Chapter Text
“Holy shit,” Momo groans, sprawled starfish on the floor of the spaceship's airlock. “That was insane.”
She can hear the compartment pressurizing, oxygen slowly hissing into the room, but louder still is her gasping breath and heart pounding in her ears. She thinks she can hear a more distant pounding and a roaring yell but she can’t make sense of it.
Momo watches her breath slightly fog the space helmet glass. It feels like her brain is still out there in space, floating without gravity and unable to grasp a single grounding thought.
One thought finally does connect though.
“I punched a meteor,” she says aloud and that should be absurd but frankly she can’t be surprised by this shit anymore. This ranks low compared to the fucking unibrow clone army and whatever the fucking soda can thing was a long while back. She does wish that these petty aliens wouldn't try throwing meteors at Earth just because they couldn't invade on their watch.
The more surprising thing is how strong her powers have actually gotten. Out there in space, tethered to Mr. Mantis’ spaceship by the Nanoskin spacesuit she had held back a meteor probably the size of a sports stadium with her powers and then just… spiked that sucker like a volleyball back out into space.
Fucking nuts.
She laughs and winces at the dull ache that spikes from the top of her head and down through her otherwise numb body. It feels like all her limbs are asleep.
“I can’t move,” she sighs, recalling how her spiritual hands shattered upon contact in a way they never had before. The backlash was unreal. The feeling was like having your ears pop from elevation but… your whole body… and brain...
Wait, she isn’t making sense anymore is she?
Ugh. Seriously, what would the Earth do without them? It feels like in just the last year since that fateful night with Okarun it has been one potentially world-ending thing after another.
Okarun… Wait! Okarun! That’s the roar she’s hearing!
“Miss Ayase!”
Suddenly, there he is kneeling over her and reaching down to lift her head from the ground oh so gently, cradling her limp body against himself.
“Miss Ayase!” He calls again, expression frantic and eyes wide behind his glasses. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?!” He’s popping off her helmet and Momo inhales dry spaceship air. His eyes are glowing red as if he’s on the cusp of bursting into a transformation in his panic.
“I did it,” she smiles up at him, head lolling onto his chest. If she could move her arms she would flash a peace sign in triumph. “Did you see that? Was it cool?”
Okarun gapes down at her as if she had asked him to stick his fingers up her nose or something equally weird.
“No,” he says, voice slightly wobbly and now brown eyes watery. He pulls her up higher so he can press her face into his shoulder and wraps his arms around her fully. “No, it was not cool. Not cool at all. I so was worried.”
Momo huffs. “C’mon, I totally slapped away a meteor with my powers just like we planned. That’s cool as shit. I saved the Earth! Give me some credit Okarun!”
Okarun squeezes her tighter and takes a deep breath and she knows he’s doing that weird yokai scent or sense thing he’s developed as of late. This weird extra sense that lets him know where she is at times. Which is odd because she’s right here. Still, he's warm and his shirt smells like the laundry soap at her home so she lets herself slump into him.
“It was a little cool,” Okarun finally mumbles into her shoulder. Momo giggles.
“Damn right it was- ok owowow- Okarun you’re squeezing me too tight.”
“Sorry! Sorry!” He exclaims pushing back but not fully letting go.
“Momo!” Vamola shouts coming into the airlock, her starry eyes teary as she kneels down next to her. Her antenna twitches slightly. “You ok?”
“I’m fine,” Momo sighs, continuing to use Okarun as support. “Just feeling a little steamrolled. It feels like my powers popped like a balloon with that hit.”
“You smashed it hard enough to force it back against Earth’s gravity,” Mr. Mantis says approaching from the door. "I'm not surprised that it took all of your powers to do it."
“It was super cool!” Jjii shouts, running up and going circles around them and pumping his fist like a boxer. “You were like bang! Pa-pow! Boom! Booosh!”
“Booosh!” Vamola echoes excitedly with a little sniffle.
“Alright, enough of that,” Aira says rolling her eyes and kicking the prancing Jiji knees. She looks down at Momo held by Okarun and her lips purse into a pout. Arms folded she runs her gaze over her and Momo thinks she detects what could be concern. “Are you alright, Momo?”
“Hehe, worried?” Momo teases. “Fearless leader?”
Aira flushes, pink brows furrowing. “No! Why would I be worried about an ugly baldy like you?!”
There she is. Momo sighs in relief. These were the moments she liked. When the relief of surviving another whacky chapter in their life seeped through her. If anything this ended up being a more straightforward emergency. She was already looking forward to home home-cooked meal from Granny around the table.
