Chapter Text
I.
Omega.
The first time Reo hears that word he is seven years old and has no idea what it means. He is having a quiet dinner and raises his head to hear a little better.
Omega.
"The girl who chases you around the office. That new secretary." His beta mother twists her mouth in distaste as she cuts her meat into perfect little chunks. Her eyes flash irritably. "She's an omega."
His father defends himself. "It's not my fault. I don't know why she does it. Omegas like her don't chase betas like me."
"Darling," His mother sighs impatiently. "Don't be naive. Money moves the world."
Omega.
"Don't feel bad for her. Some alpha will make her very happy someday, but for now I want her out of the Mikage Corporation."
His father sighs defeatedly. But he takes comfort in knowing that a happy wife is vital to a happy life. "It's all right, my dear. I'll see to it tomorrow, then."
Omega.
At that moment understanding what that word means doesn't seem so important, so Reo shrugs and goes back to his dinner.
His mother nods complacently.
They won't talk about it anymore.
The only noise that can be heard in the huge dining room after that, is that of the servants picking up the delicate porcelain plates used for dinner.
---
Omega.
The second time Reo hears that word is thanks to the Mikage family's head doctor. He is eleven years old and is at his current annual checkup.
The good doctor is kind as he examines him. His face scrunches up as he smiles. "You will begin to experience second gender changes soon. Don't be scared."
"I'm not scared."
The doctor nods patiently. "Alpha, beta or omega. I'll explain what changes to expect when you get your second gender."
To Reo that seems of little importance but he still listens to the doctor's explanation perfectly.
Once the explanation is finished the doctor looks at him expectantly and asks. "So Reo-kun what second gender would you like to acquire?"
Reo looks down and thinks hard about his answer. It doesn't really matter to him. Any gender will do, Mikage Reo will adapt. He's good at it. "I have no preference."
---
At the age of twelve he receives his second gender. Mikage Reo has presented as beta and he is at peace with it.
His parents don't mind. They too are betas after all.
---
The third time Reo hears the word omega is in that same year when all his classmates start presenting their second gender as well.
"She is so pretty! There's no doubt she's a perfect omega."
Reo turns a little and looks at the omega in question. She doesn't look pretty to him, but all the alphas and betas in the classroom have already fallen in love with her.
Alpha, beta or omega, to him is all the same. It's a new normality in his life now.
"What do you say Mikage? Isn't Akari-chan the most beautiful omega you've ever seen?"
Haruto, another beta of his class asks him.
Reo gives him a perfectly polite smile. "I guess."
Haruto smiles and nods.
After that the word omega becomes common. Reo hears it daily along with the word beta or alpha. That constant chatter of the second gender becomes unimportant in the grand scheme of things, and life goes on as usual.
ii.
Nagi Seishiro happens.
And it dazzles him. Like diamond dust. Reo's dull life is filled with color.
Nagi is that missing piece in the puzzle of his life. That inescapable truth. Liquid gold to be molded in his hands. Shiny and beautiful, hidden at the bottom of the sea, Nagi is a true treasure.
Nagi is everything.
It doesn't take Reo long, it's absurdly easy in fact, to love him.
Nagi is also an alpha.
---
They are watching a movie when Nagi stirs and yawns. "What a hassle."
Reo grabs the remote control to stop the movie leans back and asks him. "Do you want to watch something else?"
It’s alright. The movie is a dramatic romance, an alpha and an omega who are a destined pair and have a hard time to be together. Reo heard it became popular recently and wanted to watch it but if Nagi doesn't like it then he'll finish it alone some other time.
They will watch whatever Nagi wants.
Nagi with his cell phone in his hand half concentrated on one of his games shakes his head. "It's okay. You wanted to see it. I just meant that the omega in the movie is a pain in the ass."
"What do you mean."
"She can't see how much he loves her and is insecure. Most omegas are like that. Generally speaking, I don't like them." Nagi goes back to his cell phone and settles his head on his friend's legs.
Reo ruffles his beautiful white hair gently. Nagi finishes the game and puts the phone down, he leans back and buries his head between the purple-haired man's stomach. He will probably fall asleep soon.
Reo smiles fond.
The movie ends after forty minutes.
---
“Say Reo, are you thirsty?” Nagi looks at him out of the corner of his eye, as impassive as ever.
Reo hums, thinks about it. He is not that thirsty but supposes he could use a drink. “Yeah, maybe.”
They are on the school rooftop, and it's their free time. Nagi is playing with his cellphone as always and Reo is reading a book.
“Cool,” Nagi hands him a sweet drink of an interesting color. The liquid is deep red, and to Reo it looks a bit like blood. “Here, drink this.”
Reo grabs the drink and reads the label on the bottle, it says pomegranate flavor. “Thank you.” He takes a sip.
Nagi, in his own flat way, looks pleased.
“And what was that for?”
“I saw it in a game last week.” Nagi explains. “It was about Greek mythology or something. I thought I'd give it a try.”
