Chapter Text
Momo Ayasse had reached high school, watching as her friends and classmates all presented their second genders with interest. It was a rite of passage, finding out if you were an alpha, beta or omega was a big deal.
It was cruel really, it showing in teenagehood of all times. As if clicks and hierarchy weren't already a horrendous but unavoidable part of high school but this second gender? A animalistic, primal, wild thing that you have absolutely no control over? The fact that something as trivial as that could influence someone's reputation, ruin lives? It sickened Momo to her stomach.
If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was scumbags who thought they were better than others, or that other people were beneath her. The way she saw it, as her grandmother always said, ' "if you really can't get along with someone at least treat them decently, it's the least you can do. Don't go making someone else's day worse, it's a waste of time and effort and you wouldn't want anyone upsetting you, would ya?"'.
Of course Momo ignored the second part of that aforementioned life advice her grandma bestowed upon her. Somehow every time Seiko imparted wisdom with Momo it always ended up turning into another speech about what she'd do with someone if they ever hurt her granddaughter.
She couldn't stand the discrimination towards omegas, particularly how they were seen as weak. Momo never once disrespected an omega, not did she treat any alpha like they were amazing. People were people.
Momo Ayasse herself was yet to present, she assumed she was a beta and she was honestly fine with that.
She rested her chin on her hand as the teacher drones on, she finds her thoughts wondering back to her best friend, Okarun.
Of course Okarun was not the boy's given name, if it was his mother would have been able to see in the future, it was in fact Ken Takakura. The fact that he shared his name with her celebrity crush made Momo immediately ignore his name to save her from the embarrassment of swooning at the mention of her late crush and the overall image of what she always thought her 'ideal partner' was.
At least, she thought that was her ideal. Momo found herself questioning her previously unwavering view.
Everything changed when she met Okarun.
After her tuna brain no good squid face of a ex boyfriend dumped her she found herself moping through the hallways. That was when she saw something flash past in the corner of her eye.
It was a metal mathematics set case, it was sent flying in the direction of a seemingly innocent nerdy boy's direction, just narrowly missing his head as he dodged, adjusting his glasses as he seemingly tried to hide behind his magazine, as well as a flurry of screwed up balls of paper and junk food wrappers.
Seeing one of the bullies aiming a magnet for the boy Momo stepped in.
She thought that was the end of it until...
"M-Miss Ayasse? Miss Ayasse! I think I know what you're into!"
A stupid dare that amounted to nothing supernatural or paranormal in the slightest.
Momo Ayasse ended up wondering around an abandoned hospital with the atmosphere of a trashy zombie movie that relied on cheap scares, the only 'unexplained phenomenon ' being that she somehow didn't catch a cold from the freezing late evening air.
Okarun exploring an abandoned closed off tunnel where the only haunting thing in the place were the demented looking rats that crawled out the darkness threatening rabies.
Despite no one winning that didn't matter, the conversation they shared on the phone was surprisingly comfortable and natural. Both opening up to the other with surprising ease, both of them explaining their biggest autistic hyper fixations, ghosts and aliens.
It was freeing, almost exhilarating to find someone who, despite having different interests, could understand their obsession and relate. Ken never thought he'd ever find a gyaru relatable, not did Momo ever imagine finding herself connecting with a nerd. Not that either was ever against the idea, the two just grew up in a world that always seemed to imply that a girl like her and a guy like him wouldn't get on, yet another pointless assumption.
By the end of the night both Ken and Momo couldn't help but find themselves curious about the others fixation. Ken decided to learn about ghosts, Momo about aliens.
Somehow over time the duo became an entire group of unique individuals who kinda just... Joined in.
Everything was normal. Momo loved her rag tag little group. She loved her adorable dorky but cool best friend... TOTALLY PLATONICALLY OF COURSE.
So what if she loved how his hair stuck up wildly, how his small smile would warm her insides like a hug directly to her heart, how his glasses would reflect the light as he talked with such passion and sheer enthusiasm that she couldn't help but hang on to his every word?
So what if she adored his gaze, loved how he looked at her like she was the only person in the room? How she felt overwhelming jealousy and weirdly saddened whenever he didn't pay her attention? That was normal!
