Chapter Fourteen: Home Alone Disaster

SINCE IT'S THE WEEKEND, AKARI WAS MORE than ready to sleep in. However, there was one good reason as to why she wasn't currently bundled up in her duvet and catching some z's. That good reason being Kusuo. He had asked her to come over the other day since his parents were heading to a wedding today. Though she probably would have been over there anyhow. It is the weekend which means she could spend all day with him and not have school to worry about.

So she floated across the street like a phantom in her purple sundress. Yes, a dress. She doesn't normally wear dresses like this, however, both of her parents expressed how she needs to expand her wardrobe beyond that of just baggy sweatshirts(most likely stolen from Kusuo) and shorts or sweatpants. So here she is, now wearing a nice dark violet sundress with a black cardigan over her shoulders. It's really only one of the dresses that she has since she doesn't like them very much. Especially when she finds comfort in being completely covered from head to toe. To appease her parents, she'll wear the dress for a little bit. Besides, it's not like anyone was going to see her besides Kusuo and his family. She'd certainly never be caught in a dress around other people that she doesn't feel comfortable around. So basically no one else besides Kusuo. Relatable. Honestly, dresses are nice and all, but I wouldn't wear one over shorts or sweatpants. That's just my opinion though.

She got up to the Saiki house and walked up to the front door. Just before she was going to knock on the door, it swung open. "Oh, Ka-chan!" Kurumi exclaimed as her husband clung to her. Though the older woman's smile widened at the sight of her son's best friend. "Have you come to see Ku."

Akari, used to the clinginess of the couple, barely batted an eye at the sight and nodded her head with a soft reply, "Yea."

The couple shuffled out of the way to let the teen in. "Now, Kusuo doesn't Akari look lovely today," Kuniharu said while wiggling his eyebrow at his son. "wouldn't it be nice if the two of you came with us as a little date?"

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea," his wife agreed happily. They were trying to see if Kusuo had wanted to come with them, but he denied their invitation. Though seeing as Akari was dressed up today, it would give them the perfect opportunity to convince him. Wow, they really don't know their son, do they?

Kusuo certainly didn't look amused at the suggestion, "No."

His parents pouted, Kurumi gestured to Akari who was hugging herself in shyness since the attention was more-or-less focused on her. "Oh, but Ku~ She's wearing this nice dress-"

"Aren't you going to be late?" He cut his mother off. Now, Kusuo doesn't necessarily have an opinion on what's cute or ugly. Though he can say that Akari is most likely the definition of adorable. How she started to grow a tad bit flustered and hide herself in her hair as if it were a curtain. Her pale face would become a small amount of pink as shadows would crawl up her legs slightly, subconsciously she would try to hide herself with them. He knows that she isn't used to getting compliments or anything because no one ever really sees her. So when she does get one she becomes embarrassed. Hmm, he will admit she does look cute when that happens. No, wait, no. He doesn't have an opinion on cuteness or anything like that, so why would he think she's cute?

"Ah, you're right!" Kuniharu said, breaking Kusuo out of his thoughts. "Come on, honey."

The couple then giggled with each other as they shuffled out of the door, still not letting go of each other. "See you two later!"

Once the door closed Kusuo huffed, "They're so annoying."

Growing over her shyness now that the couple was gone, Akari shrugged her shoulders. "I think they're quite cute with how they act with each other." Sure the Saikis were very open about their relationship, but that just meant they were truly in love. Maybe it could be off-putting to some people, but it wasn't like it was really bothering her or anything. It might get too much from time to time, but she can easily disregard them. It's quite different from her own parents' relationship. Though if her mother wasn't as much of a tsundere, they probably would be the same way. Akari could see from the corner of her eyes as Kusuo stared at her with a small amount of disgust, "What? Can I not share my opinions?"

"Not if it's the wrong one," Kusuo grunted.

Akari rolled her eyes, "Whatever. What are we going to do?"

