Work Text:
monika never really figured out why sayori agreed to help found the club.
bless her pure, darling, kind soul, truly, but the bubbly (airheaded, really) sayori had never struck monika as one who was interested in more... intellectual things, like a literature club. or, hell, even starting a club - the girl could barely brush her own hair, for god’s sake.
and yet, when monika had needed someone to be on board with her little spark of an idea, sayori almost immediately volunteered her services as vice president, plus boatloads of enthusiasm and a charismatic grin - so how could she possibly refuse? there was something so intriguing , so enigmatic about this - this seemingly shallow, shoujo manga protagonist of a girl, that monika couldn’t quite unravel - a layer deeper than cuteness and winning smiles, endearing bedheads and red bows.
and so, unlikely friends - and founder and vice president of the literature club.
♡
sayori never really figured out what she saw in the literature club, in the beginning.
but monika was so - so cool , was the closest word for it, the most popular girl in the class, but so casual and oblivious to her status - and how she carried herself, like she was some mystical novelist with her flowing hair all tied up in a neat bow, like she was going places.
so, when monika announced that she was starting her own club, sayori was immediately on board. sure, she wasn’t smart or highbrow and she didn’t read that many books, but she admired monika’s independence, her passion - how could she possibly overlook it? the most popular girl in the class, who could join any other club she wanted, something with actual funding, who wouldn’t have to do any heavy lifting, making her own little thing, starting from scratch? sayori found it so intriguing, how one could have so much excitement for something they loved, that she couldn’t not help her. and she saw monika, really, looked through the stereotypical popular, gorgeous, queen bee, a layer deeper - books and poems, empty classrooms and pianos.
and so, founder and vice president of the literature club - and (maybe) friends.
♡
“sayori.”
it’s late afternoon, as sayori had agreed to stay late and clean the clubroom today - she had already said goodbye to yuri (“thank you for the tea, it was lovely!”) and natsuki (“don’t worry, i won’t move your manga stash!”) but monika had held back, said she’d go over to the old music club room and play the piano like she sometimes did on lazy days.
the strawberry blonde looks up from the stack of books she was organizing (for no reason, really, she just wanted to feel useful - cleaning the floor had taken all of three minutes) to see monika standing in the doorway.
“oh! hey, monika! uh, need somethin’?” she stands up, dusts off her skirt, a little embarrassed she was caught idling. “i was just, um, finishing up here - i’ll be out of your hair in a minute!”
the brunette smiles, not quite warmly but gently, and crosses her arms casually over her chest. “don’t worry about it, sayori. thank you for your help, as always.”
“no problem, boss!” sayori gives a mock salute as she lifts the books and unceremoniously dumps them back onto the shelf. “you’re all good? need someone to walk you home? find a ghost in the music room?”
it’s not funny, but monika laughs politely anyway. “no, no. i just had a question for you, if you don’t mind?”
“fire away!” sayori cheerfully yanks her backpack off the floor and plops down on top of a desk, placing the half-opened bag in her lap.
monika tips her head, observing sayori and seeming to mull over the inquiry for a minute before asking, “i’m just curious - what heeded you to join the club?”
sayori thinks for a moment, not really knowing the answer. “uh, not sure, really!” she finally settles on, truthfully. “um, i needed to do an extracurricular, an’ i guess i thought your idea was too cool to let not become a - a reality, y’know? like, how do i -” she waves her hands about erratically. “you were just so interested in it, and i thought it was cool, ‘cause you could have any choice of clubs, since you’re so popular and all - but you decided to branch out, and i like that.” she squints up at her friend. “is that weird? it’s kinda weird, i’m sorry.”
monika shakes her head. “no, i...thanks, i suppose?” she laughs softly, for real this time, and shakes her head, to clear it this time. “i only ask because, well, you’ve, er...never struck me as a...a literature person.”
“well, i guess i am kinda dumb, if you mean that,” sayori replies with a shrug, “but you seemed cool enough to let me get by with that. an’ natsuki and yuri are both chill too, so that’s nice. the clubs already formed were kinda clique-y, too, and i doubt they’d tolerate me as well!”
monika has no answer, but she slowly and thoughtfully nods. “i see.”
there’s a semi-awkward lull before sayori slides off the desk. “cool cool, well, if that was it, i’m gonna head home now?”
“no problem,” says monika, shifting to let her get by, “have a good evening, sayori.”
“right back atcha!” sayori flashes a dazzling grin as she leaves, her steps echoing in the empty hallway. monika hears her start to sing a little tune, one she maybe knows but can’t quite grasp ahold of, before her voice fades.
the sun peers through the window, outlining monika’s silhouette as she stands still on the threshold, pondering the nature of sayori and such genuine motivations.
what an oddly fascinating girl.