Ken wouldn't believe you if you told him he'd have a mostly functional friend group a year ago. Yet here he was, he was respected, looked at with welcoming smiles, not bullied or mocked for his interests. On top of it all he had an incredible best friend he'd die for, he adored her, wanted to keep her safe more than anything. He was more than willing to punish those who hurt her.
So what if he thought she was super cute and looked radiant in his eyes? That was only natural with such a beautiful, charming, strong best friend. The way her eyes would twinkle when she was enraptured by his rambles that others would be him.to stop or point blank tell him to shut up. He couldn't get enough of the way she was so kind and so sweet despite her sometimes brash personality.
Momo found her mind replaying a recent conversation from the other day.
Vamola and Kinta were both at home, the eccentric alpha was taking care of her sick omega boyfriend. Aira and Jiji were both at clubs so it was just her, Okarun and Rin.
Momo reflected on how Kinta at first gave the other girls, like the girls in school, the wrong impression with his brash, often unapologetically and rather randomly creud way of talking.
That all changed when Jiji made an observation that floored everyone in the group but also made sense to them.
"Hey there pretty ladies! Wazzup!" Kinta in a weirdly American . Aira, Rin and Momo all cringed slightly, vamola just giggled at her boyfriend.
Jiji looked up from his chicken wrap, almost choking on a piece of tortilla as he laughed . Ken patted him on the back and handed him his water. Once he'd regained his composure Jiji grinned broadly.
"You watched that new movie too kin kin? It was really good wasn't it?"
Aira blinked "What movie?"
Jiji looked excited "This cool new movie on Netflix! The cool popular guy always says 'hey pretty ladies! Wazzup!'. You really like quoting cool guys in movies and acting like em huh? You in the drama club?" He playfully nudged kinta who looked embarrassed.
"I don't pretend i am those characters! I... I just do what those characters do because people like them and think they're cool and stuff-" kinta muttered.
Ken nodded "I get it. Kinda like how I tried training in secret so I'd look cool"
Aira blinked "you've been quoting cheesy high school movies this entire time?!"
Rin nodded wisely "I get it too. Kinda like how I say I love the Gojo x Geto ship and think they belong together but really Gojo should be with me-"
Momo face palmed "Rin. Please stop bringing up Gojo Satoru in every conversation -"
"Momo? Momo!" Rin called her name , snapping her out of her reflection of the other glasses wearing boy in her life
"Huh? Wha?"
"Did you hear that Kenzo Hayami presented as an alpha? I honestly always thought he'd be a beta like me ya know? I've always wanted to be a beta reader but i didn't mean like that-" she was the only one to laugh at her joke.
Ken looked up from.his Bento "What made you so certain he was a beta?"
Rin hummed softly "Dunno really, writers intuition I guess? It makes most for his character -"
Momo sighed "His character? Rin you need to close AO3 and start talking human not 'fandom talk'. He's your classmate not a character"
"If he was a character he'd be some side character OC if I was writing for a fandom-" rin mused aloud, causing Momo to sigh.
"Did you even listen to me?!"
At the same time Momo asked her question Ken piped up "Any other predictions with that 'writer's intuition ' you spoke about?"
Rin hummed thoughtfully "Hmm. Well knowing your character I would think you were an omega. Ayasse gives alpha vibes-"
Ken blinked, Momo was flabbergasted.
"RIN WHAT THE HELL?!" Momo yelled.
"Eh, I've been getting called a weak little omega my whole life with much worse things so I'm not surprised -" Ken said simply , not really offended or anything.
Rin raised her hands defensively "Look I'm just saying! I know how fandoms work. Everyone would most likely assume that, also if you've seen that amount of nerds I've seen drawn pregnant -"
Momo almost screamed "RIN STOP WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The bell announcing the end of school brought Momo out of her memories of her conversation with the queen of fandom brain rot. She shook her head as if to clear it before Momo headed out to meet Ken.
The next morning Momo woke up drenched in sweat, her entire body felt kinda heavy, her head light. She checked her temperature and stared at the high number.
"What the Fuck..?"