"Well, it's quiet now. We'll watch TV." He said as they headed over to the couch. Though they found that it was completely unorganized with trash and clothes scattered around the room. "What? What a mess. It can't be helped. I'll tidy up." Akari shrugged her shoulders as she joined him with cleaning up. Kusuo started to use his powers to clean while Akari just found a broom and started to sweep. The furniture was levitated into the air to help her get under them. "It's so dusty under this furniture. Good grief. How could they let this get this dirty?" Kusuo wondered as he organized the trash from recyclables. "What if there are insects?"

There was a pause as Kusuo eyed a dreaded cockroach before he teleported away in fright. Akari barely noticed it until she heard no more complaining from her friend. She paused her sweeping and looked around the room. "Ku-kun?" She raised an eyebrow, 'Where did he go? Hm, oh well, I wanna take a nap.' If he was just gonna leave her on her own, she'll just do what she wants. Which means napping! So she finished up her sweeping, put the broom away, and headed up to Kusuo's room. She hopped onto his bed and started to get herself comfortable to take a nap. Though before she could do that, Kusuo teleported back into his room. She didn't jump at his sudden appearance and raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, there you are. I was just about to sleep, where did you go?"

"Cockroach," he simply answered.

Akari nodded her head and smirked, "Oh, yes you're one fear, insects!" She found it so hilarious that Kusuo, the great and powerful psychic, is afraid of bugs. To think, a person like Kusuo, who could do just about anything with reality, is frightened by insects of all things.

"It was on the first floor. I should be sage on the second floor." Kusuo thought, "What should I do? I will need to go downstairs for the delivery. If father was here…" He then thought about his scaredy-cat of a father and shook his head. "No mother takes care of insects. Mother catches them as nimbly as a veteran shortstop and releases them outside. Should I use my teleport ability to bring mother back?" The doorbell then rang, meaning that someone was there. "It's here! I never expected it to arrive this soon. No. This is for the best. Once I accept the package, I can leave this house. Once I accept it, I will teleport. The issue is the route to the door."

"Or," Akari cut him off from his rambling as she kicked her feet back and forth as she sat on the edge of his bed. Watching him babble like this brought a small amused smile onto her pale pink lips. "I could just go get the cockroach and you'll be completely fine downstairs."

Kusuo stared at her for a moment blankly. Did he really forget that his friend is here to help him? Considering Akari is actually not afraid of bugs, you would think that he'd just ask her to handle it, he's definitely a bit more of an idiot than he likes to make out.

He blinked at her, "Oh."

"Yea, you stay here." She giggled lightly and started to glide out of the room, "I'll answer the door and deal with the bug, all right?"

"Yea…" Kusuo watched her go. Admiring her bravery for going to take care of the putrid creature; the cockroach.

Akari walked down the stairs and made it to the front door. "Nendo?"

"Hey, gal pal!" Nendo exclaimed with a stupid smile with a bug net and other odds and ends on his back. He glanced around her, "Is pal here?"

Akari nodded her head, "Uh, yea. He's in his room." She then tilted her head, "Though you wouldn't mind helping me find a cockroach would you?"

So the two teens started off looking for the elusive cockroach. Eventually, after looking around the floor and Akari using the shadows to search around the dark spaces, Nendo found himself lying on the ground in the kitchen. "Okay! Leave this to me, gal pal. Whether there's one or a hundred cockroaches, I'll catch them all for you."

"Is that Nendo?" Kusuo's voice invaded Akari's mind as he waited in his bedroom. Still not really willing to go downstairs until it was safe for him.

"Found it." Nendo comments as he reaches underneath the fridge. "He's under here. There are two."

'Yes, he was the one at the door, not the delivery.' Answered Kusuo as she watched Nendo rummage around under the fridge. She smirked slightly, 'See I saved you the trouble of dealing with him and the cockroach.'

Kusuo huffed, "Whatever." Though Akari could hear the slightly grateful tone in his voice.

"Can I lift this up?" Nendo said as he lifted up the fridge like it weighed nothing. "It's actually not heavy at all." That's because Nendo has a freakish amount of strength and Akari was using the shadows to hold it up a bit for him. "I've got you now." He then let go of the fridge completely, not even noticing how it kept floating in the air while being covered in black tendrils.

