Break the mold (Saiki Kusuo X Reader)

What's it like to be in a relationship?

Saiki found himself staring at Y/n when she was not paying attention for a while after that. He could not help but think of her saying they were together. He knew they weren't, but he couldn't help but think about if they were. 

He had never really thought about being in a relationship before. He never understood the appeal of it, but knew others craved it like their lives depended on it. He started to crave to know what it felt like to be in one, though he did not know if he wanted to keep it.

"L/n," Saiki said, making Y/n's head pop up from the book her nose was stuffed in. It was a newer book. For once, she was not trying to find slip ups in the books she read. She did not feel the need anymore, since she knew why the world was the way it was. It was like a weight was taken off her shoulders, and Saiki could sense that she was less stressed than she used to be.

"What is it, Saiki?" She smiled, and the smile was even more genuine and bright than it used to be. His cheeks flared up slightly at the sight of Y/n being genuinely happy, with not a care in the world, it seemed. 

"Why do people crave romantic relationships?" He asked. Y/n put her book down, knowing he was serious about his question. He was pretty emotionally detached, she noticed. 

"People seek companionship, whether it be romantic, friendly, or a pet. We fear being alone, so it is a natural instinct to crave being in a strong relationship of some kind,"

 Saiki could understand that much. While he did not seek the friendships as much as others might, he did know that he cared for the people that kept dragging him along to get ramen after school, or other activities. 

"For the romantic relationship, we have the natural instinct to mate, just like any other animal. However, humans have this strange thing of trying to deny the fact that we are animals, just like any other, so we cover up the mating thing with romance, making it seem less animalistic. After so many years of convincing ourselves, that is what it actually is now," To Saiki, it seemed like Y/n had thought about it before, not just coming up with this answer on the fly, but he shook away that thought.

"I've never really wanted a relationship like others seem to," He mumbled, looking her in the eye, and she smiled at him. 

"Not everyone does. Some people break the mold," Y/n did not seem to get what he meant, and he felt incredibly embarrassed to say what he wanted. 

"... I want to know what it feels like to be in one," He mumbled after some hesitation, not looking at Y/n, or even near her. He was afraid of her reaction.

"Really? Well, do you have anyone in mind?" Though he knew that question was coming, he flinched slightly. Out of the whole conversation, he wanted to avoid telling Y/n that he wanted to try a relationship with her. 

He thought up a plan in the short time that he had between her asking him and how much silence it would take to be awkward. 

"I don't know. I don't know anyone other than Teruhashi who would consider it,"

"Do you want to try with me?" Saiki fist pumped in his head. "Like a fake relationship, so you know what it feels like," She had directed a kind smile towards him, though the mention of it being a fake relationship made his stomach sink to his feet. He decided that he would be more embarrassed if he were to correct her, so he let it go for the time being, agreeing with her. 

-----

The two had made an agreement to not act relationshipy in front of people they knew, as to not cause any confusion, but nearly everything else was fair game. 

Something that was fair game was babysitting, which Saiki invited his "girlfriend" to help him babysit his little neighbor one day. He expected her to complain and him be able to tease her, but she seemed pretty excited. She bound up to his door with a bag in hand. 

"What's in the bag?" Saiki asked as she walked inside, him closing the door behind her. 

"You'll have to wait and find out, Kusuo," She cheered as she walked to the kitchen to put whatever she had brought away. Saiki's face flared up at the use of his first name, and figured she was using it because of their relationship deal. 

He couldn't help but watch until she disappeared into the kitchen. She wore a crop top with a tank top underneath, and a pair of shorts with knee high socks. Y/n had not bothered to cover the scar on her cheek with make up, or put in her contacts. The pinkette only hoped that none of their friends would pop in for a surprise visit. He would have to explain Y/n to his parents if they came home before they were done babysitting, which he did not mind anyway. 

"Cyborg Cider-Man No.2! Who was that girl? Is she a new sidekick?" The little boy the two had to babysit pulled on Saiki's sleeve, trying to get the older boy's attention.

"You could say that,"

"Oh, how cute! What's your name?" Saiki could sense that his fake girlfriend was good with kids, since he was seeing her face-to-face with one. He wondered if she ever had any siblings, but decided that it was a question for later. 

"Yuuta! What's yours, aunty?" Y/n smiled at the nickname, feeling her love for the child grow in her chest. 

"Hm, lets see... How about Madame Marmalade?" The girl struck a pose dramatically, with her hands on her hips. "But call me L/n. Even the shows don't know about me yet, I'm a secret, so shh," Yuuta's eyes widened with affection before he ran off, cheering about how he got to meet a secret side kick. 

"Do you even know how to speak French?" Saiki asked, deadpanning at the girl's antics. 

"Oui, but's that's not why I picked it,"

-

After Y/n revealed that what she brought was three cans of Cyborg Cider-Man soda, two coffee jellies, and a chocolate pudding, the three had their snacks, which lead to Yuuta jumping off the walls. Saiki thought that the rest of babysitting was going to be hell, but Y/n then also revealed that she had brought her Nintendo Switch and extra controllers to play Just Dance, which tired the kid out. She had thought it out more than Saiki thought she did.

That lead to it being six at night, Yuuta was passed out on one side of the couch, Cyborg Cider-Man playing in the background as the two teens sat on their phones. 

"You know, you could have played some too. I'm exhausted," Y/n groaned as she leaned on Saiki, catching him by surprise. He looked down at the girl, noticing her eyes were closed and she was wriggling around slightly to get comfortable. He lifted his arm so she could go under it, which seemed to fix her uncomfortable issue, but then was his turn. After hover-handing for a good ten minutes, he finally laid his arm around her side, which pulled her in closer.

Saiki was unsure how to handle the situation. His heart was beating faster than usual, and he found it hard to keep his breathing at a normal pace. His body temperature would have sky rocketed if he hadn't been keeping it at bay with his powers.

After a while, he felt Y/n shift again. 

"Kusuo, you're getting cold," She shivered, pulling herself more into his body. He let go of his powers a bit, letting his body heat up once more. Not only from having her so close, but also from her saying his first name again. 

Saiki was not sure what to do. He did not want his parents to find them like that if they got home before Yuuta's mother. They would never let him live it down, and would not shut up about marrying Y/n, or something along those lines. At the same time, he could not bring himself to lean her off of him either. She was warm and comfortable, and it felt nice to have her touch. He usually did not like anyone touching him, but something about her was different. Her touch did not feel violating like others did. 

He did not get her off of him until he heard the front door open, then softly woke Y/n up to tell her that she could go home.