“Anyway we should get this Nanoskin suit off you Miss Momo,” Mr. Mantis says, reaching for her. "Mister Kinta will-"
Only for him to snatch his hand back at the sudden hissing rumble and the burst of yokai aura that douses the area around Momo in a protective circle. Vamola reels back in shock and skitters to hide behind Jiji’s legs.
“Okarun!” Momo gasps, looking up at the scarlet-eyed yokai, his skin ghostly grey and his mask of sharp barred teeth leaking smoke. She does a double take, confused as to why he has gone full Yokarun (as she dubs it). Okarun stares hard at Mr. Mantis before looking back at Momo. Just like that he blinks and the white hair and lanky limbs go back to normal in a crackle of bones. The yokai aura dissapates.
“Ah, sorry Mr. Mantis,” Okarun says sheepishly, holding Momo close. “I’ll uh… take care of it.”
“Geez,” Momo says rolling her eyes. That was a new one. She had never seen him transform like that when a friend got too close. “On that note, yeah, I need to get out of this thing. The perv's imagination of a space suit is a little too… uh tight.”
A wave of dizziness goes through her and she can feel something warm drip on her upper lip and Okarun gasps.
“Miss Ayase! Your nose!”
“You're bleeding!” Aira exclaims.
“Oh,” Momo says feeling a little faraway again as Okarun gently wipes at her face with a handkerchief produced from his pocket. Momo recognizes it as one she gave to him. It has little alien faces on it. “Might be from pushing my psychic powers a little too hard. Also, I can’t really move. Like… at all.”
Before she can reassure them that she’s otherwise fine and they don’t need to worry she’s being lifted up. One arm holds her back and shoulder and the other secures her legs. Okarun guides her head to rest against his shoulder. She’s so close to his neck that she could probably bite him. The unbidden thought makes her flush.
Time and place Momo, she quietly chides. Not a good thing to think about someone who is still just a friend.
“You should have said that from the start, idiot!” Okarun says in exasperation, carrying her from the airlock. “Mr. Mantis! We need to get back to Earth! Now!”
He’s fussing over her again. They all are. A part of her wants to scoff and wave it off. She isn’t made of glass or anything. Momo has always been made of tougher stuff and didn’t like it when people made too much of a big deal over her.
But… since it’s Okarun it makes her stomach twist pleasantly and her heart gently pound. Okarun holds her so easily, months of his hard work paying off to be able to carry her like this untransformed.
The delightful feeling spreads through her like a warm beam of sunlight and it lulls her into a doze and then she's out before she realizes it.
-
Lost her. Lost her. Almost lost her. Hurt. Protect. Protect.
-
It sucks to be out of commission.
“Okaruuuun~” She sings, setting down her magazine.
The boy looks up from his magazine. He is slumped into the bean bag chair at her side by her bed, eyes obscured by his glasses.
He regards her for a beat. “No,” he says flatly.
“Aww c‘mon!” She whines, flinging her own magazine down on the bed. She covers up the wince of pain in her arms with a scowl. “It’s been two days! Isn’t that enough bed rest?!”
Okarun raises a brow. “Miss Ayase, you couldn’t even make it downstairs by yourself for dinner last night. Vamola and I had to help you. And your powers aren’t back yet.”
Momo pouts, twisting a lock of hair around a finger. “You don’t know that. They could be.”
“I just saw you trying to lift the glass of water on the bedside table with your mind. And fail.”
She huffs, blowing her bangs from her face. It’s true. Her body felt like one big bruise. All she could conjure of her powers were little flickers of the mental manifestation of her abilities. It was the only thing that assured her that they weren’t totally gone along with her ability to see auras.
That’s true and all but she’s going to lose it if she has to spend one more day in bed. She wanted to go shopping with the others but Okarun put the kibosh on that real fast. Jerk. He’s been especially… protective since the meteor.
But… she won’t deny that him also staying to keep her company makes that place in her chest squirm happily. Even if he is just making sure she stays in bed.
“Ugh, but I’m so bored! I’m sick of bed rest!” She bats her lashes at Okarun. “Can’t you just… take me outside? I wanna enjoy the nice weather!”
“Your grandma said to make sure you get bedrest,” Okarun insists carefully but he won’t meet her gaze.
“I’ll still be resting!” She pushes. “And that hag is going to be gone for her stupid TV appearance for like the whole day! She won’t know! C’mon Okarun! Pleeeeaase?”
“Ugh fine,” Okarun says setting aside his book and standing. “But we don’t leave the shrine!”
“Yay!” Momo cheers, flinging the bed covers off. It still feels like each leg is encased in a chunk of cement all the way to her hip so she’s a little slow to get up. Not that it matters.