Akari rolled her eyes, 'Good thing I was actually holding on to it.'

Though Nendo just spied the little critters before smushing both of them, instead of just picking them up and letting them outside. Akari cringed slightly, Kusuo wasn't going to like that.

"Do you have tissues?" He asked before flashing Akari a smile and thumbs up. "Okay. Let's go eat ramen."

"Uh," She sighed, "actually Ku-kun and I were going to stay in today, but we can go with you another day, ok? You wouldn't mind… leaving?"

Nendo nodded his head, not even offended that she was asking him to leave. "No problem, gal pal! If my two pals want to go on a date that's fine with me!"

Akari's expression scrunched up in confusion. How did he get Kusuo and her having a date from what she said? She certainly didn't insinuate it at all! "It's not a date, but thanks for your help."

The buffoon then left without any incident. Really he just shouted out a hello and goodbye to Kusuo, who still hadn't left his room, before leaving. Akari sighed contentedly now that the cockroach had been taken care of. The last thing she wants is for Kusuo to feel uncomfortable, especially in his own house. So she drifted back upstairs to her friend's room and found him sitting at his desk.

She nodded her head, "it's all taken care of."

Kusuo let out a deep sigh at that reassurance. He really was glad that Akari was there to help him out. Even if she finds his plight a bit amusing. So Akari plopped herself back down on his bed, ready to get to hang out with him without having to worry about him freaking out over a bug.

---

"We're back!" Kurumi shouted as she and her husband came back into their home.

The couple looked around the house to see that it was quite nearly spotless. "Wow!" Exclaimed Kuniharu, "The house looks so clean."

Kurumi turned to her son and his best friend as they sat on the living room couch. "Did you clean?"

"Good grief," Kusuo grunted as his parents fawned over how clean everything was now.

His mother walked over to them with her ever-present large smile. "Thank you, Ku, Ka-chan."

Akari stood up from where she had been sitting besides Kusuo. "No problem," she flashed them a small smile, "I should get home."

Kurumi pouted, "Why don't you stay for dinner tonight, Ka-chan?"

"Thank you, Kurumi," Akari said, "but dad's making a special dinner since mom's coming home a bit early today."

Kusuo's parents look a little disheartened that she wouldn't be staying with them, but they understood. If Miku was able to tear herself from her work to get home early then the whole family would definitely wanna have a nice meal together. Kuniharu sighed, "Oh, well, have a good night!"

"You too," Akari said politely before heading out the door with a fleeting wave over her shoulder, "see you."

So she made her way over to her house, greeted her father who was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, passed her brother's room as he screamed about something anime related, and finally made it to her room. Akari walked into her room and sighed constantly, happily greeted by the shadows of her room. She tilted her head and moved to sit on her bed, ready to wait for dinner to be called and her mother to arrive home. Just as she laid on her bed, she found that someone else was also in her bed. It was Kusuo who laid next to her, a little shaken. Akari stared at him for a moment before she giggled lightly. Something must have happened once she left to freak him out enough to teleport to a safe place, i.e. Akari's bedroom. She clicked her tongue in amusement, "Do you wanna just stay over here tonight?" She then teased him, "I promise there are no cockroaches here."

Kusuo wasn't exactly happy to see Akari laughing at him and finding entertainment from his predicament. "Yeah."

Akari finally got out the rest of her soft, wispy giggles and hummed while getting comfy on her bed. "Hmm, mom will be happy to eat dinner with you since she hasn't seen you in a while." While her father is adamant about the fact that Kusuo and Akari should get married in the future, Akari's mother doesn't really have an opinion on it. Well, she would rather have Akari wait a while before making the decision as something like marriage and focus on a career first. However, Miku will agree that Kusuo is a strong candidate for Akari's husband. Though besides that, Akari and Kusuo just waited in her room for dinner to be ready. More than content to just lay on Akari's bed with each other in comfortable silence.