♡
“monika?”
they’re supposed to be setting up for today’s club meeting - sayori hears the kerfuffle of natsuki and yuri getting snacks and books ready in the clubroom from out in the hallway. she’d ducked out to find their president, to ask some question or another about today’s topic - maybe, really, an excuse to justify to herself her pitiful attempts to get some alone time with her, to click some more pieces into place in the puzzle in her mind that is monika.
she doesn’t know why she’s so intrigued by her, but there’s that peculiar Something about her, with a capital S, that just stands out - such a cookie-cutter popular girl, a figure of mystique?
so here she is, wandering down the hallway - students file in and out of their clubrooms, and she gives some a friendly wave, others a nod, all a smile, absentmindedly. where did monika go? she was just here a minute ago, she could’ve sworn...
as sayori passes the closed music clubroom door, she hears the gentle plink of a piano being played - of course. she knocks lightly twice, but the music continues, so she pushes the door open and steps inside before letting it shut behind her.
monika sits on the piano bench, her delicate fingers skipping over the keys. without turning, she greets sayori with a gentle “hello,” playing chords with her left hand as her right scales octaves.
“hey, pres,” sayori replies, a little uncomfortably - it’s uncanny, monika’s ability to tell who’s in the room. she wishes she were that perceptive, that smart - monika’s so cool . “i, uh, don’t mean to interrupt - sorry if i did - but the girls, uh, yeah, the girls were wondering where you’d wandered off to!” god, she’s a disaster. monika probably sees right through her fumbling attempts at an excuse.
“i hope nothing’s wrong?” if she does, she doesn’t show it, at least, sparing sayori her dignity.
“no, no, they just were worried you bailed! crazy, hah? i should’ve guessed you were in here. you really like the piano, huh?
“mm.” the brunette nods solemnly, not meeting her gaze. “it’s disappointing, that the music club disbanded - last year, i planned on joining it this year, when i worked up the guts - but unfortunately, i was too late.
“aww, sorry,” says sayori, not knowing what else to say.
a quiet settles over the room, as her companion pauses her playing and suddenly becomes very interested in dusting off the pearly white keys. sayori shifts awkwardly, not knowing if she should leave or -
“could i play for you?” monika breaks the silence. “it’s, ah, it’s rare i get the chance to show off what i’ve been working on to someone.”
what’s this? the composed and collected monika, flustered? blushing? sayori has to stifle a compulsory giggle at the sight of her cheeks tinged pink.
“yeah, that’d be cool!” she chirps, sidling over to her friend. she leans on the back of the piano, elbows spread out and chin on her forearms, leveling her eyes with the pianist’s focused gaze.
monika gives a smile - a little wobbly with nerves, but calm as always - and lets her hands drift onto the keys.
the tune is nothing unique, per se - a simple enough cute and bubbly melody that sayori finds herself tapping the beat of - but there’s something special about the way monika plays it, with such care and the touch of a smile tugging at her lips, and this is monika’s , she wrote it, she plays it for seemingly no one to hear - and sayori has never been so engulfed with curiosity and a little bit of awe at her friend’s talent .
when monika finishes, skipping her hands octaves up with little jumping staccato plinks, and lets them soften onto her lap, sayori jumps up and claps enthusiastically.
“monika! i didn’t know you could - you could write songs, woah!!!”
the girl laughs softly, but her cheeks are pinked again, and sayori feels her heart swell with pride.
“it’s - it’s nothing special, it’s so simple - but thank you,” monika replies, brushing non-existent dust molecules off her skirt as she pushes the piano bench back to stand. “we should get going, yes?”
“mhm!!” sayori bounces alongside her, looking at her with new eyes as they make their way back to the clubroom. curiously, she wonders aloud:
“hey, monika - how do you write those? like, what um - what inspires you to?”
monika pauses and purses her lips, choosing her words carefully before she settles on what she thinks is a good reply.
“people inspire me - ah, usually certain people,” she says, not quite meeting sayori’s gaze. “it’s, ah - i find inspiration in people, people who i admire, who i find...interesting, i suppose.” her face flushes a little - was she too direct, too odd about her answer?
“that’s so deep!” sayori giggles, bumping shoulders with monika as she enters the clubroom. she’s bombarded by a storm of “what took you so long?!” and assorted complaints from natsuki, who seemed to be engaged in a furious argument with yuri, who returns to her latest horror novel, just a moment before.
“okay, everyone!” monika claps her hands in an attempt to bring order. “i see everything’s set up, so we can begin today...”
sayori watches her talk with starry eyes, monika’s chipper tune bouncing around her head. she thinks about what she said - “i find inspiration in people, people who i admire,” - and hopes that one day, she can be a person who inspires monika to write a song, someone intriguing to her - someone cool, enigmatic, (yuri taught her that word) even!
monika’s so fascinating, sayori thinks, so oddly fascinating - she’s so lucky to have such a cool friend.