Reo shrugs, sometimes with Nagi there's no need to understand why he does what he does.
The soda is sweet and leaves a strong aftertaste in his mouth.
---
Sometimes it is difficult for Reo to establish boundaries with Nagi. Explain to him what is proper and what is not.
The white-haired boy is sleeping in his house and in his bed tonight, and at the first opportunity he turned around to grab Reo and cuddle him to sleep. Reo doesn't care, although Reo's mother probably won’t be pleased with her son’s choices.
As Nagi relaxes more and sleep overcomes him, he pulls his friend tighter into his arms. Nagi's lips are placed on Reo's neck in a kind of accidental kiss.
Reo feels happy, he would let Nagi get away with anything so he doesn’t complain.
Nagi has never talked about romantic feelings, but Reo likes to think that the white-haired boy is his anyway.
They are only sixteen but maybe in ten years they will be married. Reo will travel to America if necessary to make it happen, Nagi will complain that it's a hassle to go to another country when they can just change the family registry here, but Reo wants to make it right.
Nagi mumbles something in his sleep, moves and squeezes Reo tighter.
The purple-haired boy can't help but smile softly. Nagi Seishiro is perfect and Reo knows that there will never be anyone better than him ever.
iii.
They are graduating from high school, college is coming up soon, and Reo is feeling stressed.
He dislikes change. He dislikes things he can’t control.
They will go to the same private university of course. Nagi has a scholarship with their soccer club and Reo has liked their literary program. Reo plans to become a well-known writer only because his father thinks it's a waste of time. They will live together in an apartment near campus, which Reo has already bought. There is no need to worry and yet he can't help it.
“Don't stress.” That's what Nagi tells him when everything is ready to move into their new apartment. “We are together.”
And yeah.
Together.
Together they can achieve everything, can't they?
He shouldn't worry one bit.
---
The first night after moving in, the first unexpected event occurs. The apartment has two bedrooms but Nagi has come to Reo's bedroom with his blanket and Choki.
Reo understands his best friend's intentions very well and feels overjoyed and nervous at the same time. Even so, he asks him. “Nagi, what are you doing?”
Nagi looks at him with something like impatience, though his expression is as flat as ever. “I want to sleep.”
“Ehm,” Reo adjusts his hair as a nervous gesture. “Your room is on the opposite side.”
Nagi frowns. “Why would we live together, if we're not going to live together?”
“What do you mean?”
Nagi sighs sounding tired and maybe a little whiny. “I want to sleep. Let's go to sleep.”
Reo hesitates.
Nagi looks at him expectantly.
In the end it is Reo who loses that fight of silent wills. They end up sleeping together, the white-haired boy hugs him and says goodbye for the day.
And since that day Nagi takes the right and Reo the left side of the bed.
---
Several days and nights pass. They live together and adapt to university life.
Reo has never known such happiness.
Some accidents do happen, some mornings Nagi awakes hard against his leg. Reo's face burns with embarrassment every time that occurs, but neither of them touches the subject and neither of them does anything about it. They just separate and Nagi goes to take a shower while Reo starts breakfast.
Reo wonders if he should talk to Nagi about it, or if he should do something about it.
They are almost twenty and well, Nagi is an alpha. Alphas are known to have a high libido.
In the end, Reo discards the idea. When the time comes, then it will come. He is still a virgin and assumes that Nagi is too. There is no rush.
They have all the time in the world.
iv.
Omega.
More than six months have passed.
It starts slowly, these small, almost imperceptible things. And yet something deep inside him wonders about it. Something deep inside him suspects it. Something deep inside him feels it. Nagi is acting strange. He is easily distracted and too often irritated.
Reo lets him be. Maybe it's stress for the upcoming exams or maybe Nagi is starting to get cold symptoms.
But is just that the restlessness doesn't go away.
Something isn't right, but Reo can't figure out what.
---
They are ready to sleep, snuggled against each other when Nagi speaks quietly to him. "Hey Reo, what do you think of omegas?"
Reo raises his eyebrows in surprise. It's pretty late and it's a pretty specific question.
What does he think of omegas?
His mother once told him they were a pretty easy and promiscuous species. His father called them delicate. And during elementary school his classmates always agreed, being an omega was synonymous of being pretty.
"Reo?"
Ah yes, he should answer, plus he assumes he has a suitable answer to give anyway. "They are easy, delicate and pretty." That should do it.
Nagi doesn't answer for a few moments and when he does his voice sounds strange. "Sounds like omegas are a pain."
Reo doesn't understand what this is all about, not really, even so he still gives his opinion. "I guess the world as whole and most alphas in particular can't help but love them."
Nagi doesn't answer that at all.
Sleep overcomes them.
The next morning something that has never happened since they started living together occurs, each one wakes up on his side of the bed, separated by more than a respectable distance.
---
It takes Reo a while.
But finally, one not-so-special day in early autumn he gets it.
He's in a popular coffee shop on campus, drinking coffee and working on a paper when he sees them.
