Chapter Text
Saiki rolls his eyes. He just wanted one weekend, just one weekend where his friends wouldn’t insist on disturbing his manga-reading marathons. Just one break from school where he could lock himself in his room with mountains of coffee jelly and ignore anyone and everyone. But with friends like Nendo, Kaidou, and Kuboyasu, he knows that he is asking too much. He listens with half an ear to their suggestions of plans they each wanted to partake in but none of them really made him want to give up his free time.
He drops his cheek to his hand, resting against his desk as his eyes flicker from one friend to the next and can hardly contain the sigh that attempts to force itself past his lips. Then a voice breaks through their conversation, a voice that sends sparks through Saiki’s veins and, if he hadn’t employed his cryokinesis, would have made his cheeks flush.
“What are you plebians arguing about now?” Saiko questions, his ankles crossed beneath his desk, arms folded over his chest, and he raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
“Saiko!”
“All of your ideas sound so lame! I wouldn’t be caught dead taking part in any of those activities.” He continues, a small smirk dancing across the corner of his mouth. Besides, how dare these plebians try to make Saiki go out camping like that? It is much too boring an activity for someone as amazing as Kusuo to do. I would never allow Saiki to sleep out in the wilderness.
“Oh yeah? Well, what are you planning to do this weekend then, Saiko?” Kaidou questions, his face scrunched up, lips pursed.
“Oh well, you know, just the usual. I will probably take my private yacht out across the Pacific Ocean to my private island, where I can have a lovely three-course meal of French food.” A candlelit dinner for me and Saiki. “Then I will take in the view of the sunset on the balcony of my private villa.” And maybe even a romantic stroll along the beach to watch the stars.
Saiki rolls his eyes, a small smile threatening to expose just how much he wasn’t opposed to his boyfriend’s suggestions. He glances over his shoulder, shaking his head when he is met with the self-satisfied grin displayed across Saiko’s features.
“That sounds like fun. Can we come along?” Nendo asks, eyebrows furrowing, when Kuboyasu shouts at him to shut up and presses a hand, none too gently, against his mouth to make sure he can utter another word.
“Nendo, you can’t just ask something like that!”
“Yeah, if you ask, then that means we have already lost!” Kaidou shouts out, and Saiki can’t stop the sigh from escaping his mouth this time round. He believes that with them kicking up such a fuss about the entire thing, in full view of Saiko already made sure that they lost, but who was he to judge. He may not have looked it on the outside, but he was also intrigued by the notion of going on a short vacation with Saiko. Even if they would have to sneak around to do anything even slightly romantic when everyone had fallen asleep. But he didn’t mind that. Both he and Saiko preferred their privacy anyway.
Saiki continues to watch Saiko out of the corner of his eyes, watching as several expressions flitter across the millionaire’s features. They range from annoyance at possibly having to put up with the plebians he secretly called friends to excitement at the prospect of having such a rare opportunity to spend time with his boyfriend. The excitement quickly dulls down to a challenge, smug satisfaction glittering behind Saiko’s expression, and Saiki can feel his nerves heightening.
“Alright, I suppose you plebians can come, but only if you manage to convince Saiki to attend as well. If he comes, then I will allow you to bring anyone you want.” I know you want to come as well, Kusuo. You may be well-versed in hiding your feelings from those idiots, but I know you too well. Come with me, Saiki, and we can have some nice quality time together.
Saiki couldn’t stop a flush from dusting the tips of his ears or a smile from tugging at the corner of his mouth when he was presented with some rather romanticised scenarios of the two of them sharing an intimate dinner for two or walking along the beach under the night sky holding hands.
“Huh? Why Saiki? I thought he would have insisted that we make Teruhashi come with us.” Kaidou tried to whisper to Kuboyasu, but he couldn’t quite manage to get his voice quiet enough.
“Maybe Saiko knows just how much Saiki hates doing anything troublesome and thinks that by asking us to invite Saiki, we are going to fail, and therefore, he won’t have to let us go with him,” Kuboyasu suggests, glancing down at their stoic friend with a raised eyebrow. He had heard Saiki’s several protests and rejections when they had been trying to convince their friend to join them this weekend already. Now that Saiko was trying to invite Saiki as well, he didn’t know how well their convincing was going to go, but he wasn’t going to give up. Not when both himself and Kaidou really wanted to take a nice cruise on Saiko’s yacht to a nice beach for a day or two.
