Chapter Text
9:30 PM, Aya Oosawa's room
Swinging to Aya’s window with her bookbag on her back, Kumotsuki would knock on her window. “Oh, Aya-sannnn.. May I come in?”
“Kumokumo, I’ve been waiting for you!” Aya burst into excitement as she ran to open the window, dropping the gyaru magazine she was reading. “It’s such a sweet evening, isn’t it?”
After Kumotsuki waved, she hopped into Aya’s room and used her webs to close the window. “It is, but nothing can beat your sweetness. Anyways, crime wasn’t that bad today.”
Sitting down on Aya’s carpet, Kumotsuki took out her journal filled with songwriting.
“Well, that’s one way to put it.”
Softly smiling at the other, Aya would move her hair back. “What’d you have to do, Kumokumo?” As Aya sat down across Kumotsuki, she would glance at the words on the paper filled with lyrics.
“This sounds fucking crazy, but I separated a fight by the record store. Some kids were arguing over the latest Foo Fighters release. I had them list their top 5 songs and secretly bought both of them the record.” She sneered as she spoke.
Aya raised an eyebrow before covering her mouth, giggling as she unzipped her bookbag, revealing the newest Foo Fighters record she had bought earlier. “Did they fight over this by any chance? The limited edition releases.”
"Haha yeah, they did. Why didn’t you tell me that you wanted that record? I should've used my hero privileges to surprise you, Aya-san...." Kumotsuki spoke with subtle sarcasm, tenderly speaking towards the other with concern.
“.. I wouldn’t have asked you to buy me anything, Kumotsuki. That’s incredibly generous and considerate of you, but I’m already spoiled enough to buy my records and support the local record shop nearby.” Aya grabbed her phone to show a picture of the vinyl on the shelf.
Kumotsuki noticed the shift of tone in Aya's voice, unhurriedly nodding as she leaned toward the other to view the picture. “I must say, you’re a cool and sweet human being, Aya-san. Do you like to visit the record shop frequently?”
"Mhm, I am! I love to visit my best friend, Mitsuki Koga. I should mention that her uncle owns the record shop, so she works there to help him out.” Aya’s eyes lit up as she continued to talk about her. "I love everything about her, Kumokumo. You have to see how fucking insane her playlists are!"
“Playlists..? Do I have to compete with Mitsuki on who has the better music taste? I bet she is cool though, haha.” Kumotsuki paused for a second before she spoke again. “What do you love about her?”
. . .
“Well, I love that I get to talk to her about music and see her play the guitar. I love how talented and gifted she is. I’m telling you, I hate when people doubt her because of her appearance! She’s one cool fucking girl, and I want to be her best friend. Her soul and heart are music waiting to be heard.”
Listening to Aya’s words, she slowly nodded in agreement while looking directly into her eyes. Although her mask covered her eyes, her identity, and the concealed truth, she was astonished, to say the least. Mitsuki didn’t expect Aya to feel that way about her, let alone show how much she meant to Aya to Kumotsuki – Or should she say, her other persona.
“Does she mean that much to you, Aya?”
Aya confidently nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Too much, and I love it.”
“I’m sure she feels the same way about you. You’re sweet and admirable to be around, Aya.” Kumotsuki’s tone shifted to one of vulnerability. “As a superhero, there are times when you need to debrief and understand where your morality lies on how you choose to react and handle situations. It gets stressful for me, so being around you helps me be a bit kinder to myself when I need that reminder that humans are kind.”
“I’m honored that you get to feel safe around me. You’re strong, empathetic, and strive to be strong-willed. Kumokumo, you should take care of yourself. The way that you’re talking to me shows that you’re holding a lot back with the wise words you chose to speak to me with.” Aya slightly smiled as she pointed to the window. “I’m not perfect, but neither are you. Not in a bad way, but please take care of your physical and mental health. If I lost my favorite superhero, it would’ve been hell to cope with your missing presence.”
Kumotsuki didn’t know how to reply. She wanted to respond with her confident demeanor, but Aya’s gentle reassurance had her in a chokehold. “I don’t want you to worry about me if it’ll make you hurt, but your words mean a lot to me. It’s a lot of restlessness on my behalf, worrying about whether or not I should prepare to help the world when the world sometimes treats me like shit. Sometimes, it's the people, but my mind is at play. Haha, that’s why we choose music to heal.”
“Yeah. Music is nice and all, but it’s nice to be kind to the world. It’s the littlest things that make a huge difference in someone’s world. It may not seem like much to you, but your presence reminds me that I can be someone's hero. To be strong-willed is to choose to be soft despite it all and understand that, under the possibilities, not everything will be up to our standard. It’s up to us to choose how we react and proceed with handling each obstacle headed our way.” Aya stopped speaking, covering her mouth. “Did I speak too much? I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, Aya? I can empathize with you on a deeper level. I might not have had the same experiences as you, but it’s difficult sometimes to understand why someone or something is the way it is. Shit sucks, but I choose to stay observant and would rather not absorb anything that’ll make me go insane.”
Aya giggled. “Yeah, you’re right. I love spending time with you, Kumokumo. Thank you for listening to me. Your presence makes me realize that I’m truly heard and deserve to continue being kinder to those.” She pointed to the other’s hand. “May I please move your left hand closer to my lap? I’d like to give you something.”
Kumotsuki nodded, comfortably enamored at the moment. “Yes, you may.”
While Aya gently moved the other's hand towards her lap, she used her free hand to roll the bracelet up on her right hand to the other’s left hand. “This is my lucky pink bracelet. The crystal beads are made of rose quartz. Please make sure to look in your mirror at home and tell yourself that you are worthy of self-love. Don’t wish, but say that you are and will continue to be worthy of loving yourself for who you are.”
“Haha, alright, Miss Oosawa. I love crystals too, you know, but I’ll make sure to follow your instructions. Thank you.” Kumotsuki used her right hand to cover the bracelet on her left hand, closing her eyes and relaxing for a few seconds.
“Of course! Crap, I have to do English work. I’m not the best at school…” As she groaned while taking out her folder, she laughed. “Did you know that the girls in my class were shocked that I listened to rock?”
Kumotsuki chuckled, shrugging as she examined the other. “Yeah, I would’ve had that reaction. Not in a bad way, don’t take it as an insult.”
“Haha, funny.” Aya jokingly responded, moving to sit against her bed as she attempted to do her work. “They commented on Rock being too noisy, but I didn’t pay mind to it. I handled it pretty well!”
“Well, what’d you tell them?
Silence filled the room as Kumotsuki expected a sassy response.
. . .
“Nothing. I rolled my eyes, ignored them, and continued with my fabulous day. Not letting a silly comment affect me!”
Kumotsuki reached her hand out, prompting Aya to high-five her. “Attagirl, you’re cool as fuck. That’s progress compared to when you cried about the insults. Do you see how happy you are now?”
“Thanks to you, Kumokumo! I will do my best to make sure that their comments won’t determine the outcome of my day.”
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