“Wh-what are you doing?” She asks as Okarun is suddenly bending down over her, face too close.
He pauses and blinks, hands reaching out for her.
“Carry you downstairs? U-uh,” he stammers, eyes going wide when he meets Momo’s and flushing as if he suddenly remembered having any shame. “That is i-if you’re uh… alright with that?”
Heat prickles from Momo’s scalp all the way down her neck and spine. “It’s not like you haven’t before. Of course it’s alright.”
Usually, they’re in life-and-death situations though. Never in something so intimate as her own house. Her own bedroom even. Still, it’s no big deal right?
All the same she feels like she’s going to burst into flames when Okarun, sweet nerdy Okarun, once again lifts her in his arms.
“This ok?” He murmurs.
“Hm,” Momo nods, looking away yet looping her arms around his neck.
“O-ok,” he says as he pushes open the door with his foot and takes them downstairs.
Granny comes back earlier than either of them expect. Not that they notice because they’re both asleep on the polished wood of the deck, basking in the sun.
“Brats,” she says with a sigh and slight smile as she walks by.
“Young people,” Turbo Granny scoffs from on her shoulder.
-
Powerless. Prone. Bad. Soft. Lovely. Gotta protect.
-
“You mean your powers still aren’t back?” Jiji asks, tilting his head, as he balances a chopstick on his upper lip.
Vamola is on his left trying to copy him.
“Not completely,” Momo says, sitting at the dinner table. She slurps at her udon. “It’s weird. When Evil Eye broke my spiritual hands before I wasn’t able to use them for a little bit but it’s been three days now. It’s still there and I can bring up flickers of it but I can’t manifest my usual powers.” She sets aside her chopsticks and flexes her hand. A bloom of power comes up from her palm but it’s almost liquid as she tries to focus it into something solid. It can’t hold its shape and quickly evaporates.
“Should we be worried?” Aira asks with a frown, tapping a manicured nail on the table. “Not that it’s that big deal but if the Serpo or something were to come after you-“
Snap. Everyone turns toward Okarun on Momo’s right.
Okarun stares at the splintered chopsticks in his hand like he’s just as surprised. For a moment Momo thinks she detects a bright flicker in his eyes.
His stunned expression transitions to one of panic. “Oh, Ayase-san I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to-”
Granny Seiko waves a hand at him. “They were from the 100 yen store so don’t worry about it. Go get another pair from the kitchen.”
Momo watches as Okarun slinks off.
“Four-eyes!” Turbo Granny shouts. “Grab me umaibo while you’re there!”
“No snacks at dinner!” Granny Seiko shouts, flicking the cat doll in the forehead who yowls in protest. She turns back to everyone else. “Basically, my dumbass granddaughter overextended her chi. Think of it like working out your muscles too hard. To the point of fatigue and exhaustion.” Jiji nods knowingly. "Sending that meteor back into space took a considerable amount of energy and perhaps more than Momo currently has access to and the backlash took a hit to her physically as a result. It might take longer for her powers to recover than her body.”
Momo nods, already having gotten this info. “My body is already feeling better too so I’ll be going back to class tomorrow.”
“Oh. In that case we have an English exam," Aira says primly. “Tomorrow.”
“What?!” Momo almost drops her bowl. “You bitch! And you didn't think to tell me?! I haven't studied at all!"
"We have an exam?!" Jiji shouts. "Aira-chan why didn't you tell meeee?"
Aira glares at the boy slumped dramatically on the table. "You were in class! You should pay more attention!"
"It's not my fault that Kinta spilled ice coffee on me today! Evil Eye wouldn't let me switch back!"
The group quickly devolves into the usual chaos but while Aira and Jiji are shouting Momo realizes that Okarun hasn’t returned yet.
She excuses herself and stands, wobbling only slightly.
“Okarun?” She says.
He’s standing at the sink back to her, weirdly still.
She calls to him again and he flinches, shoulders hitching as he turns.
This time the blood red is unmistakable in his eyes. Faint curse lines trace from the edges of his black hair and down over the tautness in his jaw.
“Momo,” he breathes slowly. He blinks and the harsh red of his eyes softens.
“Everything alright?” She asks, padding closer. “Why are you-“ She gestures at him, self-explanatory.
“Just…” He tilts his head, glowing eyes regarding Momo in a way that makes her skin prickle. “Thinking.”
Momo hums, trying to keep her voice light. “Uh-oh. That’s dangerous. Anything you want to talk about?”
Okarun shrugs and his yokai features fade, brown doe eyes looking back at Momo.
“No, it’s…” he scowls and breathes out through his nose. “It’s dumb. I’m just a little on edge.”
