Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When he had saved the Earth, he didn't plan for it to go like that. He had thought that maybe some eccentric billionaire like Elone Mosk or Jefferson Bezzus would claim to have done it. Or maybe some world power in technology, like the US, but no, God was never on his side.

Several world powers had been recording the meteor hitting the Earth, memorializing their soon to be deaths and sharing them with the world on news channels everywhere. What nobody ever expected to see was a pink-haired teenager flying straight towards the meteor and pushing it slowly back into space. After that, it had just become a pain.

Everyone was searching for the psychic after the CIA was able to clear up the images on the tapes. Then suddenly everyone was looking for him. Governments with bribes, demands, or even threats. He quickly sorted out the threats right away, but the others he couldn't do as easily. People with power wanting to exploit him, and regular people looking behind their backs with suspicion and fear. He especially hated that one: fear.

Every time he did something, even as normal as looking their way, he could see their eyes widen and muscles tense. It was as if he were a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and kill everyone. And he could understand why they felt that way and act the way they do, but it hurt nonetheless.

Everyone but the people who knew about his powers before seemed to actively avoid him or be forced to. Like in the case of Kaidou where his mother forced him to stay at home to make sure her precious baby wouldn't be hurt by him. Or Teruhashi, who has tried to talk to him only to be bombarded and taken away from him by her fan club. Saying that she shouldn't try to talk about that thing and how it would only lead to no good from that monster. Ouch.

Aiura and Toritsuka tried to cheer him up by saying that it would pass, but he could tell by their thoughts and Aiura's fortune-telling predictions that it would not.

He was getting lonely enough that he even missed Nendou's presence. He had unfortunately caught a cold after the meteor and hadn't shown up to school. But even then, he wasn't sure if he would want to be friends with him anymore. The reporters outside Nendou's house surely didn't help his cause with them asking if he knew about his powers or not. The various agents following his and his classmates' families didn't help either.

He could sense the top agents from different countries staring at him. Waiting for their superiors to send the word and try to kill him. He knew life would never be the same.

No one would ever understand him. Listen to him. Hear him or ever comfort him.

Until that fateful day.

Chapter Text

It was right after the bell rang, to the delight of the students and to the detriment of Saiki, that Mr. Matsuzaki came to the class. Of course, he knew Mr. Matsuzaki would be coming and was mentally preparing for the talk that was likely to happen.

He expected something like this from the other teachers but not Mr. Matsuzaki, oh well, you learn something new every day. He had already been back talked and whispered about by the other teachers, wondering if they could perhaps get something out of it. "It" being the key word they chose to describe him as. As if he wasn't already dehumanized by his classmates, the people who were expected to be role models of society were doing it too.

God, how he hated this.

As he slowly stood up and walked his way towards Mr. Matsuzaki, he could see the way people tense and started to whisper about him. How they looked at him with fear in their eyes.

Mr. Matsuzaki didn't seem to have that gleam in his eyes though. Odd. He probably did want something then. The only people who didn't look at him with fear were the greedy and dastardly of the world.

As they were walking down the hallway, he could feel the eyes of students staring at him through the windows of the classrooms. Their piercing glazes analyze him with every step. Even when they enter the empty classroom, he can still feel the unease seeping off of them.

Mr. Matsuzaki came and gestured to him to take a seat. As he sat down, Mr. Matsuzaki pulled out sheets of blank test papers and a pencil. Well, that's a shock. He was expecting some sort of request or demand.

“Look, I get not wanting to go full out on the physicals because, well… Y'know… But it is my job as a teacher to take care of you and help nurture you to be the very best person you can be. And part of that is by making students do their best and try their hardest to succeed,” Mr. Matsuzaki says.

Now that shocked him. He wasn't expecting this… He was expecting some sort of bribery or begging to do what the man wanted, but he didn't expect a lecture. This was… unusual… to say the least. Although everything in his life was unusual, he should have guessed something like this would happen.

“I want you to retake all of your written tests. No holding back.” Mr. Matsuzaki explained, “I want to see your true potential, which is not defined by what others think you are, but by who you are.”

Good grief, he wasn't expecting that to happen. To be fair, though, he did say that the teacher really cared for his students throughout seasons one and two, but he wasn't expecting this level of care. The type of care to look past the terrifying “monster” that most people saw and try to see the best in each student so that they would succeed.

“Okay,” he said telepathically while grabbing the pencil.

Chapter Text

He had finished all the tests within the 10 minutes he had before the bell rang again to signify that the break was over. This time though, when writing the tests, he actually tried and endeavoured not to use his powers to get an average mark. He just hoped that this wouldn't change anything. As if sensing his apprehension, Mr. Matsuzaki spoke.

“If you think this is about boosting your mark, then you don't have to worry. This is just so that I know that you are understanding the content in the classroom for now. I won't change your mark until I have finished marking these, but from the looks of it, you already seem to understand the concepts to a mastery level.”

Saiki just nodded along after hearing this. “But please do answer me, Saiki, why do you hide your talent? Why do you hide what has been given to you? "I get hiding your powers, but why hide your intellect?"

All he could do was stare at the teacher. Then, for a momentary thought, he started to speak through his mouth for the first time in a while. “You may not fully understand why I hide it, but I have my reasons. I don't want to draw attention to myself because it could put my identity at risk. If people started to notice me, they would surely notice my behaviour and, eventually, my secret.”

Mr. Matsuzaki was staring at him in deep thought. Then he proceeded to speak. “But then why try to keep it up even after your secret has already been revealed?”

“Because all I ever wanted was to be ordinary Mr. Matsuzaki. All I wanted was for my powers to be gone and then the curse upon me would disappear, and I would finally have the life I always wanted. A life of normalcy."

“Y'know, kid, that no matter what, no one's life is ever going to be normal. Instead of trying to act in a world of theatrics, you should be yourself and inspire others to do the same, because why should people have to hide what makes themselves different from others? After all, everyone is different, and that should be embraced."

Saiki could only stare with wonder at the man before him as he got up from his chair and began to leave. “Just think about what I said Saiki, and follow the path you make for yourself,” is what he said before he opened the door, left the room, and shut the door on his way out.

Saiki was left alone with his thoughts in the empty room.