“Hey Saiki, you’ll come with us, won’t you?” Kaidou’s voice is quiet, unsure, as if he didn’t really want to ask Saiki but wanted to go on the cruise even so.
Saiki rolled his eyes; he didn’t see how he was going to be able to reject his friends for the fourth time. Not when he glances over his shoulder and sees the self-satisfied expression still decorating his boyfriend’s features. A look that Saiko knew perfectly well that Saiki couldn’t do much against. It was the type of look that sent Saiki’s pulse racing and butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. Sighing out loud, Saiki inclines a little bit, ignoring the expressions of elation shaping Kaidou and Kuboyasu’s faces. Instead, he decides to shoot a very small, adoring smile toward his boyfriend, satisfaction curling in his gut when he sees the other’s breath stuttering.
“Alright.”
Saiki walks along the pier with his friends, eyes peeled for any sign of Saiko, who told him that they were going to meet him at the family yacht. He tightens his hands around the straps of his backpack, shaking his head when he catches sight of a giant ship, one much too large for just a two-day excursion to a small private island, but he wasn’t about to ruin his boyfriend’s fun. Not when he sort of enjoys watching his friends’ reactions to Saiko’s wealth. Especially when they tried their hardest to hide their awe and fascination.
“Welcome Plebians.” Saiko’s voice rings out from above them, and Saiki can’t help the smile that begins to form on his lips when he sees the shimmering in his boyfriend’s eyes and the soft expression forming on Saiko’s face when they catch his gaze.
“Wow, Saiko, this is amazing!”
“I know; you should marvel at my wealth now because you will never have a chance to see something this grand again!”
Saiki rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Turning into Saiko’s thoughts to see just how much he is enjoying the reactions of their classmates, his eyebrows furrow when he catches the tail-end of a thought that sends his fingertips cold and his heart racing. He follows his friends up the plank, walking straight over to Saiko, who waits until the rest have made their way into the ship with the help of some assistance standing nearby before he pulls Saiki into a tight hug.
“I missed this.” He whispers, burying his face in Saiki’s shoulder when he feels hesitant arms wrapping around his waist in return, and he can’t stop the smile that would break out if he tried.
Are you sure this trip is going to be safe for everyone, Metori?
“Hmm? What do you me- Ah, you are on about the last-minute maintenance? Don’t worry, Saiki, it is going to be perfectly safe.”
Really?
“I promise you, Kusuo. I hired the very best Mechanics and Engineers to ensure that this boat was ready to go. You don’t think I would allow you to get on this ship if I didn’t think it was going to be safe, do you?” Saiko questions, nuzzling against Saiki’s cheek before he brushes his lips against his cheek.
No, I know you wouldn’t set out if you didn’t believe we were going to be safe. Sorry.
“You don’t have to apologise, Kusuo. I would be questioning you if our roles were reversed. Now, come on. Let us go make sure that those fools don’t do anything stupid.” Saiko steps away from Saiki, but before the other can walk off, he grabs Saiki’s hand, interlaces their fingers, and leads his boyfriend onto the ship in search of their friends.
It didn’t take them very long to track down their classmates; they merely followed the loud exclamations of Yumehara, Kaidou, and Kuboyasu as they followed one of the bodyguards down a long, carpeted corridor to their bedrooms. As they round the corner, Saiko shoots one last loving smile towards Saiki before he releases his boyfriend’s hand. Saiki is relieved by the action, knowing that Saiko was doing his best to keep their relationship on the down-low as per Saiki’s request when they had started dating two months ago, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed as the warmth in his hand begins to leech away.
Saiki walks away from his friends, crossing his arms over his chest to stop him from reaching out and taking Saiko’s hand in his own once more. He stands, leaning against the wall, watching as Saiko and Kuboyasu tackle Mera to the ground and tie her up to prevent her from eating any more of the food stored in the pantry. He watches in veiled amusement as Kaidou almost collapses to the floor when a bout of seasickness washes over him. He snickers quietly when Yumehara immediately runs over to the blue-haired boy and almost manhandles him across the corridors to their bedroom under the guise of ‘looking after him.’
He finds amusement in the fact that the girl had thrown all of the medicines overboard just so she would have an excuse to sit with the sick boy for the remainder of their trip. However, his amusement soon evaporates when a cold sweat travels through his body, leaving him feeling short of breath, light-headed, and extremely weak. A phenomenon he had never experienced before. He wobbles on his feet for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Though before he has a chance to collide completely with the hard floor, he feels strong hands gripping his forearms and guiding him to settle more comfortably.