An omega (easy, delicate and pretty) walking towards the coffee shop and his three alpha suitors following close behind. To his dismay Reo recognizes the third one in that little line.
Nagi Seishiro doesn't seem very interested in anything around him but still his sight seems to follow involuntarily the omega at the head of his group.
Reo prides himself on being a rational person and that can't be right. It just can’t be. There must be an explanation. Obviously.
Nagi and courtship?
Nagi courting an omega?
No. No, that's impossible. They live together, Nagi doesn't like omegas and besides, he can't sleep without Reo in his arms...
Reo must be misinterpreting the situation.
The omega enters the cafeteria. He has beautiful, beautiful blue eyes. The alphas follow him without further ado. Like mindless dogs.
Nagi doesn't notice his presence, he orders a lemon tea for himself and chocolate cupcake for the blue-eyed omega. The other two alphas do the same and then all three give their gifts to the one being courted.
The omega leads them to a table right next to Reo's table. And that's when Nagi notices him and for a small moment it's as if the omega's trance over Nagi is broken. The white-haired one drops everything and rushes over to Reo as if nothing else matters to him. "Reo?"
"Reo, I didn't know you were here." Nagi sits down across from Reo and stares as if drinking him in. After a while he looks down and sees Reo’s essay and his half-finished coffee and opens his mouth ready to say something when the omega at the other table calls out to him with concern. "Nagi?" The omega looks at the white-haired young man. "Nagi aren't you coming?"
It's like a spell.
Or maybe a curse, but those few words are enough for Nagi to return his attention to the omega and completely forget Reo again.
---
Isagi Yoichi is an omega.
The best of them all if what Reo has heard is true. He likes to devour alphas and alphas like to be devoured by him in turn, whatever that means.
Isagi Yoichi is an omega and he has decided that he wants Reo's alpha, and that he will take him whatever the cost.
---
Nagi doesn't come home that night.
v.
The first thing that comes in this new reality, is tears.
Reo can't help himself. Nagi hasn't come to sleep for a week and hasn't answered his messages either. But the alpha is fine, Chigiri felt sorry enough to see Reo on the verge of collapse in their shared class yesterday, and explained that all week he had seen Nagi going to sleep in the shared dormitory where Isagi lives.
Reo thinks his tears are hot and unnecessary but he just can't stop them.
Nagi is an alpha who has fallen in love with an omega, and has abandoned a beta who wasn’t even his formal lover.
That is nothing extraordinary.
It's just that with his face buried in the pillow and the salty liquid draining from his eyes, Reo can't understand it, let alone accept it.
Why didn't Nagi choose him?
---
It takes one more week for Nagi to return. And when he does, Reo thinks it would have been better if he had not.
“I'm going to stay with Isagi for a while.” Nagi says toneless, while he arranges his things messily in his bags. “Don’t worry about me.”
Reo wide-eyed and hurt asks him. “Why?”
Nagi pauses for a moment and admits. “I think I've changed.”
“Nagi,” Reo calls out to him pleading. “Let’s talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Nagi you need m—”
The white-haired boy turns and looks at him, there’s cold fire in his eyes. “I am choosing Isagi.”
And maybe he is bitter, but Reo spits out at him in disgust. “You just want to fuck him.”
It’s in an alpha’s biology, isn’t it?
“Just do what you want.”
Nagi doesn’t say anything in answer, he does not deny it and neither does he affirm it, he just finishes packing his things and leaves.
---
The days after Nagi are the worst.
Reo tries but his heart is dead. His happiness is gone.
He hates it.
And he hates Isagi the most.
Still there is nothing he can do. Nagi doesn't want him, and he's just a beta. The world will agree, there was never any competition to begin with.
Little by little, Reo tries to rebuild his life. A life without Nagi.
After a month, he finally agrees to go out on a date. His first date. All the casual ones he had with Nagi before this, no longer count.
The boy Reo is with is nice, he is an alpha from Economics, who talks to him about everything and anything, they go out dancing. It's a good night and a good date. Once the date is over the alpha looks at him expectantly, waiting for a kiss or maybe something else.
Reo doesn't think he has it in him to kiss him, but still gives him a hug.
The alpha is happy with that and hugs him right back, rubbing Reo´s neck with his face, just like Nagi used to do.
“Can I court you?”
Reo swallows hard, a part of him is not thrilled with the idea, but...
What difference does it make, right?
“Okay.” Reo says trying to smile. It feels fake but the alpha isn’t able to tell.
Nagi could always tell.
“Okay.” The alpha says and smiles.
Reo feels nauseous but he still smiles again.
---
Reo has a boyfriend these days, or something like that. His boyfriend is the alpha from Economics, Kunigami’s friend. They see each other frequently and message each other all the time. He doesn't have his heart on it though.
Maybe because he doesn't have one anymore.
Nagi took it with him when he left.
Reo hasn’t seen him in almost two months and he hopes to never see him again.
No. That’s a lie.
He hopes.
With Nagi.
He is always hoping.