eye.
"You've got a pet?" He gently kicked the water bowl. "I thought you weren't an animal person. Especially with how much you hated Warp."
Koko cane running to Saiki's side as soon as he telepathically called her, jumping in to his arms.
He guessed he was just a dog person.
He couldn't sleep with Kusuke in the guest bedroom. Koko took her spot on his bed, but after a moment, moved up to curl against his side. So Kusuke wouldn't bother them. Nothing bad would unfold as long as she was there, she told him.
Good grief. How'd he held up with such a sentimental puppy? He gave her head a pet as she fell asleep next to him.
As he'd predicted, Kusuke came strolling in, unceremoniously pushing Koko on to the ground before he tried to wake his brother. Kusuke shot awake, throwing his brother against the wall and scowling.
[How dare you.]
"I can't hear you," he reminded. Saiki responded by ripping the telepathy blocker off, repeating himself. "Aw, baby Kusuo, do you care so much about a little animal?"
[I hate you.] He delivered a punch to his brother's ribs, shock setting in to Kusuke's face at the fact his brother actually hurt him.
Saiki stepped back, glaring at his brother in disgust.
[Get up. And leave my dog and me alone.]
Kusuke stood up, brushing himself off and retreating to his room. [And never touch me or my dog ever again.]
Cowering under Saiki's bed, Koko crawled out once Kusuke was gone, nuzzling at Saiki's ankle. He lifted her up on to the bed, letting her crawl up and cuddle against his chest. His own heart was beating way too fast. He felt sick to his stomach.
But it was nice to have someone to keep him company for once.