“Saiki? Are you okay?” I didn’t know you got seasick.
I don’t. I will be fine in a few minutes.
“Come on. I will help you get settled in bed and you can take a rest.” You should have told me if you weren’t feeling well.
Saiki would have rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’s guilt if the action wouldn’t have caused another dizzy spell to hit him. He allows Saiko to hoist him to his feet, a strong arm wrapping around his waist to keep him steady as they begin to make their way down the corridor. Saiki allows himself to lean more readily against his boyfriend’s welcoming warmth when he sees Saiko brushing Teruhashi out of the way when she tries to insist on taking care of Saiki herself. He even smiles a little when he hears the annoyance coating Saiko’s thoughts as they continue down the corridor.
Stupid Teruhashi, why would I allow you to take care of my Kusuo when he is this sick? I know your game, you boyfriend snatcher, and it is not one you are going to win.
I don’t like Teruhashi, you know. He couldn’t help but project into Saiko’s mind, smirking when Saiko jumped a little, a look of guilt twisting his features.
I know that, but it doesn’t mean that I like watching her attempting to flirt with you every chance she gets. You are mine, and that is not going to change any time soon. I am just sorry that I managed to fall for her tricks for so long.
Saiki feels a gentle smile dancing across the corner of his lips, and he stretches up to brush a kiss on Saiko’s cheek. He knows that his boyfriend hated the fact that he had fallen so readily for Teruhashi’s charms when he had first seen her. But Saiko had also told him that he didn’t regret it too much because if he hadn’t caught sight of Teruhashi, then he never would have thought to move to PK academy. He had told Saiki that he couldn’t imagine just how dull his life would have been if he had continued to stay at his old school if he hadn’t met Saiki and his rag-tag band of friends.
Saiko liked to say that he was a little glad that he had been as self-absorbed and conceited as he had been to fall for Teruhashi’s looks because it was that lapse that had allowed him to fall in love with Saiki—a notion that always brought butterflies to Saiki’s stomach and a flush to his cheeks.
Saiki allows Saiko to lay him down on one of the beds, tucking the blankets around his form. He closes his eyes for a moment, allowing another dizzy spell to travel its course before he cracks his eyes open. Tilting his head to the side, Saiki smiles when Saiko pulls out a small blister of tablets and pours him a glass of water. It was times like these that Saiki almost forgot that Saiko was a spoilt rich heir who had never done a thing for himself his entire life.
Allowing his boyfriend to help him sit up a little, Saiki pops the pills into his mouth and lets Saiko hold the glass steady while he takes a deep pull of water. Settling back down on the pillows, Saiki inwardly shook his head when Saiko pulled a chair over from the side of the room and settled by his side. But Saiki didn’t really want his boyfriend there.
Shifting a little in the bed, Saiki pulls the blanket by his side down and holds his hand out to Saiko, who stares down at the hand for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing.
Come lie with me. Saiki whispers, his cheeks heating up as he drops his gaze down to the sheets.
“But what if someone comes in?” Saiko questions, even as he stands up from his seat and starts to take off his shoes.
I don’t think anyone is going to come in and disturb me when I am ill, Metori. Especially not with that glare you shot them when you told them all that I needed undisturbed rest. Saiki chuckles, his smile widening when Saiko stands back up and slips his hand into his outstretched one.
He watches as his boyfriend carefully climbs over his prone form, shifting around enough so that he can slide under the blankets and maneuver Saiki around enough so the psychic is curled up along his side, his head resting against his chest. Saiko hears Saiki sighing out a content noise as a hand slithers across his chest and clenches around the material of his shirt.
“Get some rest, Kusuo.” He whispers, placing a chaste kiss on Saiki’s head as he prepares to watch over his boyfriend and ensure he has a couple of hours of undisturbed sleep.
-----
Saiki stares out at the vast white-sanded beech sitting in front of him. A dazed look passes over his face as he glances around at all of his friends scattered across the seafront. He couldn’t believe that he had allowed something like this to happen, that his powers had been so out of whack due to his mysterious bout of sickness that he hadn’t been able to stop their ship from sinking.