Momo folds her arms, sensing that he’s struggling to put what he wants to say into words. His shoulders aren’t slumped but they’re tense and stiff. His hands are still balled into fists. It feels more than a little.
“Hey,” she starts, reaching out.
“Four-eyes! Umaibo!” Turbo Granny shouts interrupting and making both of them jump. “Hurry up!”
“No snacks!” Seiko yells.
Okarun hesitates for a moment before offering a sheepish shrug as if to say “oh well", grabs new chopsticks, and heads back to the table.
She huffs. Later. She'll ask him about it later.
-
Not safe. She knows. Bummer.
-
“Momo!” Vamola shouts from the front door, jogging in place. “Hurry up! We late!”
“Coming!” Momo calls, making her way down the stairs. She practically jumps from her house slippers into her school shoes. After stooping down to pull the backs out from under her heel (without her legs giving out) they rush out the door.
Only to see Okarun already at the front gate with his bike.
“Ayase-san! Vamola-san!” Okarun waves at them. He looks better than last night and it makes Momo feel a little relieved.
“Okarun!” Momo says coming up to him. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I thought I might give you two a ride to school.”
“Bike!” Vamola exclaims proudly.
“Oohhh.” Momo grins and leans in. “It just sounds like you want two cute girls to ride on the back of your bike with you.”
“Th-that’s not it!” Okarun flushes, adjusting his glasses. “I-I just thought… that you might get tired walking. You’re still not fully recovered.”
“Oohhh,” Vamola coos, echoing Momo. Momo’s face has gone warm. This boy is too sweet and kind. Her heart can’t take it.
Momo climbs onto the back of the bike, arms wrapped around Okarun with Vamola hanging onto her. She squeezes him a little and she hears his breath hitch and then he's pushing off and pedaling away.
It’s a peaceful ride except for Vamola occasionally pointing at things and practicing her Japanese vocab. The weather is calm and the sky is blue.
She thinks she could fall asleep like this.
Okarun manages to pedal for the three of them (damn impressive) until about halfway when out of nowhere another bike joins from the side street and skids to a stop next to them. Black tire marks are left in its wake.
“Hello, ladies!” Kinta crows, flipping his bangs to hide he almost had fallen off the bike. “… And steed.”
“Steed?” Okarun huffs, coming to a stop.
“Kinta!” Vamola says with a wave.
Momo rolls her eyes. “What do you want pevy guy?”
“I am here to offer one of you fine women a chance to ride with me! The Great Kinta!” He holds out a hand and winks. “What do you say?”
A crow caws somewhere in the moment of silence after that.
“Ok!” Vamola says finally, hopping off Okarun’s bike. “I ride with Kinta!”
“R-r-really?!” Kinta stutters.
Momo reaches out. “Eh? Vamola you don’t have to-“
“Want to!” She looks at Momo and Okarun with big shiny eyes and smiles. She points at them. “Alone time!”
With that she climbs onto Kinta’s bike and after a slow start Kinta pushes off, clearly thrilled.
“Huh,” Momo says, adjusting her grip on Okarun. “Well, I guess we better keep going.”
“Yup.” Okarun squeaks.
Their pace almost feels slower now and Momo is glad for it. She wants to savor it. Alone time with Okarun has become more rare nowadays. She selfishly wants to hog him to herself.
“How are you feeling today?” Okarun asks. “Powers back yet?”
“Feeling alright and nope,” Momo says, gently propping her chin on a notch in his spine. “It kind of sucks. I’ve had these powers for only a few months and it feels so weird to not have them.”
“I’m sure they’ll come back soon.”
“Yeah, but it’s taking so looooong. Ugh. What if it takes weeks? Or months?”
At that Momo feels a flare in his aura and a sudden stiffness in his back. If she focuses she can see the black and red flames of Turbo Granny’s yokai power flash through the blue of his own human aura.
“I’ll protect you then.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll protect you!” He shouts, his voice firm and so loud that it startles a group of girls in their uniforms headed to school as they go by.
Momo laughs her cheeks warm. “Geez, Okarun! You didn’t have to say it so loud." She wishes she could see his face. See what kind of expression he's making. Is he blushing? "I can take care of myself even without powers you know.”
"But what if... what if aliens do come for you? Then what?"
"Well... I guess that would be annoying." She leans her cheek on his back, disappointed to see their school already coming into view. "But so long as we stick together we don't have to worry right?"
He's silent for a bit and Momo wonders if he's overthinking things again as they pull up the school.
"Right," he says finally. "So long as we stick together."
She doesn't know it yet but Momo will regret wording it like that.