Teruhashi Always Gets What She Wants

Masks

It became routine for Saiki to actually visit Kokomi in the hospital.
Everyday he would avoid Nendo, Kaido, Hairo and Aren then make his way to the hospital.
Whenever Saiki entered Kokomi's hospital room she would give him a bright smile, it only ever made him feel worse.
Since Saiki was not invisible when Kokomi was in pain she would reach out for him trying to clutch his hand desperately, every time, he would take her soft hand in his own she would calm down and look so relaxed.
Not being invisible also made it harder for Saiki to turn back time on her body, so he had to do it fast and when she was not looking.
When Saiki did choose to be invisible when he turned back time on her body he would always get bombarded with texts and messages from Makoto and Kokomi asking why he is not at the hospital, and Saiki was fed up.

During Kokomi's third week in the hospital Saiki decided to be direct, he walked closer to Kokomi's hospital bed and spoke to her telepathically "you should have the surgery, this is not going to end otherwise".
She looked at him with such betrayal that he almost regretted his words, but he knew to stay stubborn on this her life was at stake.
"I guess I am still hoping that you will feel the same, I was thinking that if you are with me long enough you would begin to care about me" she whispered.
"you shouldn't do that, you are putting your self through all this pain in hopes of something that will probably never happen" Saiki sent to her as calm as possible.
"i know and I am scared that I could and likely will die but i don't want to give up my love for you. I don't want to be who I used to be, I was a horrible person, I was so obsessed with seeming perfect. " Kokomi cried.
Saiki stayed until Kokomi fell asleep before teleporting home.
Saiki made sure to never visit while invisible after that.

Kokomi was sure, Saiki had just appeared out of thin air the first night he visited her.
But Kokomi decided not to dwell on it, she was in agony at the time and might not have realised that he came in.

He does not know when it started but Saiki found that he enjoyed the moments with Kokomi before her condition worsens and she starts to struggle to breath.
He liked talking to her about the smallest things that happened in school, but mostly he simply listened to anything Kokomi had to say about everything.

It was Saturday Saiki had just gotten home from having ramen with Nendo, Kaido, Hairo and Aren, when he got a text from Kokomi.
'hey, are you visiting me today?'
He texted out a quick 'yeah, already on my way' then teleported into an alleyway near the hospital.

As soon as saiki walked through the door he could tell something was different, Kokomi was sitting up straighter in bed, her smile bigger than the one Saiki had seen over his visits.
He was annoyed, Kokomi had gone back into her perfect pretty girl persona.
He had thought she had stopped it, at least around him.
Saiki never liked this persona he found it so ugly the way she lied like that, then again isn't that what Saiki does?
Lying to his friends about his powers.
But Saiki felt that what she does is worse, she hides her personality and essentially her true self.
So seeing Kokomi sitting there with that mask on, it hurt more than he thought it would.

Kokomi watched as Saiki stood in the doorway, his face turning less bored and more annoyed by the second.
She grew worried, she had felt better today.
For the first time since being in the hospital she has the energy to be the perfect pretty girl and she wanted Saiki to see her at her best.
So she stayed strong, despite feeling the thorns in her lungs start to grow again.

Saiki watched as her smile turned pained, and felt guilty after reading her thoughts she just wanted to make him happy.
Saiki sighed quietly before walking further into the room and sat down in the chair next to the bed.
Kokomi had trouble keeping her face into the perfect smile and began to feel the truth crack her mask and seep through.
"stop it, you're in pain do not hide it. It annoys me when you bury what you're feeling" Saiki said through his telepathy, fed up of Kokomi putting herself through this.

Kokomi's shock was obvious, she did not expect him to see through her mask.
"I'm sorry, I just did not want you to feel guilty. I thought that if you saw that I looked fine, you wouldn't look so sad when you looked at me" Kokomi explained her eyes filling with tears she refused to let fall.

"I will admit, I do feel guilty but you lying to try to make me feel better will only make it worse. Just, don't hide yourself from me." Saiki sent, even surprising himself at how sincere it was.
Kokomi could only nod, she felt relief for the first time in years.
'he wants to know the real me' she thought, happiness flooding through her, the tears finally overflowed and ran down her rosey cheeks.

Over the next few days, every time Saiki came to the hospital, Kokomi did not hide.
She told Saiki everything; her childhood, why she decided to put on the perfect pretty girl persona, how annoying she felt her brother was sometimes, but she was still grateful that he was always there for her, everything.
They talked for hours everyday.

Whenever Kokomi had her usual Nightly pains from the thorns, Saiki would hold her hand through it and wipe away her tears as they fell.