He glances down at his boyfriend who was still unconscious, sieves a hand through his hair a settles his back against a nearby tree to wait for his friends to wake up. He knew that he shouldn’t have believed Saiko when he had told him not to worry about the late-night maintenance on the ship, had known that something was going to go wrong. But he had trusted Saiko explicitly and hadn’t a shadow of a doubt that his boyfriend would shirk his duties of making sure the ship was 100% fit for travel. Listening to Saiki’s thoughts had cemented the fact that he had done everything in his power to make sure the ship was as safe as possible for them to use.
As luck would have it, Saiko was the first of his friends to wake up, and as soon as he had come to his senses and glanced around at their surroundings, he felt an immeasurable amount of guilt crashing through him as he gazed along the beach at their passed-out friends. He turns to Saiki, who offers the boy a small, reassuring smile.
“Oh my gosh, Saiki, I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I thought the ship would be okay for us to use for a little while, and then I was going to send it to be repaired completely once we returned. I am so sorry.”
Saiki’s smile widens marginally. He always loved it when Saiko let go of the haughty mask he liked to wear in front of everyone else and showed his true emotions. He takes Saiko’s hand in his own, drawing random patterns with the pad of his thumb as he tugs Saiko to sit closer—close enough that their shoulders are pressed together and their knees are touching.
This wasn’t your fault, Metori. You didn’t do anything wrong. I promise.
“But the ship… we sank…”
We did, but it wasn’t because the ship hadn’t been fixed properly. When I get ill, my powers can become unstable. It happens when I suffer from hay fever in the spring and apparently when I contract a bout of seasickness. When I was coughing, it triggered my powers, and I somehow ended up causing the ship to sink. So, if anything, this is my fault.
“What? No, this isn’t your fault, Kusuo! You couldn’t help the fact that you were ill.” Saiko tightens his grip around Saiki’s hand, leaning so close to his boyfriend’s face that Saiki feels his breath catching in his throat when he sees his startlingly silver eyes shining so intently up close. “This wasn’t your fault, Kusuo.”
And how could Saiki argue with such sincerity? He offers Metori a shy smile before he leans forward and presses their lips together in a chaste kiss. Saiko chuckles, the tips of his ears glowing red before he closes the distance between them and lands his own kiss on Saiki’s lips. He had missed this, being able to simply be with Saiki without having to worry about anything else.
However, just a second later, their personal bubble is broken by various sounds of groaning and startled exclamations of disbelief when their friends slowly begin to come around. Saiko shuffles a couple of paces away, sets a frown on his features, and crosses his arms in front of his chest to display the perfect image of a rice heir who has been stranded on a desert island.
“What happened?” Kaidou groans, rubbing his head as he turns to face Saik.
“Yeah, how did we end up here?” Kuboyasu brushes as much sand off his clothes as he can while trying to crawl over to their group just as Teruhashi, Yumehara, Nendo, and Mera all settle down in a circle to discuss their next cause of action.
“Well, for starters, the ship sank, and we are now stranded,” Yumehara comments, her expression showing that she wasn’t entirely bothered by the prospect. Saiki has to prevent himself from scowling at the girl’s overly enthusiastic thoughts of building a family with Kaidou.
“Okay, but what are we going to do now? We can’t call anyone for help.” Kuboyasu, ever the voice of reason, explains. He gazes around the island they are staying on, a deep furrow between his brows.
“We could just wait here until we are rescued…” Teruhashi suggests, brushing her hands through her hair in hopes of clearing away as much sand as possible; she hated how itchy it made her scalp.
“But will someone really come around to save us? I mean, no one really knew we were going on a cruise besides our parents.” Kaidou stutters, his thoughts going to the disappointed frown on his mum’s face when she receives the news that he has been wasting his time stranded on a desert island instead of studying. Or that she would have to use some of her savings to pay for a search party to track them down. He didn’t think that was going to happen.
“Of course, people are going to be out searching for us. I mean, I am the heir to the Saiko fortune. As soon as word reaches my people that the ship didn’t reach our Island by this afternoon, then my private police force will track down the location of the ship and search the surrounding area for us. We should be rescued by tomorrow at the latest.” Saiko jumps to his feet, a smug grin stretching across his features as he takes this opportunity to brag about his wealth. But for once, none of their classmates can refute the rich Heir’s claims because as soon as word reached Saiko’s private island that the ship sank, his forces would be out in hordes to find their young master. However, Saiko’s claims have Saiki’s heart sinking in his chest.
In the meantime, Saiki and I can have that long-awaited romantic holiday. I can still take him on a walk along the beach, which is the perfect spot to watch the night sky.
-----
Saiki bides his time. He sits along the treeline, watching as his friends discover the washed-up pantry stocked full of the food Mera hadn’t gotten her hands on just yet and several bottles of water. He observes them as they each begin to go about their business on the island. Nendo suggests that they all go take a swim in the sea to relax while Teruhashi and Yumehara sit in the shade, threading small flowers together into an assortment of necklaces and crowns.
He waited until everyone had exhausted themselves and fallen asleep before he silently made his way over to Saiko, who had secreted himself away from the others. Saiki stops at the base of the large rock his boyfriend had claimed as just gazes at Saiko. He feels his breath catching in his throat as bright moonlight washes over Saiko’s pale features and makes him look even more handsome. Clearing his throat after a moment of watching his boyfriend, Saiki offers his hand out to the boy, silently asking him to take that nighttime stroll with him. Something which Saiko immediately agrees to.
As they make their way along the beach, their shoes abandoned by Saiko’s rock, hands intertwined and swinging between them, they remain silent. Each lost within their own thoughts.
“Kusuo, what’s the matter?” Saiko breaks the tranquillity, a deep sigh escaping his lips, and he squeezes Saiki’s hand.
Hmm? Nothing is wrong, Metori.
“I may not be able to read your mind like you can, Saiki, but I know you well enough to tell when there is something bothering you.”
Saiki nods his head. He knew this. Sometimes it scared him just how well Metori knew what he was thinking and was able to read his facial expressions so easily. Even his own parents weren’t able to guess what he wanted or what he wished to say without him actually voicing it. But then again, he loved it every time because it showed him that Saiko really did care about him. Enough to learn his little tells he hadn’t even realised he had until Saiko pointed them out to him.
When I woke up underwater earlier, my powers were still out of sync because of my seasickness. When I grabbed hold of everyone with the plan of teleporting us all to an island close by so we could await rescue. My powers overshot, and we ended up on some nondescript island on the other side of the world. I don’t think a rescue party is going to find us.
Saiko pauses along the beach and turns to face Saiki. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, and he brushes a hand against some wispy pieces of hair sticking to his boyfriend’s forehead before he drops his hand and takes hold of Saiki’s other. Ensuring that Saiki is looking in his eyes so he can see his sincerity, he allows his expressions to soften.
“None of this is your fault, Kusuo. None of us knew that you were going to get sick, let alone what the consequences of that would be. You couldn’t control what happened to that ship any more than I could, and I don’t want you to blame yourself for any of this. If it hadn’t been for you, then we most likely would have drowned at sea. You not only teleported all of us to safety, but you also had the forethought to bring the remaining food and water with us. If anything, you have saved us, Kusuo.”
Saiki could feel his cheeks heating up with the praise Metori was heaping on him, and he could honestly say that some of his guilt did evaporate. Squeezing his boyfriend’s hands in thanks, he couldn’t stop a frown from down-turning his lips when a thought occurred to him.
But there is nothing I can do to get us out of this mess. I can’t teleport us all to an island closer to the sight of the ship because a rescue party would have already searched the surrounding area by now. Besides, the vegetation on this island is vastly different from that of any island near Japan, and everyone would notice if their surroundings suddenly changed. And I can’t use my telepathy to direct a rescue here because we wouldn’t be able to explain how we managed to wash up so far away from where the ship went down…
“Hey. Hey, Kusuo, it is going to be okay. I know that you are super smart and will come up with some amazing plan to get us off this island eventually. There is nothing my boyfriend can’t accomplish; besides, being stranded on this desert island isn’t all that bad. I mean, we are still together, aren’t we? And we still have chances to meet up like this.” Saiko mutters, his voice dipping the more he speaks, and Saiki can’t control the chuckle that escapes when he sees the bright flush coating Saiko’s cheeks. Only made visible by the thousands of stars shining down on them.
You are right. Of course, you are. If I had to be stranded anywhere, then I am glad it is with you, Metori. Saiki stretched up and placed a kiss on Saiko’s lips, a kiss that he was supposed to leave as a quick brush of lips until Saiko slipped a hand behind his neck and deepened the exchange. Saiki sighs against his boyfriend’s mouth and begins to move his lips in time with the others. He would never get over the tingling sensation that spread from his face and down to the tips of his toes whenever he kissed Metori like this.